Flourishing Inside Website Launch

CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT AND PRISON PASTORAL WORK

Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology (MBIT)  have launched the Flourishing Inside website, and published the project report, Flourishing Inside?: Catholic Social Thought and Prison Pastoral Work. The site and report arise from the Flourishing Inside project led by our Director of Studies, Dr Elizabeth Phillips, during her year as the Margaret Beaufort Institute’s 2020 Research Fellow, with oversight from Director of Research, Dr Férdia Stone-Davis, generously funded by The Charles Plater Trust.

The project asked the questions: What do incarcerated people need from pastoral workers? What resources do pastoral workers need? How can they work best within the prison system? What can Catholic social thought contribute? And how can Catholic social thought be enhanced from listening to the prison context? These questions were explored through: listening to experiences from inside prisons through a focus group event with practitioners and individual interviews with former prison residents; analysing introductions to and resources for learning Catholic social thought; and analysing previous research on prison chaplaincy in particular, as well as chaplaincy more generally and religion in prisons more broadly.

The website offers the opportunity to explore further resources, view the findings in the full report and find out more information on future events arising from the project.