anglican focus

The news site of the Anglican Church Southern Queensland: nourishing and connecting our faith community

Prison chaplaincy

"I still recall those first couple of hours full of apprehension when my mentor, after showing her methodology in approaching and conversing with prisoners, encouraged me to proceed amongst the more than 60 prisoners in the secure unit to make my own connections" (Ken Collins, pictured in August 2021)
Reflections

On the prison chaplaincy frontlines

“Stan was a stoic and grumpy old inmate whose head was always downcast, reading, writing, or doing crosswords. Whenever I drew close to the table at which he sat (usually alone), he’d make some disparaging remark about the uselessness of what chaplains stood for,” says prison chaplain Ken Collins from St Mark’s, The Gap

Features

Justice that restores

“Prison chaplains help find ways to heal and restore our communities through acts of love, respect and sensitivity, and our Diocese’s dedicated Chaplaincy Ministry team is particularly passionate about this work,” says new ACSQ Chaplaincy Services Manager Andrea Colledge