De Colores!

Cursillo is a short course in Christianity.  It is a three day working retreat. REC, Residents Encounter Christ is Cursillo in prison.  Like Cursillo, the REC team are volunteers who go in, sit with prisoners, give talks, and share their lives.  They try to show the residents that there is hope in following Christ.  The goal is to try to break the cycle of recidivism and to encourage prisoners, many of whom were victims of abuse who turn to alcohol and drugs to consider the hope offered by following Christ. 

 We will be having a REC retreat (Residents Encounter Christ) on February 20, 21 and 22 and March 15, 16 & 17 at Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in Massachusetts. This is a super maximum prison. I will like to request prayers for the men participating in these weekends.

If you are a cursillistas you know what palanca is.  Please consider writing some palanca for the REC.  Palanca are letters of support promising prayers of support during the REC.  Please send them to:

Bethany House
1049 Main Street
Millis, MA 02054
USA

The letters can be addressed to dear brother or dear brother in Christ. For some, this is the only letter that they will ever get while incarcerated.
Thank you all for your prayers in advance.
Sister Ruth, Sister Kathleen, and Faith

Hoot

Pondville had a Hoot tonight, and I participated.  This was a REC program--Residents Encounter Christ is an interdenominational Christian ministry to prisoners.  It's a Cursillo program.  The Hoot part of it was where we volunteers, who had been making Palanca, and praying for these guys, came to surprise them.

We all gathered together in a room and hid there, until it was time.  Then we all marched in singing "This is the day," and clapping our hands to the beat.  The men were bowled over.  It was a nice surprise.  That's a Hoot!

We stayed for awhile and listened to their witness talks.  As usual, it can be heart wrenching.  But its wonderful to see the Holy Spirit move in people.  Amazing, simply amazing.