We serve Simple Lenten Meals (en español) in the North Conference Room on the Friday evenings of Lent following the 6pm Stations of the Cross.  Join us for the sustenance of food and fellowship!  Each Friday we collect donations to benefit a different community-based organization in Washington, DC.  On Friday, March 22, the beneficiary will be Prison Outreach Ministry and the Program Manager will speak on its "Welcome Home Reentry Program" whose volunteer mentors help to successfully reintegrate incarcerated men and women returning to the community by providing one-on-one spiritual, moral, and practical support including education, employment, housing, and social services assistance. Consider spending your early Friday evening with St. Matthew's family and friends - come for the 5:30pm Mass, 6pm Stations of the Cross and end with a shared meal, organized by the Liturgy Committee, and this great opportunity of almsgiving to our community.

Prison Outreach Ministry

Our Mission:

"The Prison Outreach Ministry and its Welcome Home Reentry Program live the Gospel Mandate to serve men and women returning to their communities after incarceration. We seek to reduce recidivism, educate the community and develop strong systems of support, by building relationships and by matching returning individuals with compassionate volunteer mentors from communities of faith and civic organizations."

Welcome Home Reentry Program - The Challenge:

"In a twelve-month period, numerous men and women return home to Washington D.C., Montgomery County and Prince George's County after being released from incarceration.  

Most of these individuals will face a variety of barriers and have great difficulty managing the most basic necessities for successful reintegration-reconnecting with jobs, housing, and their families, as well as gaining access to needed substance abuse and health care treatment.  

Many newly released individuals are estranged from family and friends because of problems related to extended substance abuse and end up living in homeless shelters or boarding house rooms devoid of established familial support.  

Because the navigation of services can be complex and the wide-array of needs can be mutually related and dependent (i.e. can't obtain a job without proper credentials - can't obtain proper credentials without a place to live), individuals returning to the community need successful community members to help guide them and navigate the social service system."

Volunteer mentors of the Welcome Home Reentry Program serve those most in need and stigmatized by society encouraging them to lead meaningful and productive lives.  To learn more about Prison Outreach Ministry, please visit www.prisonoutreachministry.org.