Brixton Prison Visit
On Sunday 6th March – Mothers’ Day – a small group of parishioners visited HMP Brixton to attend weekly mass at the prison chapel. We were invited by Deacon Joseph of Walton-on-Thames Parish, who is the Catholic chaplain at the prison.
Mass takes place every Sunday morning in the prison chapel. Prisoners who wish to attend add their name to a list and are released from their cells to be escorted to the chapel for the weekly service.
There were around 35-40 in attendance, including a small number of visitors, who had been searched before entering the prison grounds. Seating was mixed and there was no segregation between inmate and visitor, in the mass celebrated by the regular visiting priest, Father Simon Bishop.
It was a full mass in every extent. Hymns were sung with gusto. Incense was used throughout. Four altar servers, three inmates and one visitor, helped the priest with mass proceedings and carried candles to the altar. Any initial tentativeness between inmate and visitor soon disappeared as everyone joined in a common act of worship.
The week’s gospel reading, fittingly, was the parable of the Prodigal Son. Father Simon then preached an excellent sermon on famous figures, such as Winston Churchill and Thomas Edison, who had failed many times in life before finally succeeding and being vindicated.
It was an uplifting mass. One was struck by the devoutness of many of the prisoners and their desire to atone for their previous errors. It was particularly poignant as many of the prisoners were serving their sentence apart from their families and mothers on Mothers’ Day.
In this ‘Year of Mercy’, Catholics are encouraged to engage in Works of Mercy – including visiting those in prison. The visit was a worthwhile experience for visitors and inmates alike. All the prisoners at the mass will be released into society in the next decade. It’s crucial they know that there is someone who cares for them and wants them to turn onto the right path. Visiting the imprisoned is one of the best ways we can help to make this happen.
Mass takes place every Sunday morning in the prison chapel. Prisoners who wish to attend add their name to a list and are released from their cells to be escorted to the chapel for the weekly service.
There were around 35-40 in attendance, including a small number of visitors, who had been searched before entering the prison grounds. Seating was mixed and there was no segregation between inmate and visitor, in the mass celebrated by the regular visiting priest, Father Simon Bishop.
It was a full mass in every extent. Hymns were sung with gusto. Incense was used throughout. Four altar servers, three inmates and one visitor, helped the priest with mass proceedings and carried candles to the altar. Any initial tentativeness between inmate and visitor soon disappeared as everyone joined in a common act of worship.
The week’s gospel reading, fittingly, was the parable of the Prodigal Son. Father Simon then preached an excellent sermon on famous figures, such as Winston Churchill and Thomas Edison, who had failed many times in life before finally succeeding and being vindicated.
It was an uplifting mass. One was struck by the devoutness of many of the prisoners and their desire to atone for their previous errors. It was particularly poignant as many of the prisoners were serving their sentence apart from their families and mothers on Mothers’ Day.
In this ‘Year of Mercy’, Catholics are encouraged to engage in Works of Mercy – including visiting those in prison. The visit was a worthwhile experience for visitors and inmates alike. All the prisoners at the mass will be released into society in the next decade. It’s crucial they know that there is someone who cares for them and wants them to turn onto the right path. Visiting the imprisoned is one of the best ways we can help to make this happen.
