{"id":4532,"date":"2026-09-29T12:05:04","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T12:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ametur-msc.org\/website\/?p=4532"},"modified":"2026-09-29T12:05:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T12:05:04","slug":"koutal-prison-in-the-diocese-of-kaolack-senegal-a-place-where-humanity-is-put-to-the-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ametur-msc.org\/website\/koutal-prison-in-the-diocese-of-kaolack-senegal-a-place-where-humanity-is-put-to-the-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Koutal Prison in the Diocese of Kaolack, Senegal, a place where humanity is put to the test"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI was in prison and you came to visit me.\u201d Mt 25:36<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Koutal Prison, as in all prisons, we encounter three interconnected realities. The first is Offence: men and women who, at some point in their lives, have broken society\u2019s laws and prohibitions. Justice must be done. The second is Suffering: this takes the form of overcrowding, deprivation, separation from family and the burden of time. Finally, there is the Human Person: despite the walls and the numbers that replace names, a face remains. That person is still a son or daughter of God.<\/p>\n

We condemn theft, but we protect the thief. There is a great risk of seeing only the prisoner, the thief, the criminal, and of reducing a person to their darkest act. We are invited to look at the person from within, so as to purify them from within. Behind the bars, there is an inner self. There is a conscience, a story, a wound and the ability to begin again. Our prison ministry in Kaolack is not intended to excuse evil, but to remind those in prison that they are not their sin. Prisoners need to understand who they are before God, despite their offence and even with it.<\/p>\n

Dignity is not earned. It is received. It is not lost, even in prison. A prisoner may lose their freedom or their work. They never cease to be a person made in the image of God. Saint Paul tells us that God has called us to share in his glory, and this call remains valid even in prison. With God, yes to justice. But mercy comes first. Justice and mercy must go hand in hand. Otherwise, we create harder men who use their time in prison to refine their methods of offending. As the Pope tells us, this mercy must be the force that enables the human person to rise again. A person who feels valued can make a fresh start on new and sound foundations. Hope, as Pope Leo reminds us, is a human right. To deny a person hope is to bury them alive. And God our Father always gives us comfort and a good hope. Cf. 2 Thess 2:16.<\/p>\n

Our role as pastors, bearers of the Heart of God in these prisons, is to be messengers of this hope for prisoners. We must teach them that time in prison is not wasted time; it is a time to cleanse the inside of the cup. It is also a favourable time to strengthen their relationship with God. But how can this be translated into concrete action? The following can serve as points of reference: recognising the dignity of the human person, practising the sacraments and working towards reintegration after release.<\/p>\n

Recognising dignity through the way we look at others: Mass is the best thing we can offer prisoners. But first, through our relationships, we must create an atmosphere of trust and consideration. We must call each person by name, shake their hand and listen to their story. For humanity begins when someone regards you as a you and not as an it.<\/p>\n

The practice of the sacraments: in our prisons in Kaolack, with the guidance and invaluable help of the Sisters of Charity, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of Castres, Mass, confession, the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross during Lent and catechesis are all fully lived.<\/p>\n

Making Justice, Mercy and Faithfulness a path to freedom: we work with social services and, to some extent, with families. Justice helps prisoners to understand their sentence and serve it with dignity, but also and above all to prepare for reintegration. As for God\u2019s mercy, we show that it is infinite and that mercy triumphs over the judgement hanging over them. God\u2019s mercy is for everyone. We must, as far as possible, make amends for the wrong we have done, but also forgive ourselves. We must not burden ourselves with guilt for ever. Finally, faithfulness means honouring our commitments. Many return to prison after a period at liberty. This means that their release was not properly prepared. We must work to ensure that prisoners do not abandon the teaching and faith they received while being accompanied in prison.<\/p>\n

Our prisons are places of education and encounter, including encounter with the Lord. Outside, there may be many voices and many demands. In prison, however, room for manoeuvre becomes limited. For some, at least, it is during this time that they have strengthened their relationship with God. Prison does not have the final word. The final word belongs to God. Like the Blessed Virgin Mary, each and every one of us is called to glory. Indeed, even behind walls, the soul can magnify the Lord. For us Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, going where humanity is wounded and singing the Magnificat there must cease to be a slogan and become something that lives within us.<\/p>\n

May God our Father comfort our hearts and strengthen them in every good work. Amen!<\/p>\n

Wendbarka Roland KABORE, MSC. UAF<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI was in prison and you came to visit me.\u201d Mt 25:36 In Koutal Prison, as in all prisons, we encounter three interconnected realities. The first is Offence: men and women who, at some point in their lives, have broken society\u2019s laws and prohibitions. Justice must be done. The second is Suffering: this takes the form of overcrowding, deprivation, separation from family and the burden of time. Finally, there is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":4531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about-us","category-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t