Search
Kolbe Ministries Hosts First Men's Retreat at Elayn Hunt Correctional Institute
-
June 27, 2024Men came together and built a community at the first Kolbe Ministries Retreat at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center
in St. Gabriel May 30 – June 2. There was no distinguishing each other based on who lives “behind the gates” or “the outside world”; there was only a common brotherhood of men setting aside time to draw closer to God and each other.
Kolbe Prison Ministries, which is named after St. Maximilian Kolbe, began in Texas in 2009 to help incarcerated people grow in their faith. A group of men in the Diocese of Baton Rouge are working to build this ministry program here.The Kolbe Ministries founding group of men dedicated themselves to works of mercy in visiting the incarcerated. While serving at a Kairos Retreat, one of the co-founders met a retreat attendee who had been on an ACTS retreat prior to his incarceration.
The attendee saw the need for holding an ACTS retreat in prisons and asked about the possibility of having one in his prison.The first retreat, known as "Prison ACTS,” was held at the John B. Connally Unit prison in Karnes, Texas in August 2009. The group later renamed the ministry Kolbe Ministries to better reflect the work being undertaken and, because of some differences, to distinguish it from an ACTS retreat.From that first retreat, the men brought Kolbe Ministries to several prisons from the Texas Hill Country down to Beaumont. The ministry entered Louisiana through the Diocese of Lake Charles, which then conducted six retreats at Allen Correctional Center in Kinder.
All the team members for the Elayn Hunt Retreat were ACTS brothers: 26 from the Diocese of Baton Rouge, 13 from the Diocese of Lake Charles, seven from the Diocese of Lafayette, and one from the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee in Florida.The retreat included Mass, praise, worship, fellowship, Eucharistic adoration, and confession. Team members connected with the retreatants as they shared their common human experiences of hardships, loss, suffering, betrayal, and struggles on the road to forgiveness, and how they overcame the obstacles through faith.“I must say it’s been an emotional retreat,” said retreat attendee Jacob Middleton. “There’s such a sense of welcomeness that I was shocked.”Middleton said the retreat team members showed resilience when facing trials, by “going through it and conquering the day.”“It doesn’t matter what the devil is doing, keep God with you and have mercy and forgiveness, and you will know peace,” said Middleton.Likewise, attendee John Purvis said, “These guys give from their hearts compassion and truth. It’s in every testimony. Being Catholic I never felt more loved than any congregation I’ve belonged to.”
“I’ve never been to a retreat like this before,” said retreatant Kerwin Pierre. “I’ve been to other retreats before, but this one is different.”
He was particularly struck by one team member’s testimony.
“I can see how God used the circumstances in his life and how changes came about in his life,” said Pierre.
The retreat was an opportunity for Daniel Mikkelson to spend time with men of faith and learn how to bring his personal struggles to God.“I’ve never been to a retreat like this before,” said Mikkelson. “These men have been through a lot themselves. It makes me cry.”Mikkelson said he made poor choices in life, which caused him to turn to drugs and alcohol.“I’m still trying to make amends with my kids,” said Mikkleson. “All I want is to hear their voices again.”But the retreat helped him to try to give over his suffering to God.“These people (team members) have taught me a lot,” said Mikkelson, who has been trying to grow in his faith and now picks up “the Good Book.”Daniel Reyes of Lakes Charles, who is on the National Board of Directors of Kolbe Ministries, noted that once a retreat is given, an “inside team” of incarcerated men that are screened by the Kolbe “outside team” can present testimonies at subsequent retreats.“It helps (the attendees) to know someone who’s walked in their shoes,” said Reyes, adding that “it’s very therapeutic to talk about the things they are going through.”According to Reyes, when a Kolbe Retreat comes into a prison, the retreat attendee’s first impression is generally, “What do you want from me? Why are you giving up your time to come here?”
“They find out that all we want is to give them the love and the encouragement to do the same for others,” said Reyes.
.
While Kolbe Retreats give “Catholics a priority,” they are open to incarcerated men of all faiths, and even of no faith.Reyes noted that beyond Louisiana, Kolbe Ministries is expanding to Florida, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
Andrew Cash, a core team member from the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, said “I’ve been doing prison ministry since 2017 at Century Correctional Institute (in Century, Florida). We’ve been well received. We have great support from our bishop (Bishop Reverand William A. Wack, CSC).While there are ministries serving incarcerated people, there was a need that wasn’t being met, said Cash.He said many people hesitate to do prison ministry, but the idea of going together as a group appeals to them, so more become involved.Looking out at the assembly at Elayn Hunt, Cash saw the diversity of men.“You see the different backgrounds, different languages, handicaps; you see all of that shine,” Cash said.Cash said he is interested in using his gifts and talents to create joy while letting the retreat attendees “get things off their chest” so they can see they are loved despite the things they have done.“The Holy Spirit is just filling this place. Our job is to open the door and let the Holy Spirit work … You’re seeing lives changed before your eyes,” said Cash.The next Kolbe Ministries Retreat will be Sept.12-15 at Elayn Hunt. For more information on the ministry, visit kolbeprisonministries.org or email Val Browning at [email protected].
