St. Dismas Guild - Prison Ministry

St. Dismas Guild is a PRISON, PRO-LIFE, and PRO-FAMILY, Ministry in union with the magisterium of the Catholic Church.

We are a Catholic non-profit (Publisher and Distributor) organization which began in 1982. Our mission is to bring Jesus Christ, the Word of God, to the broken, the lost and the lonely, the sick and the imprisoned.

Inspired by Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St. Dismas Guild began with the encouragement of (the late) Deacon Ken and Marie Finn to evangelize the poorest of the poor by writing and distributing Catholic books and materials Free of Charge to prisoners and to those who cannot afford them. We rely on donations and volunteer workers to make this Ministry possible but do not participate in any formal fund-raising events.

St. Dismas Guild publishes and distributes teaching aids and commentaries on Holy Scripture, as well as other books and materials that promote Catholic family values. All our books are soft cover and are mailed in boxes or cardboard mailers, Library Rate and take up to 3 weeks to arrive.

We receive about 140 letters each month from inmates. When we receive a request, that person’s name is placed in our database, along with their request, and added to our mailing list to receive a Monthly Newsletter. We welcome personal testimonies and questions for our newsletter, although we cannot publish each one, we receive.

We encourage each inmate to request a Bible and Bread of Life Bible Study Workbook. We also make our Bible Study available in INDIVIDUAL LESSONS each week, Free of Charge, for Everyone to download and print by going to ~ www.stdismasguild.org/bible-studies/

Currently we send out approximately 30 packages each week (standard package - Bible, Bread of Life Catholic Bible Study Workbook, Basic Catechism booklet, various pamphlets including the rosary prayers and a list of all our books) to prison facilities (currently in over 1033) all across the United States and over 4,000 Monthly Newsletters.

We also offer a faith-based mentoring program, men to men and women to women only.

 We rely on donations and volunteer workers to make this Ministry possible but do not participate in any formal fund raising events.

VOLUNTEER - We meet every Thursday from 9-10 am for the mailing preparation. We prepare packages for about 30 inmate requests each week; we put books into boxes, tape boxes, restock shelves, fold extra boxes, stamp books, add postage, etc... (Because we are a Prison Ministry we do not publicly share our physical address,

please Email or Call for that information, (760) 466 7001 - Website – www.stdismasguild.org -  Email - stdismasguild@yahoo.com)

How St. Dismas Guild began:

Deacon Ken Finn became a Catholic deacon in 1978 and a few years later began work as a prison chaplain counseling inmates at a rate of 100 to 150 a month. Deacon Ken said, “I try to tell the person they’re not a piece of junk or garbage… Christ loved the sinner… I have never met a person in my life who does not want to be loved.”

Through this work, Deacon Ken developed a passion for prisoners and saw a need for a Bible Study that could be distributed free of charge to those in prison. Inspired by Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Deacon Ken and his wife, Marie began St. Dismas Guild in 1989 and shortly after started writing a Catholic Bible Study that follows the Churches Liturgical Cycle and distributing it to Mother Teresa and her sisters around the world for feedback.  The Bread of Life Catholic Bible Study was completed in 1992 with the Blessing of Pope Saint John Paul II. Permission to print by Bishop Robert E. Brom with the imprimatur by Aemilius Carolus Berlie Belaunzaran. It is published in both English and Spanish.

St. Dismas Guild is a Catholic non-profit organization whose mission is to bring Jesus Christ, the Word of God, to the broken, the lost and the lonely, the sick and the imprisoned. The objective of St. Dismas Guild is to prepare, transcribe, publish and distribute teaching aids and commentaries on Holy Scripture and to go out and search for the broken, the lost, the lonely, the hurting, the addict, and the sick and bring them into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and continued growth by the power of the Holy Spirit through Sacred Scripture, Church Teaching, and the Sacraments. Deacon Ken & Marie have led many Life in the Spirit Seminars, Marriage Seminars, Strong Women of God and Strong Men of God Seminars over the years.

On February 7th, 2014 Deacon Ken went home to be with our Lord. He is tremendously missed by his wife and all in St. Dismas Guild pray for his intercession so the Guild may continue its mission.

While we cannot all go to visit the imprisoned, we can help! How You Can Help...

Pray - for the continued success of St. Dismas Guild Ministry, for all inmates who write to us, our volunteers and our benefactors.

Donate - via Website or Mail - here is our Donation Page 

Spread the Word - please share this email and our St. Dismas Guild story with at least one person (family, friends...).

Please PARTNER to Continue reaching the imprisoned.  Consider sponsoring all or a portion of an Annual Expense, or for just $30 a month, sponsor a new inmate each month.

Know that all volunteers, donors, and inmates are remembered in our prayer intentions.

Currently Serving:

·        1033 Prison Facilities, (we began the year 2023 w/998 Facilities, that is an increase of 1.002 %).

·        35 New Facilities added in 2023.·     

·        50 avg. New Inmates requesting info. each month.

·        138 avg. Packages going out each month.

Our Costs:

·        $10,000 – Bread of Life Bible Study Printing ($7,000 Eng. & $3,000 Span.)

·          $1,900 – Monthly Newsletter Printing & Distribution

·          $1,200 – Monthly Shipping Costs & Supplies/Boxes/Tape/Books

·             $875 – Monthly Office Rent & Utilities

·             $350 – Quarterly – 100 Basic Catechism booklets

·              $150 – 25 English or Spanish Bibles

·                $50 – Quarterly – 100 Holy Cards

·                $30 – 1 Inmate package (Bible, Bible Study workbook, Basic Catechism, Pamphlets and Prayer Cards + shipping)

·                  $6 – Per Bible

Please visit our website for more information 

https://stdismasguild.org/