Overview

The first cohort of the Prison Ministry Leadership Curriculum and Formation Program begins August 2013.

The Prison Ministry Leadership (PML) Curriculum is a series of courses created to support the six Roman Catholic dioceses of Illinois who seek to provide greater numbers of qualified individuals for ministerial leadership in prison and jail settings. The four courses and four workshops have been chosen very intentionally with the following outcomes in mind:

1. Provide qualified leadership in jail and prison settings throughout the state of Illinois in each of the six dioceses
   
   
2. Award sixteen (16) credits toward an undergraduate theology degree at Lewis University
   
   
3. Deliver important requirements toward certification for prison chaplaincy in affiliation with the American Catholic Correctional Chaplains Association (ACCCA), an accredited organization of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops

If you are interested, please contact your diocesan representative to express your interest and set up an interview. Contact information for your diocese can be found below. 

Once you and your diocesan representative have determined that you will be a participant, please fill out the following application. This will enable us to give you the discounts that Lewis University has arranged for prison ministry cohort participants. Also feel free to contact Dr. Christie Billups from Lewis University at any point in the process to ask questions or discuss the program.  She can be reached at:

Dr. Christie Billups
Lewis University
One University Parkway, Unit 270
Romeoville, IL 60446-2200
(815) 836-5829
billupch@lewisu.edu

The Catholic Conference of Illinois coordinates the Illinois Catholic Prison and Jail Ministry Network, which is made up of clergy and laity from each diocese who minister to prisoners and inmates of state, federal and local institutions. The Network is organized as a practical response to Church teachings and the call of our bishops.

To learn more about pursuing certified chaplaincy for prison ministry, please visit the website of the American Catholic Correctional Chaplains Association (ACCCA).