"No human sin can erase the mercy of God, or prevent Him from unleashing all his triumphant power, if we only call on Him.  Indeed, sin itself makes even more radiant the love of the Father who, in order to ransom a slave, sacrificed His Son;  His mercy towards us is Redemption.  The world looks to the priest, because it looks to Jesus!  Immense is the grandeur and diginity of the priest!"  St. John Paull II

For the hundreds of priests in the USA who have been convicted by a civil court and remanded to prison, not one of them under our care has ever reoffended or were sent back to prison after their release.  This is a testament to Men of Melchizedek’s commitment to life-long care and accompaniment for priests in prison.
 
MOM’s enhanced services for priests in prison and support for their successful reintegration upon release is managed by experienced, dedicated staff members.  Our outreach to incarcerated priests assists priests who are incarcerated both while they are incarcerated and as they transition back to the community.  

As soon as we become aware that a priest has been charged, we accompany him on the difficult journey through the legal system – making referrals to criminal lawyers for priests who, in a moment of crisis, may have nowhere else to turn.  It is important to recognize that even helping a guilty priest in acquiring competent legal representation is not an attempt to minimize the gravity of his criminal activity, nor is it intended to undermine the pain and suffering caused to his victim; rather it is to assure that a just resolution is acheived not only to bring healing and relief of the victim, but also the just restitution due to the victim and society resulting from the offending behaviors of the priest.  This is not only a moral obligation of our faith, but it is also a constitutional right of the Sixth Amendment of our country's Constitution. 

For our incarcerated priests, we make sure that their spiritual and material needs are being met.  We use our existing in-house resources and develop contacts with those who minister in jails and prisons to keep track of where priests are being held and when and where they are transferred to other corrections facilities.  In addition, our constant contact with priests in prison helps us to determine which incarcerated priests have absolutely no outside contact – no friend, relative or supporter in the community.  So, we encourage priests in the local community to write to incarcerated priests, to consider accepting their phone calls, and to send them occasional gifts of money, books or magazines.  When needed, we recruit local people to advocate for them, especially around issues involving health care.  
 
For priests who are transitioning out of prison and back into the community, we start by scheduling anticipated release dates then making a plan with them for their successful transition to the community.  Many of our priest in prison have no one in the community to assist them, so we find local partners who can assists us and the priest in prison in finding appropriate housing, employment, counseling, medical care, and spiritual support.  Through our extensive priest network, we maintain contact with our priest in prison as they re-enter the community and keep in constant contact with them for the remainder of their life.
 
Material support for priests in prison is vital to their spiritual and emotional support.  Periodicals like the Magnificat, Word Among Us, as well as personal letters and seasonal spiritual reflections from Men of Melchizedek staff members and priests are just some of the ways we provide material support.  We have also established a priest pen-pal program, which brings priests in prison much needed spiritual and emotional support from their priest brothers on the outside.
 
If you are a Catholic priest who is in prison, or you know of a priest in prison that needs support, please call our toll free number (800) 674-9693, or email us at [email protected].