One thing that the "new, improved" version of Christianity has dropped is sin - and the free will that goes with it. A person who is in prison, if he has any awareness at all, knows he has done something wrong and that he has the ability to repent and change this. Once upon a time, the prison ministry was very important in the Catholic Church. But then it got flooded with soft-headed women, rather than priests, who spent their time basically telling the prisoners that it was all okay, God didn't really care, they were fine and groovy as is. That's not what these guys wanted to hear. They wanted to get their lives in order, straighten up and fly right, and these ditzy ladies were basically telling them their serious project in life didn't really matter after all.
Small wonder they went off to the Muslims, who told them that it was all okay because they were killing kaffirs and all they had to do was pray five times a day in the direction of Mecca and all would be well. Irrational, but at least it was something, which is a heck of a lot more than the Catholic Church (or any Christian organization outside of Chuck Colson's Prison Ministries) gave them.
ROFL!!! My pastor has had to take the nun who serves as chaplain at the local catholic hospital, to task, on several occasions. Her, and the EMHCs who serve under her. The stories he tells me would make the hair on your back stand at attention! Custodians with keys to the Tabernacles at local area churches, who refill the ciboriums, EMHCs who toss consecrated hosts into the pockets of their sweaters rather than a pyx ... and the list goes on. The new trend in this diocese is to assign women to run the priestless parishes. No need to share those stories with you; it's nearly bedtime.
Small wonder they went off to the Muslims, who told them that it was all okay because they were killing kaffirs and all they had to do was pray five times a day in the direction of Mecca and all would be well.
The Holy Father addressed this in his 'apology' over the misunderstood lecture at Regensburg. He said he wished catholics were more attuned to prayer, like the Muslims. And, he is absolutely right! Many catholics are so absorbed in the 'responsibilities' incumbent upon their daily lives that they leave little or no time for prayer. That is relegated to attending Mass on Sunday. God is there for us 24 hours a day. He waits for us to call upon Him. We need only respond.