Fr. Glasten Mathew Gonsalves
Director, Prison Ministry Mumbai
Secretary, Archdiocesan Migrant Commission
Prison Ministry Mumbai & Archdiocesan Migrant Commission, India
Prison Ministry Mumbai started in 2001 in the Archdiocese of Bombay with the motto “No One is Born a Criminal”. The organization consists of 150+ people working pro bono. The main objective is to serve inmates in prisons and children’s homes by providing legal and medical aid; counselling and spiritual guidance; training in self employment; recreation programmes and reaching out to inmates’ families. I also work for the Archdiocesan Migrant Commission which works for the welfare of inter-state migrants in Mumbai.
I have 10 units and each unit has a coordinator and assistant who directly reports to me. My role is to lead the ministry, create awareness, raise funds, guide the executive team and ensure that the delegated work has been successfully carried out. I am the liaison between the government authorities and the team for permissions/approvals and I endeavour to create a ‘positive’ work environment. As secretary of the Archdiocesan Migrant Commission my role is that of a collaborator among the 17 organizations in the archdiocese.
“I wish to learn the methodology, especially community-based leadership skills, and to equip myself with the necessary techniques. I plan to implement these learnings by creating a ‘people oriented’ dynamic team to lead the ministries. I want to ensure that the ministries sustain and continue to grow.”