PRISON MINISTRY

2003 SCHEDULE OF THE HOLY NAME SOCIETY
SAINT DISMAS PRISON MINISTRY METANOIA RETREATS

The St. Dismas Prison Ministry Metanoia Movement is a non-profit organization devoted to the "ministry of reconciliation" in federal, state, country and teenage prisons. This ministry is rooted in the call to be ambassadors for Christ, entrusted with the message of reconciliation. It was through this commission, given as an exhortation by St. Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians (2Cor.5:16-21), that the St. Dismas Prison Ministry was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the heart of its founder and chairman, Bud Cope. "The call came in 1980", says Cope. "I was attending a retreat with thirty-seven men of the St. Dismas Holy Name Society at the State Correctional Institution at Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. There were seventeen volunteers on the team including three priests. Strong conversions were experienced by both inmates and team members. The call from Jesus was loud and clear – Go into the prisons with the metanoia retreat! (Metanoia is a Greek word meaning "a change of heart".) Because the Holy Name Society was active in many Pennsylvania state prisons, this society became the vehicle through which the metanoia movement was taken into the prisons. Where Holy Name Societies were not established, often times a new one was created and a charter would be granted by the Dominican Order. If we can not start a Holy Name Society, we go into the institutions as the "St. Dismas Prison Ministry" (good thief on the cross).

The Mission of the St. Dismas Prison Ministry is to create an atmosphere in which inmates can make a decision to change their hearts (metanoia) and lives. Conversions are achieved by sharing community and basic Catholic Christian values. Dynamics are created through which the inmates experience Christ, as He is present in daily Eucharist, times of prayer, opportunities for reconciliation and other liturgical actions.

"The Holy Spirit has opened doors from the beginning", says Cope. "We have experienced constant growth and as of 2003, our ministry will be in 20 institutions. The willingness on the part of these institutions to have us return with ongoing metanoia retreats is a good sign of God’s sanction and blessing on our ministry, We, as a team, are amazed at how the Lord is opening doors to new opportunities at other institutions. We have well over 100 volunteer team members, including priests, nuns, permanent deacons, and lay men and women. Many of the local area volunteers follow up the Metanoia weekends with ongoing weekly visits and Bible studies. We started our movement using a process patterned after the Cursillo retreat. Over the years we have been modifying the metanoias for a closed environment. The development of the process is ongoing. We have learned that stories and witnessing are what the retreatants remember. Our goal throughout the retreat is to present a life of grace, which is fundamental to being a Christian."

In 1994, this ministry was called to enter a teenage prison, the Youth Development Center (Y.D.C.) in New Castle, PA. It was with some reservation that I prayed and sought the Lord’s guidance on the wisdom of taking an adult retreat into the Y.D.C.. But the Spirit of God was powerfully present and at the present time, semi-annual metanoias are held. After the third weekend, the chaplain at YDC wrote that he had experienced nothing as effective as the metanoia in touching the lives of the young people there.

The following information highlights some important points about this ministry:

• There is no cost to the institution for the metanoia retreats;
• The encounter weekend costs $22-25 per person. This fee is covered by the ministry itself and is paid for by donations to the ministry;
• Bibles, crosses with chains, prayer books, poster paper, note-taking material, pencils and markers are supplied for the retreatant;
• Where allowed, food is brought in to maintain a community setting throughout the retreat;
• Ideally, the weekend begins on Thursday evening and ends on Saturday afternoon. But most importantly, the retreat can be adapted to fit the rules and policies of each institution;
• Prayers by the outside Christian community are critical to the success of our retreat. It is through their intercession that Jesus, who alone has the power to change hearts, can touch the lives of those attending the retreat. Letters are given to the retreatant from the outside Christian community as a witness to the power of prayer and the love of God is made manifest to all.
• The Sacrament of Reconciliation, liturgy, with the reading of God’s Word in the Scriptures and the reception of the Eucharist, is an important part of the weekend and the main focus of each day.

Any inmate whose change of heart can keep him from returning to prison saves the taxpayers the yearly cost of incarceration -$25,000! The national average of recidivism in prisons is approximately 75%. So far the recidivism of over 1000 Metanoians is less than 20%. Jesus said "Come, you whom the Father has blessed: I was in prison and you visited me. I tell you, everything you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me." (Mt.25:34). The rehabilitation of these men, women, boys and girls, promoted by the spiritual renewal they experienced on the week-ends, will have a life changing effect. We feel very strongly that through this non-profit volunteer action we are helping our communities and the correctional institutions.

For Further Information, Please Contact

Mr. Harry "Bud" Cope
1823 Service Lane
Monessen, PA 15062-2317
(724) 684-4990
E-mail: budcope@worldnet.att.net

Excerpts of Metanoia Retreatants’ Letters

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
State Correctional Institution of Graterford
P.O. Box 246, Graterford, PA 19426-0246

Office of Catholic Chaplain

To whom it may concern:

As the Catholic Chaplain of this State Correctional Institution, I would like to give a strong recommendation for the work and ministry which has been carried out here for the past several years by the Saint Dismas Holy Name Society Prison Ministry. We have had four Metanoia Retreats, each consisting of a three-day program of meditative talks, discussions, celebration of the sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation, and fellowship. The men living here were spiritually enlivened and the retreats have had a positive effect within this institution, and even touched the lives of the inmates' families. We certainly have been blessed by the ministry of this team, and we pray that they may continue to visit us each year, and also to expand this program to other institutions.

Sincerely yours in the Lord Jesus,
Fr. Michael W. Rzonca
Catholic Chaplain

St. John the Evangelist Parish
150 Terrace Street
Honesdale, Pennsylvania 18431

Mr. Bud Cope
St. Dismas Prison Ministry
1823 Service Lane
Monessen, Pa 15062

Dear Bud:

Once again I want to commend the men and women of the St. Dismas Holy Name Society Prison Ministry for their exceptional work among prisoners.Your dedicated band of workers present a fine program of spiritual enrichment that greatly helps the inmates cope with their situation. Your approach is balanced with a respect for the prisoners and an encouragement for them to better their relationship with the Lord. Your program also involves as little disruption to prison life as possible. Seldom is the routine of the prison interrupted by the presence of your program. It blends in well with the prison schedule and causes no additional duties for the staff.

May the Lord continue to bless you and the prison ministry for many years to come.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Very Rev. Martin M. Boylan, Ph.D.,V.F.
State Chaplain Holy Name Society

Letter from Fredric A. Rosemeyer, Superintendent
Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution, Laurel Highlands Somerset, PA
(after Metanoia Retreat)

Dear Mr. Cope and team:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and the team for your attendance at and participation in the "Metanoia Retreat" weekend held at SCI-Laurel Highlands. I'm sure that you could have planned many activities over this time, but you chose to take time away from your families and personal lives to minister to the needs of our inmates. I appreciate this effort. One of our goals is to teach the inmates how to be better citizens when they leave prison. This retreat has assisted us in fulfilling this goal. After the weekend, I talked with several of the inmates who spoke highly of this retreat. You and the team are to be commended for this. In closing, I extend my gratitude to you and the team for your participation and compassion.

Sincerely,
Fredric A. Rosemeyer
Superintendent.

Kenny, after Meanoia at SCI, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Dear Friends,

I know that it will take the rest of my life for me to properly share what I got out of this four day retreat. But, perhaps I can give you an idea, in this letter of the abundance of gifts the Metanoia team members gave to me. At the outset , I had no idea what Metanoia was, or why I was there. I just showed up. Once I got there, I was told that Metanoia meant. "Change of Heart", and my curiosity was aroused. I figured that maybe I could learn something new from these people. So I came the next day with an open mind, and a willingness to listen. The first speaker that second day spoke of ideals and goals and he did so in such a humble, intelligent and logical way that completely blew me away. I sat there trying to get every word he said written down. I felt my mind expand by his message. I thought to myself "this is good stuff - I can use this in my life". I was hooked. The next person spoke about "Grace and Faith" things I heard before. But broken down in such a way, that gave me a simple understanding, which awed me. Next I learned about "piety", which made me reflect on how I'd been living my life until this point. And I didn't like what I remembered in that moment of reflections. In between and after these talks I got to meet and know these Metanoians. I talked to them and really appreciated what they were doing and why. They were truly loving, caring people, some of which had been through the gutters just like I had been. But. all of these people had found something that had made them "good people" somehow, and I wanted what they had found, so my life would be good too. They spoke of a relationship with God, love for our fellow man, being "fully human", and other concepts which were completely foreign to someone with a frozen heart like mine - until they explained these concepts in detail. Because when they did, love poured from their eyes, mouths and every gesture. Well by the third day my frozen heart completely melted and I began to feel peace - for - the first time in years - because I realized that God had touched me through these people. That touch is so beautiful that I can not yet explain it. But by that time, we were beginning our "study" conversation and like a sponge, I wanted to absorb every drop of knowledge being offered. Then came "action" something which I knew, but, avoided all of my life. When I heard about giving up selfish desires, I thought - here is what I must do in order to get rid of emptiness in my life. I must give my life completely to God - and "click" a feeling of peace filled me from head to toe. Everything became so clear to me. God brought me here to show what He wants me to do. Through this Metanoia retreat, God has given me the tools that I need in order to change my life. The desire to seek out knowledge of Him and the ability to incorporate that knowledge into my life in order to serve His will. All of these things, He gave me, but more importantly, He loved me and He loved me enough to forgive me. He showed me His love through the Metanoians, just as He did through Our Lord Jesus Christ. I felt all of His Mercy working in my heart and I did not quite know, or realize yet, what to do with what I was feeling! I only knew that I had to tell someone, anyone, everyone that something was taking place inside of me. So I prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to guide me in what I needed to say and do.

On that fateful third day, I shared a bit of my experience with the members of the Metanoia team in writing, to show my appreciation for their willing part in bringing me God's message. The closer we came to the end of our retreat, the more I felt that I didn't want them to go so, I prayed for understanding that night. The answer to my prayers came on the fourth day, the last day. I understood that God's plan for all of us was to accept His gifts bestowed upon us through the Metanoians - and like them - show His message with others.Well I'm not very practiced in expressing myself, after some thirty year of self-centeredness, but I hope and pray that you got a glimpse of how the Holy Trinity freed my heart from the bondage of sin. I also hope and pray that you notice how the Metanoians work is equal to what Jesus did. So much so, that, I believe wholeheartedly that they will bring many souls to Jesus Christ and God's Kingdom. For my part, I can only do as much as God wants me to do so for now, I must practice what I've learned. Go in peace and praise God all of the days of your life.

From Ellis, after Meanoia at SCI, Somerset, PA

To Bud Cope and the team.

This is Ellis, I wanted , no I needed to take a few moments to truly thank you and all the Metanoia team members for giving your time, energy and most importantly "Love and Wisdom" to me and my brothers. You have truly touched my life in a special and wonderful way. God is truly beautiful and so are his people. You and the team exemplifies Jesus's message of "go and share what you have found with my people." Jesus said "words without actions are dead." I believe that totally and it's so clear that you do too by your actions. As you are aware, I will be released very soon. Last night as I lay in my bed and contemplate this four day Metanoia (change of heart), I thought how beautiful I felt, how so blessed I am to have been apart of such a powerful, deep and moving retreat. I received much from this weekend to apply to my life today and the remainder of my life. I would fell truly blessed to be able to give back to other men and women the love, spiritually and direction that you and the team, through Christ, have given to me. When I mentioned that a "black team member" could be of the utmost importance to the team I just wasn't whistling Dixie. Yes it's unfortunate that we humans still give more credence to color, but it's simply a reality. I know that you and the team want to teach "all of human kind are equal - white, black, brown, yellow or red." Deacon Pat, our Catholic chaplain, and I have talked deeply about my desire to enter God's ministry one day in some capacity. Maybe, just maybe one day, you may have a place for me on your team. No, I am not applying. I have much work to do upon my release, especially with my son. But truly, truly, Bud I would like to meet you and the team members again some day. You have been such a powerful inspiration to me. Please tell all the members, I said hello. I love them all and miss them already. You are all in my prayers every day and will be for the remainder of my days. I don't know if it's appropriate but I hope it not against any rules, but I'm going to give you the address to my attorney, where you can reach me via him until I am able to put a home together for myself upon my release. GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!

Letter from Jeff, a very intelligent inmate at SCI, Laurel Highlands, after a Metanoia Retreat. Jeff was transferred from another state prison to Laurel Highlands about a year ago in a coma. He had been almost beaten to death by another inmate and they did not expect him to live. Deacon Pat, Catholic Chaplain said it was a miracle that he recovered. When he came on the retreat he still has problems with speech and walking.

Dear Bud,

First I considered myself rather fortunate to be attending anything. Then I embarked on the metanoia emotional roller coaster and discover that I really had no idea how fortunate I was. The crew that held our retreat were a group of considerate, knowledgeable and humorous people , very devoted to sharing God's message and being as sure as they could be that it was properly understood. It is difficult for me to try to assign words in an attempt to explain or relate this experience to you, so I wont. I will say however, please don't kid yourself into thinking that you have it all figured out, because I have learned more about myself in the past  three days then I have been able to learn in 42 years. May God's Grace be with you.

Letter from Louis, after the Metanoia at the State Correctional Institution, Laurel Highlands located in Somerset, Pa.

Dear Mr. Cope

Let me begin by thanking you and all of your team members for all of the knowledge you have imparted to us, the inmates, (and any of the staff that might have overheard). You were right, Bud, when you said in the beginning about the "elephant" analogy*. At first, I could not "feel anything except the trunk. But as time and the talks went on, it all became very much clearer what your messages were all about, and how it fit into my life. At first, I was confused, I even felt like I was being pushed into doing things, like singing and poster making, when I did not want to at that particular time. But, like I said earlier, as time went on, I became more comfortable of what was being asked of me, both spiritually and physically. Patience is most certainly a virtue! I now think back on it and remember the poster "wars" as being the most fun. I've also noticed that some of the participant who would normally NEVER get in front of a microphone and speak aloud in front of their peers, doing a fine job at explaining their posters. I quess what I am trying to say is that a little push in the right direction is a Godsend.

One of the more important messages I learned was about the three legged stool*. That with Piety*, Study*, and Christian Action*, I can begin to fully understand some of my purposes in life. I also realize that I am a leader and a leaders job is to teach his children the Word of God. I want to tell you about Pat and the goodness she emits. Do you agree with the notion that there are people in life that you just gravitate to? Well, she was someone I felt so very comfortable being around. I could just feel the love and understanding that she has for life and God. I don't know if anyone else at our table felt it like I did. It was as if she were a warm blanket on a cold day. I really don't how else to describe the feeling! If no one else felt it, they are so unfortunate!!! And what about the way Godfrey Scott* can orate. I think he is a master at talking in front of a crowd. He is so clear and precise and very understandable. I now know why he's the Rector*. These two are the ones that really made an impression on me, although the whole team was superb in their talks and messages. Deacon Pat also needs some special recognition for all of his effort to bring this wonderful weekend to Laurel Highlands. He is another loving person who will ALWAYS give his time and efforts to bettering the spirituality of anyone that is near, but, most especially we the inmates. He is dedicated to helping us attain and understand that we can be forgiven for our shortcomings. He and his lovely wife (*Stacey) are very special people and teachers.

Well Bud, simply put, I experienced a wonderful love from all of you and I'll be back next year. All in all, I rate the team, the messages, and the orators as EXCELLENT. I hope you all are very proud of what you are doing. Thanks Joe for all your help.

In Jesus Holy Name - Bud Cope