God Was Everywhere

“From the very first day, I was surprised how much God is in prison.”

Curtis was living his life like many ordinary men. He worked a white collar job. He had a wife and kids. His family members were always Catholic, and he had become Catholic a few years earlier. But, because he had become Catholic mainly for his family, he chose not to fully engage in his faith. Life went on as usual.

Then Curtis was arrested for fraud. He was convicted and sent to prison. He spent time in four different facilities – two jails and two prisons. And one of the first things he noticed in all four facilities was that God was everywhere. He found that many prisoners read the bible, and there was a great curiosity for faith among the incarcerated.

Curtis’s sentence was a real blessing in that it was a significant period to focus on his faith. A Catholic volunteer came in weekly and, once Curtis made the choice to walk his faith, the time in prison helped him get his spiritual life together.

Being Catholic is not popular in prison, especially after the unfavorable publicity the Church has received. The negative reputation of the Catholic Church is amplified in prison. Prisoners do not usually want others to know they are Catholic. So getting Catholic ministers and materials into the prisons is imperative in supporting Catholic inmates. While in prison, Curtis came across Dismas Ministry materials – bibles, study courses, prayer books – and felt that they gave more structure, like creating a map for prisoners’ faith journeys.

“Donors probably don’t comprehend how much of a difference they are making. There is no better cause than helping someone find their path to God,” said Curtis.

He shares his story because he wants people to know there is hope and opportunity in prison. Prison ministry helps a lot of people through the materials and the conversation. Dismas Ministry is a channel to provide a strong faith foundation for those behind bars.

Currently, Curtis is serving on Dismas Ministry’s Board of Directors because he wants to give back. He wants to help the incarcerated the way he was once helped. The support from benefactors makes this possible.

Donate and help others on their journey to re-entry!

Curtis Gibson is from Oregon City, OR and has been a real estate developer for the last 25 years. He received God’s grace while incarcerated. In his second year of service on the Dismas Ministry board of directors, he was recently elected to serve as vice president.

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Dismas Ministry Announces New Executive Director

Please join us in welcoming Tyler Curtis as Dismas Ministry’s new Executive Director!

The Board of Directors of Dismas Ministry is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Tyler Curtis as its new Executive Director. She succeeds Founder and previous Executive Director Mr. Ron Zeilinger.

Ms. Curtis brings to the position years of experience in nonprofit communications, fundraising, and leadership. Throughout her career, Ms. Curtis has worked for several charitable organizations in Milwaukee with a focus on health care, higher education, and the arts. The majority of her experience has been in Catholic fundraising.

Most recently, she served as a member of the leadership team of Franciscan Missions, Inc. – a national, Catholic fundraising organization that promotes the missionary work of the Franciscans (Order of Friars Minor) throughout the world. In addition to her work with the Franciscans, she has worked for the Sisters of the Divine Savior (Salvatorians), Marquette University, and Mount Mary University.

Ms. Curtis is a graduate of Marquette University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

“As the Board of Directors, we have been aware of this change in leadership for some time now. We fully support this transition and hope to make it as smooth as possible. We look forward to working with Ms. Curtis and the Dismas team in serving our sisters and brothers ‘inside,’ their families, and the ministries that serve them as well,” said Mark Henry, Vice President.

As Executive Director, Ms. Curtis will continue to build upon the mission and goals of the organization, which includes broadening fundraising, communications, and strategic partnerships.

“I am humbled by the opportunity to lead this new chapter for Dismas Ministry, which provides for the spiritual care of prisoners and those affected by crime. We are blessed by many individuals, foundations, and other faith-based organizations that partner with us in this important work. Our shared commitment to the poor and marginalized brings hope to those in need of mercy, healing, and peace,” said Ms. Curtis.

Ron Zeilinger will continue to work part-time for the ministry during this time of transition in leadership and for the remainder of 2018. “It has been a grace and an honor to serve Christ among our incarcerated
sisters and brothers, and I am deeply grateful to our fellow Catholics who support this work of mercy,” said Ron Zeilinger.

Please help us in welcoming Ms. Tyler Curtis to Dismas Ministry!

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Our 2016 National Catholic Prison Ministry Conference on Living Our Faith Radio

In this #YearofMercy, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is one of the cohosts for the first National Catholic Prison Ministry Conference, Nov. 10-11, 2016. Archbishop Listecki and co-host Fr. Paul Hartmann spoke with our Dismas Ministry director, Ron Zeilinger on Living Our Faith Radio Show about the upcoming conference. Living Our Faith airs in the Milwaukee metro area, on Relevant Radio 100.1FM/1640AM.

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Pope Francis Proclaims an Extraordinary Year of Mercy

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Prodigal Son-Tissot

Today, on Tuesday, December 8, 2015, which is also the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis opens the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.

In proclaiming this special year long focus on the gospel theme of mercy, he is calling the Catholic community, and the global community, to reflect on the reality of God’s mercy. He calls us as followers of Jesus to accept this mercy for ourselves, and to share it with our fellow sojourners on earth.

For Dismas Ministry, this is a special challenge to work with even more dedication to fulfill the words of Jesus, “when I was in prison you visited me”. This means providing support to our sisters and brothers in prison. It also is a call to work closely with our fellow Catholics to bring the message of God’s all-embracing mercy to the dark and often hopeless life behind bars.

As a powerful symbol, Pope Francis opens wide the doors of St. Peter’s Basilica: “No one can be excluded from the mercy of God; everyone knows the way to access it and the Church is the house that welcomes all and refuses no one. Its doors remain wide open, so that those who are touched by grace can find the certainty of forgiveness. The greater the sin, so much the greater must be the love that the Church expresses toward those who convert.”

He asks all of us as members of Christ’s body to

“rediscover the richness encompassed by the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.”

“The call of Jesus pushes each of us never to stop at the surface of things, especially when we are dealing with a person. We are called to look beyond, to focus on the heart to see how much generosity everyone is capable…We want to live this Year in the light of the Lord’s words: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).

This Holy Year begins today on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (December 8, 2015) and ends November 20, 2016, on the Sunday dedicated to Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. He is the living face of the God’s never ending mercy.

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The Pope and the Penitentiary

 

Here are our favorite quotes from Pope Francis’ visit to the Santa Cruz-Palmasola penitentiary on Saturday, July 11th:

The man standing before you is a man who has experienced forgiveness.

We can lose this dignity in so many ways. But Jesus is stubborn: he gave his very life to restore the identity we had lost.

This means putting aside a mentality which sees people as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, but instead tries to focus on helping others. This will help to create better conditions for everyone. It will give dignity, provide motivation, and make us all better people.

We take these statements by Pope Francis to heart as we reflect prepare for the Year of Mercy – 2016. Read the full message by Pope Francis on his visit here>

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