Florida Catholic | Jail Minister Is Top Volunteer

Jail minister is top volunteer

Pedro (Pete) Guzman receives ‘Volunteer of the Year’ accolades from Volusia County Division of Corrections.

LAURA DODSON | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 06.20.08

JENNIFER SURGENT | FC
Pedro (Pete) Guzman and the other members of the ministry make weekly visits to the men and women imprisoned in the Volusia County Jail, bringing them communion service, bible study and the liturgy of the word.

DAYTONA BEACH | To be named volunteer of the year for a county government agency is an honor – one that’s especially heartfelt for a Christian when the award is presented for responding to the Lord’s call to minister to the incarcerated.

At the Volusia County Division of Corrections annual awards banquet here May 19, Pedro (Pete) Guzman received the award for “Volunteer of the Year 2007.” Guzman, a parishioner at the Basilica of St. Paul in Daytona Beach, received the award from Glenda Santiago, program services manager for the corrections division.

“Pedro has the largest group of volunteers servicing the most people,” Santiago said. “We recognized him out of our 169 volunteers for top honors because he deserved the top award. Under Pedro’s guidance, the Catholic service volunteers receive special training and it amazes me that they already have a knowledge and understanding of the differences of volunteering in a correctional facility than anywhere else.”

Guzman has been coordinating the program for the past seven years. Sixteen trained volunteers visit male inmates at both the Volusia County Branch Jail and the Volusia County Correctional Facility on Monday evenings. Volunteers visit female inmates at the Volusia County Correctional Facility on Friday evenings. The county facilities generally house people who are awaiting trial or sentencing, or who have been sentenced to less than a year. Those with longer sentences generally go to state prison.

“There isn’t a lot of longevity (the average county jail stay is 60 days) and it is a challenge to help them grow spiritually, to help them be better citizens, to be better people,” Guzman explained. “We bring the word of God to them. We pray with them and we teach them to ask the Holy Spirit to be with them.”

Guzman ensures that ministry volunteers are well prepared to conduct either a Liturgy of the Word or Communion service with inmates in the one hour they have with them each week. Because of the numbers in the facility, inmate attendance is on a rotation basis by block. Usually eight to 36 inmates participate, about half of them Catholic.

“We hope that we bring the light and love – a connection to the body of Christ to them,” said Johanna Barker, a volunteer in the ministry for the past seven years, also a Basilica of St. Paul parishioner, and the office manager for the Eastern Regional Office of Catholic Charities of Central Florida Inc. “Pedro is extraordinary. We have ongoing education sessions; we’re consistent with our liturgies; he schedules us and gives us pep talks. He is an outstanding example of stewardship.”

In addition to coordinating the ministry, Guzman assisted in writing the diocesan training manual for the prison and jail ministry, and is a speaker for certification training.

Guzman is very active in the parish as well. One night a week he teaches English to Spanish-speaking parishioners; he is a minister to the sick; and, most recently, he served as a sponsor for fellow parishioner Donald Haas, who was fully initiated into the church at the concluding Mass of the Festival of Faith.

Haas said of Guzman: “Pedro was always willing to answer my many questions. He encouraged and supported me, and found time for many lunch get-togethers. I truly admire him as a man and as a Catholic who shares his faith and leads by his example. I am honored, privileged, to have been the recipient of his guidance and friendship.”

HOW TO BECOME CERTIFIED FOR PRISON MINISTRY

For those interested in working in the Catholic Prison and Jail Ministry, training will be offered Saturday, June 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Holy Cross Parish, 12600 Marsfield Ave., Orlando, by the Criminal Justice Office of Catholic Charities of Central Florida Inc.

This is the program that Pedro Guzman, Volusia County Division of Corrections volunteer of the year, helped write. Guzman will also speak at the training.

Topics will include Catholic social teaching, understanding the criminal justice system, understanding the incarcerated and staff, volunteer rules of conduct and much more.

Criminal Justice Office program director Thomas F. Gillan, stated: “The piece that was missing in the training manual was the spiritual component. We always had something about faith, but not to the depth of spirituality. Pedro is a very faith-filled person. When we talk about evangelization, Pedro is really bringing that message outside the walls of our church.”

Others interested in bringing that message should call Carie Mendyk at 407-470-1286 by June 19 to register for the training. Requirements to be a Prison and Jail Ministry parish volunteer include a clear criminal background check, a letter of endorsement from one’s pastor and attendance at the certification training.

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Jail minister is top volunteer

HOW TO BECOME CERTIFIED FOR PRISON MINISTRY

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