Contents
We have two kinds of chaplains:
Visiting chaplains go into prisons, jails, and the incarceration wards of hospitals and other adult and juvenile detention centers in your local area upon request. The visiting chaplain can conduct Christian Science services, or meet with inmates in small groups or 1-on-1 sessions. These visits may be much like a Sunday School class on a topic that you think will be helpful or that is requested by an individual inmate. How often you go is determined by your own availability and the rules and schedule of the institution, but usually visiting chaplains go into an institution weekly or monthly. Some visiting chaplains work at only one institution, some at multiple institutions.
Corresponding chaplains do not go into any institutions. They are assigned by the State Committee to write to specific inmates who have requested contact but are located in an institution where there is no visiting chaplain. This may include requests from inmates about to be released, in order for the chaplain to provide metaphysical support during the challenging transition period as an inmate reenters the community. Corresponding chaplains are not pen pals. They confine their correspondence to spiritual mentoring and messaging from the Bible and the writings of Mrs. Eddy, as well as articles from the Christian Science periodicals. You will find that there is nothing more rewarding than helping an inmate grow in his or her understanding of God as infinite Love with the accompanying realization that he or she is the beloved image and likeness of omnipotent Spirit.