Boston Spirituality in Action

We are a vibrant, spiritual community committed to serving others and growing ever closer to Christ. Below are descriptions of our outreach ministries. For more information, please click here to contact us.

Barnstable County REC Program

Residents Encounter Christ (REC) is a three-day spiritual retreat based on the Cursillo/Echo format for the Residents at the Barnstable County Correctional Facility. The theme of each weekend is the Paschal Mystery: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. The team, reflecting each aspect of the Paschal Mystery, presents talks each day. Celebrating the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist is an essential part of each weekend. There are three weekends for women and three for men each year. A follow-up program is in place on Monday evenings for women and Tuesday evenings for men to reinforce the Gospel message of healing and forgiving. The REC program has been spiritually assisting residents for 26 years. The program uses Bibles, prayer books, and The Serving Brother newsletter supplied by the Order of Malta as well as the Word Among Us, Living Faith and Mass booklets. Most of the population is English speaking, but the program does have some Spanish Bibles and prayer books supplied by the Order.

Capuchin Mobile Ministries

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Capuchin Mobile Ministries is a ministry of spiritual caregiving to our homeless sisters and brothers. They bring the welcome of Christ to the homeless community in Greater Boston. The Capuchin friars and volunteers drive a mobile van out three days each week, working in five-hour shifts. They make stops at locations throughout downtown Boston/Cambridge, where the homeless, poor, and marginalized congregate. The van acts as a mobile serving station, allowing the Capuchins and volunteers to offer food, water, coffee and hot chocolate to the hungry. They also give out tote bags with amenities, such as winter clothes, hand warmers, and foil thermal blankets, as well as religious articles, like rosaries, scapulars, medals, and oils. They also listen to people’s stories, pray with them, and give them information about spiritual resources and social services. They also record the names of the people they meet in a prayer ledger, so all the Capuchins can pray for them. The tote bags contain bracelets with contact information so the homeless can reach out to the chaplain on call.

Cor Unum

As Knights and Dames, we don’t just talk about feeding the hungry, we actually do it. Since January 2013, we have partnered with Cor Unum, a meal center in Lawrence, MA. Members of the Order help prepare and serve meals to underfed women, men and children in this, the poorest city in Massachusetts. Guests are served on china plates at comfortable, round tables in a freshly decorated room. By greeting each guest with dignity, respect and love, we are feeding the bodies and souls of the hungry.

Dismas Home of New Hampshire

Dismas Home of New Hampshire (DHNH) is a faith-based organization that provides formerly incarcerated women support, recovery and re-entry services, offering them a second chance at life. Knights and Dames volunteer in a variety of ways, including board participation, visiting the residents, cooking and serving communal meals, resource development and communications, financial training, transportation, shopping and home improvements and maintenance.

Essex County House of Corrections: Rosary Prayer Group

Every Wednesday evening, inmates and Catholic volunteers gather in the converted chapel at the House of Corrections to pray the Scriptural Rosary. Volunteers gather with inmates who are divided into two groups, pre-trial inmates and then those who are sentenced inmates. Each Malta member must complete a day long orientation program.

Malta Walks

The Boston Area conducts a Malta Walk every other Wednesday evening to serve the homeless. Starting from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, volunteers walk through adjacent areas distributing care packages. The Walk is a way of engaging the homeless with conversation, care and hospitality. Through our fellowship and solidarity with the people we meet, we encounter Christ. While open to all members, this ministry has proven to be an opportunity for many auxiliary members in their 20s and 30s to live out their call­ing, encourage their friends to learn about the Order and strengthen their sense of community. The Boston Area Malta Walk was initiated in the summer of 2015.

MCI Concord, Concord, MA.

On Tuesday evenings at MCI Concord, volunteers meet with men who are interested in deepening and sharing their Catholic faith. MCI Concord, the oldest-running state prison for men in Massachusetts, is a medium-security prison that houses approximately 570 inmates. The evening includes a catch-up discussion with the men, praying of the rosary and readings from a spiritual book written by a priest inspired by the Blessed Virgin Mary. After the reading, all present share their thoughts about what in Mary’s message moved them. Then there is a closing prayer.

MCI Framingham/South Middlesex Correctional Center, Framingham, MA.

MCI Framingham is a medium-security institution for female offenders, housing approximately 600 inmates. South Middlesex Correctional Facility, also in Framingham, is a minimum-security state prison for women. A Boston Area member meets with eight women individually for one hour every week on Tuesdays. They pray together using the Give Us This Day publication supplied by the Order of Malta to prison residents. The women are encouraged to read from the document daily so that they can talk about the readings and meditations of the week, where they saw God and how He is working in their lives.

MCI Norfolk, Norfolk, MA.

MCI Norfolk (Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Norfolk), is a medium-security prison that has an average daily population of 1,500 inmates. It is the largest state prison in Massachusetts. The Order of Malta presence started in October, 2014, with a weekly Liturgy on Monday nights. Boston Area members join the inmates once a month. A presentation by a speaker and fellowship time with inmates, many of whom are serving life sentences, follow the Liturgy. Members of the Order have often been called upon to speak and witness to their own faith journeys.

Prison Ministry

Throughout history, the Order of Malta has been a voice for the disenfranchised and marginalized. Today, through our Prison Ministry, we continue this tradition by visiting with and praying for our incarcerated brothers and sisters. With our presence and our prayers, we can bring the saving love of Christ to those who may feel forgotten or unworthy. The Boston Area’s Prison Ministry includes Rosary Prayer Group at the Essex County House of Corrections, spiritual direction at MCI Framingham, weekly liturgy group at MCI Norfolk, Rosary and Discussion at MCI Concord, and The Serving Brother.

Rhode Island Department of Corrections Intake Center

The Anthony P. Travisono Intake Service Center serves the state men’s prison in Cranston, Rhode Island, owned and operated by the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. Members participate in a weekly Catholic communion service for inmates who are being held for trial or those who are serving current sentences. Inmates serve as readers for the services. In addition, a new separate 8 week creative writing program has been established by Malta members. This program has been designed to provide a creative writing seminar for restricted inmates to help them develop writing and expression skills.

St. Clare’s Residence for Women

St. Clare’s House is a Catholic, faith-based program for women who have left jail. It is a six-month program sponsored by the Fall River Diocese and is in Hyannis. The women attend AA/NA meetings and attend Gosnold, which offers care for drug and alcohol addiction and substance-use disorder, for counseling services. Candidates are from both Bristol and Barnstable Counties. Many of the volunteers are also members of the REC Program. Through the generosity of the Order of Malta, St. Clare’s has a van, which is used to transport the women to meetings and doctor appointments.