Behind the Walls Newsletter Reaches 400+ People!

This past month marked a major milestone for our behind the walls ministry. For the first time, Thrive For Life sent over 400 newsletters to our brothers and sisters behind the walls in facilities throughout New York and New Jersey. This correspondence has been a crucially important part of our team’s work, particularly given the limited access we have had to our brothers and sisters during the pandemic. Each month, past retreat participants and other interested individuals receive our newsletter which first and foremost provides a guided examen rooted in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. These quality, meditative resources for an examined life give our brothers and sisters a respite from their surrounding environment and invite deep reflection on one’s life and sense of purpose. 

Beyond spiritual direction, the newsletter has become an incredibly popular resource behind the walls that allows us to reach people in need of accompaniment. Whether hearing about our Ignacio House of Studies for those continuing the good work of education, or simply getting more information about services beyond the walls for when people come home, our brothers and sisters connect with us to maintain hope as we await their return to our community. Even for those who do not come to Ignacio House, the relationships forged through the circulation of our newsletter permits Fr. Zach to connect people with needed support and services to ease the oftentimes overwhelming chaos of reentry. 

The growth of our newsletter circulation is due in large part to the efforts of Pablo, our Spiritual Care Coordinator, who works diligently each month to prepare quality materials for reflection, while also managing a growing list of subscribers. In addition, Fr. Zach has worked hard to expand the reach of our newsletter by gathering sign-ups each time he visits facilities to say Mass and visit with people behind the walls. Over these past few months, he has visited Wallkill, Shawangunk, Taconic, Otisville, and Sing Sing prisons connecting with past retreatants and forging new relationships along the way. 

We are incredibly grateful to have reached this milestone and look forward to extending our reach even farther as we expand nationally.