History & Mission
How it All Began
Dismas House was founded in 1974 by Rev. Jack Hickey, O.P., and concerned students from the Vanderbilt University Prison Project in Nashville. A Fall River, Massachusetts native, and Providence College graduate, Father Hickey recognized the need for former prisoners to have a stable housing environment after release from incarceration. Soon, other houses followed, from Ireland to Massachusetts. In 1988, concerned citizens in Central Massachusetts, working with College of the Holy Cross alum and Dismas director Terry Horgan, opened a Dismas House in Worcester, following the example of Jack Hickey and his students, and believing that prisoner reconciliation with society was an important mission. In 2006, Dismas opened the “Almost Home” program, a brand new treatment and housing program for ex-prisoners from Worcester County, and Dismas then opened the Father John Brooks House for graduates of Dismas and their families in spring 2007.
The Mission
The mission of Dismas is to reconcile former prisoners to society, and society to former prisoners, through the development of a supportive community.
Supportive community is characterized by: students and former prisoners living together in a family setting, active involvement of volunteers from the broader community, and a spirit of open and participative decision-making by all in the community, with emphasis on the common good.
