Retreat Coordinator

About the position

This position combines prison ministry, retreat coordination, relationship-building, correspondence, community accompaniment, and program record keeping. The Retreat Coordinator will help organize and participate in retreats inside California correctional institutions, as well as retreats and gatherings in the community with formerly incarcerated JRJI alumni and families impacted by incarceration.

The Retreat Coordinator will work closely with JRJI’s team, prison chaplains, CDCR staff, volunteers, incarcerated retreat leaders, alumni, and families.

We are looking for someone who understands that this is more than an administrative position. Our work requires a willingness to travel, enter correctional institutions, build relationships across different communities, and accompany incarcerated men and women, alumni, and families through faith, reflection, and Ignatian spirituality.

Primary responsibilities

Retreat & prison ministry

• Coordinate JRJI retreats and ongoing programming inside California correctional institutions.
• Work with prison chaplains, CDCR staff, volunteers, and incarcerated retreat leaders to coordinate retreat logistics.
• Prepare retreat schedules, materials, participant lists, clearances, travel arrangements, and other logistics.
• Travel regularly to correctional institutions throughout California and actively participate in retreats and prison visits.
• Learn and follow CDCR policies, procedures, security requirements, and protocols related to volunteers and prison ministry.
• Support JRJI’s executive and retreat teams before, during, and after retreats.
• Help maintain relationships with chaplains, institutional staff, volunteers, and retreat participants.

Alumni, family & community retreats

• Participate in and help coordinate retreats, days of reflection, gatherings, and other programs outside of correctional institutions for JRJI alumni and families impacted by incarceration.
• Help create opportunities for formerly incarcerated retreat participants to remain connected to JRJI’s community after release.
• Assist with retreat preparation, hospitality, materials, communication, and follow-up for community-based retreats and gatherings.
• Build and maintain meaningful relationships with JRJI alumni and families as part of the organization’s ongoing ministry of accompaniment.

Correspondence & ongoing accompaniment

• Help maintain JRJI’s correspondence ministry with incarcerated retreat participants.
• Read and respond to reflections and letters from men and women inside correctional institutions with care, compassion, and appropriate pastoral boundaries.
• Provide continued spiritual accompaniment and encouragement between retreats and prison visits.
• Coordinate the sending and receiving of letters, spiritual reflections, retreat materials, and other approved correspondence.
• Maintain appropriate records and follow CDCR and institutional policies regarding correspondence with incarcerated individuals.
• Help ensure that relationships developed during retreats continue through meaningful and consistent accompaniment.

Program records & grant reporting support

• Maintain accurate records of retreats, prison visits, community retreats, alumni and family programming, and participant engagement.
• Track information such as retreat dates, institutions and communities served, number of participants, volunteer participation, program activities, and other relevant program data.
• Maintain organized records of program accomplishments, outcomes, participant reflections, and other information that demonstrates JRJI’s impact.
• Provide accurate and timely program information to JRJI’s grant writer/coordinator for grant reports, applications, and funder updates.
• Assist in gathering stories, outcomes, statistics, and documentation needed for grant reporting.
• Help ensure that grant-funded programs and activities are properly documented throughout the year.
• Work with the grant writer/coordinator and JRJI leadership to ensure required program information is available before reporting deadlines.

Qualifications

We are looking for someone who:

• Is a practicing Catholic with an understanding of Catholic spirituality and ministry.
• Has familiarity with Ignatian spirituality and the Jesuit tradition; previous experience with Jesuit ministries, institutions, retreats, or formation is strongly preferred.
• Has a missionary spirit and a genuine desire to accompany incarcerated men and women, formerly incarcerated alumni, and families impacted by incarceration.
• Is comfortable working inside correctional institutions and in community-based ministry settings.
• Has strong organizational, communication, record-keeping, and relationship-building skills.
• Can maintain accurate and confidential program records.
• Can work both independently and collaboratively as part of a small Catholic Jesuit nonprofit team.
• Is willing and able to travel regularly throughout California, including occasional overnight trips of 1–3 nights.
• Has a valid driver’s license; a good driving record is desired.
• Is able to meet CDCR clearance and institutional requirements.

Preferred qualifications

• Bilingual in English and Spanish.
• Bachelor’s degree.
• Previous experience in prison ministry, restorative justice, retreat ministry, family ministry, or chaplaincy.
• Familiarity with CDCR protocols, volunteer requirements, clearances, and correctional institutions.
• Experience coordinating retreats, faith-based programs, or similar events.
• Experience with nonprofit program tracking, record keeping, data collection, or grant reporting is a plus.

The person we’re looking for

The right person for this position is someone who can move comfortably between different aspects of the ministry: organizing retreat materials and maintaining program records one day, traveling to a California prison to participate in a retreat the next, and accompanying JRJI alumni and families at a community retreat or gathering another day.

We are especially interested in someone who is relational, flexible, organized, spiritually grounded, detail-oriented, and comfortable working with people from many different backgrounds.

A strong grounding in Ignatian spirituality—particularly accompaniment, discernment, dignity, reconciliation, and finding God in the lives and experiences of others—is important to the spirit of this position.

Most importantly, we are looking for someone who sees prison ministry not simply as a job, but as a mission of accompaniment and hope that continues both inside and outside prison walls.

Compensation & benefits

• Annual salary: $55,000–$75,000, depending on experience and qualifications.
• Medical insurance benefits.
• Dental insurance benefits.
• 403(b) retirement benefits.

Regular travel throughout California is required. Travel may include long-distance driving, early mornings, evenings, and weekends. On occasion, prison retreats and ministry trips may require overnight travel for approximately 1–3 nights at a time.