Providing for Pagans in Prisons

Hematite Inmate Ministries--Hematite is a stone said to bring justice in a court of law--is a collaborative effort of those who currently volunteer, as well as those who desire to serve, with Pagans in prisons.  Our mission is to provide mutual support and education, and to share resources, lessons, ritual ideas (very different from those we have for unincarcerated people), rules, and regulations, of different jurisdictions – states, federal, and other.  The Ministry is open to all Pagans of any persuasion, including formerly incarcerated Pagans. Hematite Inmate Ministries is a M. Macha NightMare Legacy

Mission Statement

It is the mission of Hematite Inmate Ministries’ to:

  • Seek to fulfill requests from inmates, inmate groups, and/or prison chaplains for Pagan volunteers

  • Support Pagan inmates with information, resources, and volunteers

  • Support Pagan volunteers and prison chaplains in working with inmates with religious observances and teachings

  • Compile and share resources, including teaching and regulations of different jurisdictions and institutions,

  • Network with others in the field and share best practices

  • Develop and distribute materials toward quality contemporary Pagan practices inside prisons

  • Assist those who wish to establish Pagan inmate ministries

Vision Statement

Hematite Inmate Ministries envisions a world in which every inmate has access to quality resources for developing their Neopagan religious practices, both for themselves and for their return to our communities.  Hematite fosters volunteers to become knowledgeable about working in prisons and to provide support and resources for doing so.

Meet the Team

  • M. Macha NightMare (Aline O’Brien, M.Div.)

    M. Macha NightMare (Aline O’Brien, M.Div.) is an interfaith, social justice, and climate activist, and an internationally published author who has contributed to anthologies, encyclopedia, textbooks, and periodicals. Much of her work in recent years has been in the liminal realm between the magic and the mundane. A co-Founder of Hematite Inmate Ministries, Macha currently serves the inmates of the Wiccan circle at San Quentin State Prison.

  • Rory Bowman

    Rory Bowman has been a practicing Neopagan since the mid 1980’s, working across different decades in Wiccanate, druidic and heathen traditions. A prison volunteer since 2014, he also served as coordinator for The Troth’s Prison Inreach program and is presently a religious-activities contractor for the Washington state Department of Corrections, supporting incarcerated Pagans and their chaplains.

  • Lady CrowMoon

    Lady CrowMoon is the founder of Crow Gleann Prison Ministries and has worked with incarcerated Pagans since 2011. She is a Celtic Wiccan who started volunteering with the South Carolina Department of Corrections and eventually expanded to send sabbat newsletters and Pagan materials to over thirty states and to over one hundred chaplains.

  • Rev. Kirk Thomas

    Rev. Kirk Thomas is Archdruid Emeritus of Ár nDraíocht Féin : A Druid Fellowship, and has been a prison volunteer since 2009. He currently heads ADF’s prison outreach program called ADF Chaplaincy Support Services.

  • Aerik and Selene

    Aerik and Selene lead a Gardnerian coven and hold ministerial credentials from Covenant of the Goddess. They volunteer at a state correctional facility to bring Wiccan services to inmates.

  • Shane Coineandubh

    Shane Coineandubh is Senior Druid of Cascadia Grove, ADF in Seattle Washington. Cascadia Grove sponsors the Frogstone Circle Prison Worship Group at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen Washington and Shane has held High Day rituals there since 2017.

  • Jane Skau

    Jane Skau is currently the Pastor of Our Lady of the Earth and Sky (OLOTEAS), based out of Seattle, WA and has been a practicing Pagan since 1989. Though their formal training is in Georgian Wicca, they are an eclectic practitioner with a broad base of experience in various traditions. They currently work with the Pagan, Druid, and Ásatrú groups at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Washington State.

  • Rev. Donna Donovan

    Rev. Donna Donovan is the founder of Appalachian Pagan Ministry whose focus is on pagan prison ministry, reentry, and substance abuse recovery. Rev Donna is a member of the Athens County Reentry Task Force, Athens HOPE, Ohio’s Reentry Coalition, various West Virginia Reentry Coalitions, as well as several National Reentry Coalitions. Once formerly incarcerated herself then 10 years later working for the state that incarcerated her, along with being a person in long-term recovery, Rev. Donna brings an inside perspective to the table. She has spent the past decade plus working with individuals who are currently incarcerated, returning from incarceration, and/or in various stages in their substance abuse recovery journey.

  • Lady Carol Garr

    Lady Carol Garr is a Third-Degree Eclectic Wiccan priestess, and co-founder and President of Mother Earth Ministries (founded year 2000), a Pagan prison ministry based in Tucson Arizona.

    In year 2009 she co-authored Enchantment Encumbered: The Study and Practice of Wicca in Restricted Environments, based on her ministry in the Arizona state prisons. That book has become recognized and is used in many facilities nationwide. Lady Garr has written numerous newspaper articles, and given interviews for local news and radio stations about her religious path.

    Lady Garr’s prison ministry began in 1998 as a consultant to AZDOC. This quickly expanded to service on the statewide Religious Advisory Committee (1998-2019), as well as ministering directly with inmates at the Tucson facility. Lady Garr has been a presenter at the Federal BOP Life Enhancement Program, and a subject matter presenter on Wicca for the federal Professional Chaplaincy Training course. She continues to volunteer in prisons, including with inmates in the Tucson area Federal prisons, as a badged volunteer.

Organizations

Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship, Inc. (or ADF) is a non-profit religious organization based in the United States, dedicated to the study and further development of modern Druidry. Local ADF congregations are known as "groves" (like groves of trees), and while group rituals are often regarded as more powerful than rituals performed individually, In 2017 there were about 70 groves worldwide. ADF also has many solitary members; some by choice, and some because there are no groves within easy traveling distance.

Appalachian Pagan Ministry is a pan-Pagan ministry devoted to building an active, passionate, and spiritually fulfilled community of people from all backgrounds and faiths. We are devoted to engaging and impacting other pagans here and within the walls, believing it is our responsibility to set an example of service. This is where we come to “walk our talk” and educate by example. It is the desire of this ministry to show that pagans of all beliefs and faiths CAN work together to serve the greater community.

Crow Gleann helps incarcerated Pagans with their spiritual journey through Wiccan Sabbat newsletters, videos, and educational materials. Crow Gleann began its journey with the SCDC inmates in 2011. Since then, they have expanded their contact list to volunteers and chaplains in over 30 states. Crow Gleann partners with other Pagan prison ministries with information on Pagan paths such as Druidry and Asatru. The goal is to assist inmates to practice their Pagan faith whether in a group or as a solitary practitioner.

Mother Earth Ministries' mission is to provide accurate information about Wicca and other Pagan faiths to interested inmates and prison staff in Arizona, and to facilitate Pagan prisoners' study and practice of their religions. In addition to providing brochures and booklets to individual prisoners and prison libraries, Mother Earth Ministries sends priestesses and priests into prisons to counsel, teach, and lead rituals. Other clergy work with inmates by mail, answering questions and directing study. We are limited only by the availability of qualified volunteers and the cost of transportation to outlying prisons.

Resources