Teaming

The San Antonio Core group for the Kolbe Prison Ministries in the San Antonio Archdiocese prayerfully selects the retreat director for the upcoming retreat at each unit/jail in the Archdiocese. Upon acceptance of the role, the retreat director selects one or more co-directors and begins the process of team selection and formation. In order to expand the number of men involved in KPM, it is generally advisable that upwards of 40% of the outside team members be first time volunteers. The total number of outside team members on any given team depends on the availability of qualified volunteers, limitations (if any) placed by the unit/jail Warden, the level of need for financial support from the team member fees, and ultimately at the discretion of the retreat director. Typically, the target number of outside team members is around 20-30 men, but smaller outside teams have put on past KPM retreats.

In preparation for the retreat, KPM outside teams typically hold a few meetings (ranging from 0-5). The number of such team meetings is determined by and at the discretion of the retreat director. Outside team meetings most often focus more on prayer and faith-building and less on the mechanics of putting on a retreat. This is important because KPM is waging a spiritual battle for the souls of the retreatants, and prayer is the greatest weapon. The director and co-director(s) may also call and attend a few pre-retreat meetings at the unit/jail with inside team leaders. These combined team meetings give all of the leaders the opportunity to better communicate and coordinate all aspects of the upcoming retreat. Such meetings typically also give the inside music group a rare but necessary opportunity to learn and practice songs selected for the retreat.

Retreat directors and other team leaders normally provide practical information to the outside team volunteers about the unit/jail they will be entering. A useful way to provide practical info, especially for newbies on the team, is with a written info sheet or “Frequently Asked Questions” document (example from the Briscoe retreat 11-2016).

The inside team (inmate) coordinator for a retreat is typically nominated by the inmate faith leaders and reviewed/accepted by the unit/jail Chaplain and KPM SA Core group. Upon acceptance, the inside team coordinator takes on the task of assembling an inside team. The number of inside team members is typically in the range of 20-30 men, as determined by the unit/jail Warden and Chaplain. As with the retreatants, the unit or State jail Chaplain reviews the list of potential inside team members and their recent record of conduct. Inmates wishing to be on the inside team but having an active case against them (written up by the staff for violating the established rules of conduct) normally are rejected and excluded from the team.