Our Model
The work of incarceration ministry in the 21st century is much different and more involved than in the 1st century, but it nonetheless remains the work of the whole local Church. The Serenelli model is to be a stable community that brings together the different strands of prison ministry and provides them with a common foundation.
The Cross
The foundation of the Serenelli community is the cross of Our Lord Jesus. It stands revealed as the tree of life. Whereas Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden and incurred death through their sin, the one who eats the fruit hanging on the cross receives everlasting life through faith in the Son. The bright red color represents his blood shed on the cross for our salvation. The cross is the instrument of Divine Mercy, grace, forgiveness, healing, and salvation for the world.
When we have a monastic community one day, the monks will be the ones who dwell at the foot of the cross. They perpetually contemplate, console, and make reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the sins of the world, even the worst and most heinous crimes. These prayers are the soul of the apostolate. Monasteries are known for their stability because the monks take a vow of stability. It ensures that the active work of prison ministry is always rooted in God’s grace, nourished by it, and are extensions of it.
The Lily Petals
The lily petals represent the branches growing out from the tree of life. They are the active work of prison ministry, because the mercy of God is extended through his servants. They are lily petals because that is what St. Maria Goretti handed to Alessandro in his mystical vision to symbolize and communicate her forgiveness of him, which she had already given on her deathbed. The white lily is a symbol of purity; purity of body, soul, and intention. It is also a symbol of the Blessed Virgin Mother. So, the active apostolate also takes the attitude of Our Lady and St. Maria. The mercy of God goes out from the cross through his servants, and they in turn lead people back to the cross, the fountain of mercy. The maroon outline ties it all together to show that the Serenelli Project unites many different entities for prison ministry in one community. The maroon color symbolizes the penitential life, or the life of conversion. It also represents St. Maria Goretti’s blood, shed in union with Christ for purity, reminding us that no servant is greater than the master. Therefore, our life and work ought to be a reflection of the Lord’s, whether in the white martyrdom of our good works done with faith and a pure heart, or in following him to the shedding of blood and death. The apostolic works thus symbolized are:
Re-entry Community
Serenelli Industries
Parish Chapters
Diocesan Prison Ministry