Jesus Fraternity is a catholic voluntary organization under the All Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Conference. This was started in the year 1981 and was formally approved and registered as a voluntary and charitable organization in accordance to Govt. regulations as per the charitable institutions act of the Govt. Kerala, India. Jesus Fraternity as voluntary and charitable organization / society has its Head Office at Pastoral Orientation Centre, Palarivattom, Ernakulam, Cochin-25, Kerala, India.
“Come to me you who are blessed by my father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For… I was in prison and you came to visit me”(Matthew 25:34, 36). Here is an opportunity obtain manifold blessings by carrying out this mandate of Jesus Christ, through Jesus Fraternity.
Jesus Fraternity is a movement under the supervision the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Conference. It is a fellowship of prayer and fraternity serving the lost, least and last especially in the prisons of Kerala, by striving for the holistic (total integrated) rehabilitation of the prisoners, would be prisoners (criminals) and their families. Fraternity meets the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical, familial, financial and social needs of these people.
It is estimated that before the advent of Jesus Fraternity and similar ministries, 75% of the prisoners (as in other parts of the world) who were released from prisons of Kerala, committed crime and were imprisoned again. It is reported that this rate has been reduced to 20% as the effect of the activities of Jesus Fraternity and similar ministries. Thus Jesus Fraternity helps the society a peaceful place to live for you and for your children.
Power of Prayer
The Fraternity is empowered by prayer. Hundreds of members of Jesus Fraternity are those who have had a Christ-experience and people of prayer. Their involvement in the Fraternity deepens their spiritual experiences. That is one of the reasons why more and more join the activities of Jesus Fraternity.
Fellowship of Fraternity
The principal aspect of Jesus Fraternity is its fraternal spirit of Christian brotherhood, where every participant is supported by prayers of hundreds of volunteers and beneficiaries of Fraternity in prisons, ashramams and families. The supporters / accomplices thus experience true Christian fellowship or koinonia.
Proclaimers of the Word
Jesus Fraternity proclaims the Gospel (Word) in word and deed, taking-the-unchanging but life-changing Gospel to people behind prison doors. The prisoners and their families thus come to know the love of God, the merciful and compassionate Father, the grace of Jesus Christ through whom all have obtained forgiveness of sins and reunited with God and man and the comforting fellowship of the Holy Spirit. They realize that Jesus extends his grace, free to every human, irrespective of caste, creed, ideology or belief background. Jesus Fraternity is thus committed to the kerygma.
Today, on this World Friendship Day, fraternity members will go to prisons to meet all prisoners, to make them feel more comfortable and close to God. Lets pray for all these prisoners and also for the fraternity members, so that God bless them abundantly to keep up the good work they are doing.
