'SOARING: Inmates Helping Inmates' of Poverty Services of Catholic Charities of Southern Illinois
Dear Priests, Deacons, Parish Life Coordinators:
I write to you today requesting support for one of our critical ministries: 'SOARING: Inmates Helping Inmates' of Poverty Services of Catholic Charities of Southern Illinois.
Reading impairment is a root cause of poverty as it impedes gainful employment. Nearly 70% of Illinois prison inmates are reading impaired. Studies confirm that if inmates do not address their reading impairment while incarcerated, nearly 80% will repeat offend, thus continuing their cycle of poverty and imprisonment. If inmates are taught reading skills, then less than 13% will repeat offend when they are released.
Our 'SOARING' program has helped 97% of inmates advance their reading skills in the Centralia Correctional Center. This is the #1 program in the United States to advance inmate literacy skills. Our unique success is attributed to the "peer-to-peer" design of the program (which accelerates the reading advancement to some 5 grades per year, and keeps program costs down). We also keep costs down by encouraging Volunteer Literacy Aides (with education backgrounds) one or two days a month to assist inmate testing and monitoring. The education of inmates will reduce total costs to the Correctional Centers, law enforcement, and the court, as well as greatly reduce harm to the general public.
The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) endorses and financially supports 'SOARING' advancement into all 26 of its correctional centers. 'SOARING' needs to raise $10,000 per year in the Diocese of Belleville to cover its costs of operation which includes managing the literacy program, inmate tutor training, managing volunteers, cost of materials, and mileage reimbursement for volunteers.
To raise these funds we endeavor to have a very simple "email RAFFLE" (which has successfully been used in the past in the Diocese of Belleville for other fund-raising). 'SOARING' representative, Mr. Michael Schuette, will be in contact with each parish to assist with the details.
Our Prison Ministry Office has provided the below instructions for participation in this raffle.
1. Raffle tickets can be purchased by credit card simply by going to bit.ly/inmateshelpinginmates to buy tickets. As best your Parish has the ability, please email and send through Facebook the attached “Help Inmates Change RAFFLE Flyer” details to every parishioner you can on these dates:
April 6/7
April 20/21
May 4/5
2. Please put the attached “Help Inmates Change RAFFLE Flyer” ad on your Parish Website from April 1 thru May 17. You can also print some out to serve as signs.
3. Please add this Bulletin appeal to your Bulletins when you can (preferably these weekends):
April 6/7
April 20/21
May 4/5
PLEASE BUY A RAFFLE TICKET TO CHANGE INMATES LIVES FOREVER: Grand Prize $5,000 plus 11 other cash prizes.
Just go to bit.ly/inmateshelpinginmates to buy tickets.
4. We will be sending you POSTCARDS to put in your pews or at your entrances. When they get to you, please distribute them…and let us know if you need more postcards.
5. A word of support for this important cause from Father would be great. It might be: Our prison inmates are caught in a vicious cycle of reading impairment, unemployment, poverty and recidivism…and do not know why or how to change. The Lord reminds us: “When you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.”
Please click here for the full flyer - 'SOARING: Inmates Helping Inmates' of Poverty Services of Catholic Charities of Southern Illinois. Or click on the poster below.
I wish to thank everyone for your support of this very important life-changing ministry in our Diocese.
Appreciativeley yours in Christ,
The Most Reverend Edward K. Braxton
Bishop of Belleville
Diocese of Belleville
His Holiness, Pope Francis
APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION
His Excellency, The Most Rev. Edward K. Braxton, Ph.D., S.T.D.,
Bishop Edward K. Braxton hosted a luncheon Sept. 12 at his residence for Father Evaristus Okaa Onwuogu, Personal Secretary to His Excellency, the Most Rev. Valerian M. Okeke, Archbishop of Onitsha, Nigeria. Father Onwuogu was a guest of the bishop while visiting fidei donum missionaries from Onitsha, who are serving in Belleville.
On Monday evening, August 8, 2016 Bishop Edward K. Braxton spoke about the need for moral leadership in action in order to bridge the racial divide in the United States.
People came from near and far throughout the diocese to meet Bishop Edward K. Braxton at his residence Dec. 20 at his annual Christmas reception.
The Relic of St. Maria Goretti and Our Vocation to be Saints
A Week of Moving Experiences
Bishop Edward K. Braxton recently welcomed Father Vincent Mukasa, a fidei donum missionary from the Archdiocese of Kampala, Uganda to the Diocese. He has been released by his Bishop, His Excellency, The Most Rev. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, Archbishop of Kampala, to serve for a period of three years. Commenting on the appointment, the Bishop said, “I am very appreciative of Father Mukasa’s generosity in coming to serve the People of God in our Diocese. I am confident that he will be well received by the clergy, religious, and the Christian faithful. I am deeply grateful to Archbishop Lwanga for making this possible.” Father is already acquainted with the Catholic Church in southern Illinois, since he has been coming to the Diocese during the summer to provide pastoral ministry, on and off, since 1998. Father Mukasa will be joining two other fidei donum priests from Uganda currently serving here: Father Christopher Mujule from the Diocese of Hoima and Father Bernardine Nganzi from the Diocese of Fort Portal.
The Diocese of Belleville welcomes Deacon Brett Judkins who was ordained May 23, the eve of Pentecost at St. Peter Cathedral in Belleville by Bishop Edward K. Braxton.
His Excellency, The Most Rev. Edward K. Braxton announced today that he has appointed Mr. Michael D. Gibbons as the new Chief Finance Officer of the Diocese, effective May 4, 2015. He succeeds Mr. James V. Mroczkowski, who has completed his five-year contract.
Every year Bishop Edward K. Braxton devotes a significant amount of time to Pastoral Visitations to the Catholic schools in the Diocese. These visits afford him the opportunity to see each school firsthand and to offer his personal support to the parish pastors, school principals, faculty and staff of our elementary and secondary schools. One of his primary goals is to strengthen the Catholic identity of each school and to make sure that the Catholic faith is being taught faithfully and accurately. During his conversations with the students in their classrooms, he teaches them about different aspects of their faith.
For the second time in two months a personal representative of the Holy Father has been the guest of Bishop Braxton and the Diocese of Belleville. Last month, on September 25, The Most Reverend Carlo Maria Viganò, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, spent a day in the Diocese. His Excellency, The Most Reverend Fortunatus Nwachukwu, Apostolic Nuncio to Nicaragua was the guest of the Bishop and the Diocese October 29-31, 2014. Bishop Braxton and Archbishop Nwachukwu have known one another for many years. During his years as Chief of Protocol at the Vatican Secretariat of State, the then Msgr. Fortunatus often assisted the Bishop in making special arrangements for his guests on pilgrimage to Rome. He was especially helpful when the Bishop led a large number of Pilgrims from southern Illinois to Rome and the Holy Land during the 125th anniversary Jubilee year, 2012.