After years of quiet persistence and overcoming struggles, the Dismas Fellowship Network is seeing a season of renewed growth, having launched four new fellowships across Ontario in just the past 18 months that bring fresh hope to men and women in their rehabilitation after being released from prison. 

After surviving a turbulent few years during the COVID-19 pandemic, fellowship groups have taken root in Niagara, Kitchener-Waterloo, Kingston and Toronto West, expanding the ministry’s reach while continuing to offer a consistent opportunity for shared meals, friendship, faith-based reflection and non-judgmental support at a critical time in participants’ reintegration journeys.

Originally offered out of a humble Toronto church basement back in 2003, the Dismas Fellowship Network stands as the flagship community outreach arm of Friends of Dismas Inc., the Archdiocese of Toronto-supported ecumenical charitable organization that oversees multiple prison and re-entry ministries. Through monthly gatherings, Dismas Fellowships provide a space where ex-prisoners can rebuild relationships, celebrate milestones and find genuine encouragement from volunteers and one another. 

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Deacon Paul Bar, president of Friends of Dismas Inc., explained that while the growth is undoubtedly needed and encouraging to see, it did not come without its hardships. 

“This is such great news because we were hurting badly in the early 2020s. We were doing meetings by Zoom when a lot of the people who attend can't afford internet, data on their phones or have parole conditions where they can't access either. Following COVID, we had three fellowships close,” he said. 

Indeed, in the wake of the pandemic, London, Brampton and Brantford offices were forced to close, with Brampton’s core leadership passing away, and Brantford’s volunteers falling seriously ill and no longer able to continue. 

Despite the misfortunes, Friends of Dismas persisted, now finding itself gaining momentum coming out of COVID-19's heaviest years, birthing new opportunities. 

Kitchener-Waterloo was first, opening on Jan. 10, 2025, to fill the gap left when the federal government defunded the Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) program in the region. Niagara followed that March, before the landmark opening of Toronto West on June 6, 2025.

Toronto’s second location emerged directly from a restorative justice seminar organized and sponsored by Friends of Dismas Inc. in October of the year prior, which reconnected prison ministries across the GTA. After this, the local ecumenical community hosted at the Anglican Christ Church St. James, approached Dismas to start a fellowship in the west end to reduce long travel times for participants who attended the long-standing east end fellowship. 

Kingston is the fellowship’s latest hub, opening on Jan. 22. There, discussions in the Canadian Catholic Prison Ministry Network, which is supported by Friends of Dismas Inc., saw prison chaplains express interest in community-based support for people after release. The interest resulted in the first Dismas Fellowship ever to be hosted inside a Catholic church, St. Joseph’s. 

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Each location is offering the same monthly gatherings like Deacon Kevin Daudlin has been facilitating in Toronto East for years. As he explained, the gatherings combine the elements of a simple, family meal and the Dismas program — often featuring guest speakers, an ex-prisoner sharing or breaking into smaller sharing circles to discuss that day’s topic. 

Daudlin's experience over the last three years as  chair and coordinator of Toronto’s Dismas Fellowships has not just been one of facilitation, but of shared, genuine connections. 

“ I've made a lot of friends with these people,  and you can see they're getting something out of it, because many of them come back. This is our 23rd year, and we're close to 14 groups that go as far west as Sarnia and as far east as Brockville. It’s incredible to see the growth and the relationships that have formed,” he said. 

All told, 50 to 100 ex-prisoners attend every month across the two Toronto sites alone, all met with the core message of “We are all offenders.” Daudlin said every meeting includes reading the Dismas story (the Good Thief crucified alongside Jesus) from the Gospel of Luke and a Dismas Fellowship prayer, with many attendees taking to the faith aspect of the fellowship. It’s been an encouraging sight, even with attendees crossing diverse backgrounds and many having been referred from halfway houses through chaplains.

“ People often warm up to the Christian side. We've even had a few people who have gone on to receive their baptism, and one who actually asked if we could baptize him right at the fellowship meeting,” he said. 

Still, common misconceptions about the ministry and who it helps remain, with Daudlin highlighting that people often assume ex-prisoners are inherently dangerous or unforgivable. He points out that many forget the lasting effects of prior abuse, strict parole conditions, loneliness, mental health struggles and addiction that shape their reintegration journey.

“ I just see men and women who are lonely and sometimes just need a shoulder to cry on and somebody to talk to as a friend without judgment,” he said. “We don’t know what a lot of them have gone through.”

The Dismas Fellowship Network is far more than a monthly gathering, but also a steady table and a continued presence. Most of all, each new fellowship is a reminder that no one is beyond hope or belonging.

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