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Prison Ministry India
Won't you set me free?
Prison Ministry India (PMI) is a national registered body working under CBCI commission of JPD for the welfare, reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners. Established 1986 by a group of young philanthropic students, today it has 850 cells connected with each prison and 18 rehabilitation centers. About 6,000 volunteers reach out 1397 prisons in India.
There are 500 inmates at Hosur Road, Parappana Agrahara Jail. Shortly the Christa Prabhalaya Church, Jayanagar wing's youth members, TWB Publisher and Member, BJP Minority Morcha, Kishore Joseph and Kennady Shanthakumar, General Secretary BJP Minority Morcha will be visiting the jail, led by Father Pascal.
According to church sources, a lot of parishioners from the Christa Prabhalaya have come forward to donate money for the welfare of the jail mates. The money thus collected will be used for their rehabilitation when they come out and also to help their family members. The parishioners have also assured the jail mates to help them find jobs in some private firms.
A PMI volunteer said the organization does not discriminate on the basis of religion, caste, creed, and said it only wanted to educate the prisoners that 'nobody is a born criminal and it is never too late to find the right path in life'. The Ministry also conducts street shows to spread awareness among the people and to motivate them to lend the jail mates a helping hand.
About PMI
It's theme is: 'Be a love bomb and explode! Not to kill but to heal the broken hearts'. With this well-known dictum, Prison Ministry of India was started by Fr. Varghese Karippery and Fr. Francis Kodiyan in the year 1986 at St. Thomas Seminary.
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The words of Jesus, "I was in Prison, You visited me" (Mt .25:36) inspired them to go to the prisons "not to see Jesus of 2000 years ago but to see the crucified Jesus of today in the prison cells". In 1989 the initiative of these young students was accepted and recognized by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Kerala and became an official ministry of the Church in the state. In 1991 another historical event took place in the growth of Prison Ministry India when it stepped into the field of rehabilitation of released prisoners by starting the first renewal and rehabilitation center in Trichur.
In the Jubilee year PMI became the official ministry of the Indian Church. The Catholic Bishop Conference of India recognized PMI as an important mission of the time under its commission for Peace, Justice and Development.
Interested may send in their donations to PMI. All donations made to PMI are eligible for income tax deduction under section 80G Income Tax act 1961. Address: PRISON MINISTRY INDIA, P.B. No. 3410, Venkatapura, Koramangala PO, Bangalore - 560 034, Ph 5520849, email pmi2005@rediffmail.com.
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