Visit of Russian Prison ChaplainsNovember 16, 2009
All the visitors are involved in developing prison chaplaincy in Russia, working with the government department responsible for the military and law enforcement. The four priests and one lay educator stayed at St Michael’s for four days in November. During that time they visited two local prisons and engaged in dialogue with a range of invited speakers, about issues relating to prison chaplaincy in the UK. These included: models of chaplaincy in different sectors; the development of UK prison chaplaincy; the UK criminal justice system; multi-faith dimensions of chaplaincy; and restorative justice.
The request to organise this programme came from the St Andrew’s Trust, an Anglican body which promotes dialogue and exchange with churches in Russia. The Trust sponsored the visit to St Michael’s and a further week’s programme in England.