Chaplaincy Services

National Chaplains' Conference Declaration 1994

A New Look

Declaration

Introduction

We, the CSC Chaplains, Interfaith Committee Members, and several Community Chaplains met in conference at Glendon College in Toronto from June 6-11, 1994 under the theme 'A New Look'.

Our assembly itself had a new look in the composition of the participants: representatives from First Nations, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh Communities joined Christian participants.

We are grateful to the Correctional Service of Canada for the opportunity to meet together in this time of fiscal restraint. We are thankful to God for the privilege of doing this ministry and deeply conscious of the disregard for the dignity and spiritual need of the prisoners in many countries.

Darkness and Light, Individualism and Community:

Initially, many of the planners and participants were concerned over the darkness of the walls and lack of lighting in the conference meeting room.

As the conference progressed, we found expanding circles of dialogue bringing "light" to the room. We discovered ways to bring light and healing to the brokenness within the prison environment, both for those who live there and those who work there. We found the beginnings of a new look at the heart of justice.

Ironically, the darkness enabled us to see more clearly the things that mattered and to let go of the things that hindered us. We were invited to relinquish ways of understanding the role of "chaplain" and "inmate" which no longer reflected the dynamism of spiritual life for either chaplain or inmate and which were becoming detrimental even to the broader community.

We were challenged to better address the needs of persons who live with the alienation produced by our individualistic and consumption-oriented society, victims of the dissolution of the traditional families and communities. We were challenged to respond to the needs of the poor and marginalized persons who pay the heaviest price to sustain such a society.

We were invited to relinquish a concept of justice which focuses on individual rights and property, and which measures a person's value by material worth, health, gender, age or productivity.

Towards a New Look

We had many insights as to where the new look might take us.

Its spirituality would be based on an attempt to respond to people in their deepest need and be marked by a richly pluralistic quality. We were reminded by our speakers that effective transformation on a psycho-social level is not possible unless the person is first touched, challenged and nurtured at his/her spiritual core.

In these circumstances, valuing persons in the real context in which they live is more important than valuing institutions. It is a key to building new caring communities grounded in God.

In a small Aboriginal community in Mexico, people use the pronoun "I" to refer to the community and the pronouns "he" and "she" to refer to one's self. This personal identification with community is something of the new look.

The Conference stimulated us to dream dreams as to what the new look might be.

Messages

To Government

We urge you to resist the pressure to build more prisons and to concentrate instead on building new, just and more wholesome societies. We commit ourselves to support positive initiatives undertaken to bring this about.

To the CSC

We affirm the importance and the dignity of all staff in the work we are doing together. We stress the centrality of meeting the spiritual needs of persons within the institution. We commit ourselves to doing this.

To Faith Communities

We urge you to embrace efforts by the prisoner to join your communities, and to support, where applicable, community chaplaincy initiatives.

We commit ourselves to help you understand the mission of the community healing circles in the criminal justice system.

To Seminaries

When 10% of Canadians have a criminal record it is important to teach courses on pastoral care to those in conflict with the law. We offer ourselves as resources in the development and delivery of such courses.

To Prisoners

God loves you and knows your value, even when all others deny it. We commit ourselves to accompany you in your growth to wholeness and responsible freedom.

To Ourselves

We know better the old look which we have left than the new one towards which we journey. We have tasted community during these days and dreamed dreams together. We leave this Conference knowing that, even in our darkest moments, this will nourish us. We commit ourselves to building stronger community among ourselves and among those whom we serve.