A Church prison ministry official has underscored the importance of community support in the rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates and former offenders.
Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio of the military ordinariate said volunteers play an important role in providing guidance, encouragement, and a sense of belonging to those transitioning back into society.
“Indeed, the Church’s mandate to care for those who are deprived of liberty cannot be effective without our volunteers,” Florencio said.
The prelate also heads the Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care (ECPPC) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
“The ECPPC commend the efforts of all the volunteers in this noble apostolate for with them the love and compassion of God through the Church has a face. The face is the VIPS (volunteers in prison service),” he said.
The bishop made the statement for the 37th Prison Awareness Sunday, which this year falls on October 27, with the theme: “The VIPs are the Church’s partners in the journey of our PDLs (Persons Deprived of Liberty) towards wellness.”
Florencio urged the faithful to recognize the prison volunteers, who are the “radiant and vibrant faces of the loving and compassionate God.”
Ahead of the ECPPC’s 50th anniversary in March next year, its executive secretary, Fr. Nezelle Lirio, said that “every story of those who serve in prison carefully builds the whole story” of the organization.
He stressed that Jesus praised those who take time to visit, serve, and provide care and love to the neglected members of the society.
“In this way, we are being summoned for this kind of mission,” Lirio said.