Good Shepherd Sisters visit women in Polish prison ‘to offer hope’
By Karol Darmoros
An agreement between the Sisters of the Good Shepherd of Divine Providence and a prison in Krzywamiec, Poland, offers resocialization activities to women in detention, fulfilling the Congregation’s mission to help women in difficulty.
“We started to meet with women in prison in April. These group meetings are about set topics, but there are also individual meetings,” Sr Krzysztofa Kujawska told Vatican News.
The sisters currently hold regular classes for two groups of women. The aim is spiritual formation and practical reintegration after leaving prison, including assistance with housing.
“They can live with us, look for a job or receive psychological support,” she said.
A home that sends no one away
The Good Shepherd Sisters do not run centres. They welcome the women into their religious homes once they have finished serving out their sentences.
“If any of them want to stay with us—because this is our charism—they can do so and live in our homes for the rest of their lives. We already have women from other prisons,” Sr Krzysztofa said.
Helping detainees also includes donating parcels or delivering mail, always in agreement with prison staff—a way of supporting women who need it most, because prison often distances family and friends.
Simply women
The Sisters of the Good Shepherd of Divine Providence continue to follow the charism of their Foundress, Blessed Maria Karłowska, who helped women on the streets of Poznań.
“Our work in prisons as Sisters of the Good Shepherd has precisely this purpose, to give women hope ... helping them regain their dignity and find a flicker of hope that things can be different,” Sr. Krzysztofa stressed.
She treats the women as ordinary people who attend parish and community meetings. This has a positive impact and builds trust, Sr. Krzysztofa explained, adding that there are visible signs that many of these women do not feel imprisoned.
Working with female inmates is also a response to their difficult situation after leaving prison. “When they leave the penitentiary, they often have no one waiting for them... They also have big problems finding employment,” said Sr. Krzysztofa.
From trust to transformation
Sr. Krzysztofa highlighted that building trust during visits and conversations with the women in prison is fundamental.
It is crucial to listen to them, and it is they who decide when to start a conversation or take on the next stage: to accept help.
“When I went there for the first encounter, there was no talk of any further cooperation, or plans... The women decided whether to accept me... They asked me about the next meeting. That was a sign that we could go a step further,” Sr. Krzysztofa said.
The Congregation plans to expand its work to other prisons. The Sisters of the Good Shepherd of Divine Providence already have experience in this work.
In the 1990s, they visited a prison in Grudziądz, and several women went to live in the sisters’ homes after serving their sentence.
Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here
