A Community Of Hope

We provide a safe place for people returning from prison to meet with community volunteers to share a time of fellowship & friendship.

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Here's How You Can Get Involved

Service Providers

Are you a chaplain, volunteer, release planner or a parole/probation officer responsible for connecting a returning prisoner to support groups that can help with their reintegration. Contact us for more information about the Dismas Fellowship community.

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Ex Prisoners

We welcome everyone to the Dismas Fellowship regardless of religious or criminal convictions. Returning to the community can be a difficult and scary time for those who have spent years in a prison. Contact us for information about our group. Welcome home.

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Volunteers

We realize that each person has different gifts and talents. Please reach out to us to find out more about how you may be able to get involved in a creative and meaningful ways to help those touched by crime. You can make a difference.

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Our Story

We started with a simple vision: To build a community of hope by enabling people of faith to get involved in creative and healing activities to persons touched by crime. We are people from a variety of experiences who gather regularly: ex-prisoners and friends who celebrate the grace we have received in Jesus Christ.

Meeting once or twice per month in a growing number of communities across Ontario, volunteers and ex-prisoners gather for a meal, listen to a guest short talk or sharing and then gather in a circle, where we listen to and pray for each other.

See Our Core Values

Start A Fellowship

If you are a community chaplain or involved in Restorative Justice Ministry contact us for more information about how you can start a Dismas Fellowship in your area.

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Welcome to the Dismas Fellowship Network

In 2003 a small group of people got together to discuss how people of faith might come together to better welcome home those returning from prison. From these informal discussions the idea of creating a fellowship was born.

Using other support group models as examples, a dozen or so people made up of ex-prisoners and volunteers gathered in a church basement in October 2003 for the 1st Dismas Fellowship which consisted of a simple meal followed by a time of sharing in a circle.

Welcome to the Dismas Fellowship Network. Here you can discover how we are making a difference in the lives of those who have been incarcerated. Please contact us for more information if you would like to become involved in any way!

Call us at 1-877-554-1076 or leave a message from this site.

Gordie: A Story Of Hope

" It all started with an invitation from a chaplain "

Gordie had two wishes when he met with Community Chaplain Harry Nigh. He wanted to die a free man and he wanted to reconnect with his family. In June 2015, Gordie was celebrating his 10th year of freedom when he died suddenly while walking the streets of Toronto.

His memorial service was held at the Dismas Fellowship Toronto and over 120 people attended including his sisters and many of his nieces and nephews. Gordie died a free man and he had family and friends by his side. The Dismas Fellowship Toronto helped him to live with hope of a better life after years of hopelessness in prison.

Wondering how you can help?

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Betty: A Story of Community

" I can't wait for my Dismas Fellowship Meeting "

The moment I walked into my first Dismas Fellowship meeting I felt welcomed. To this day, I can’t wait for the Dismas Fellowship meeting. My past wasn’t so grand but I soon realized that none of that mattered to the people around the Dismas Sharing Circle. I was accepted for ME! The Dismas Fellowship has helped me grow spiritually, emotionally and mentally. This community has been a huge part in my sobriety from drugs and crime. My friends at the Dismas Fellowship have given me hope, strength and faith in myself.

Giving Back to Our Community

HAMILTON DISMAS PHOTO CLUB

During the pandemic lock-downs, a group of ex-offenders decided that they would not allow themselves to waste away, but rather began to collorate, forming the Hamilton Dismas Photo Club.

The video (to the right) is one of their projects they produced to encourage our Dismas Fellowship groups. The video is a parallel between the transition of Winter to Spring and the transitioning out of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Network News & Articles

Check back regularly to see our news and updates. We often post relevant information for the entire Dismas Fellowship community.

Thanks for visiting today!

We’d love to connect with you and having you become a part of our Fellowship Community. Please take a moment to fill out our Contact Form and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Alternatively, we can be reached by phone, toll free, at 1-877-554-1076 where you can leave a message and we will get back to you.