Needing a home for Secondhand Bibles

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Our crowded parish library receives many used Catholic Bibles. Can any one suggest an organization that would accept a donation of these Bibles and find them a good home?
 
Donate them to the county jail, state prison, or other such institution.
 
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joye:
Our crowded parish library receives many used Catholic Bibles. Can any one suggest an organization that would accept a donation of these Bibles and find them a good home?
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Check with your local catholic chaplain at a local prison/ Or I’m thinking that you could send them to Lousiana State Penitentary
Angola, LA 70712 I have a small catholic prison ministry and could think of more if you consider sending them…

God bless
 
Prisons are a great Idea. The two state prisons in our town,however, have got good donations from publishers of Bibles. Missionaries, especially in Africa, need all kinds of religious items including bibles in English. One missionary contacted our Franciscan Order and requested anything that we could send. We mailed a box to him, but it probably will take a month to get there.

May God bless you for wanting to spread the Good News,
Deacon Tony SFO
 
Hi
For many years, I bought Bibles from thrift shops and yard sales and just left them in waiting areas wherever I might be. I left lots of them in airports. I prayed that they would fall into the hands of someone who needed to learn more about God. I still recommend doing this.

I think giving them to jails and prisons is a wonderful idea.

You might even put one in the baskets your Church gives out to the poor for Christmas. What a very lovely Christmas gift for someone.
 
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robertaf:
Hi
For many years, I bought Bibles from thrift shops and yard sales and just left them in waiting areas wherever I might be. I left lots of them in airports. I prayed that they would fall into the hands of someone who needed to learn more about God. I still recommend doing this.

I think giving them to jails and prisons is a wonderful idea.

You might even put one in the baskets your Church gives out to the poor for Christmas. What a very lovely Christmas gift for someone.
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Roberta,
What an excellent idea!
You could do that with magazines…(remembering to remove address from cover)
👍
 
Contact:
Mrs Dolores Keith
Catholic Prison Ministry
P.O.Box 1326
Nipomo, Ca 93444

She sends stuff free of charge all over the country, but please send only the ones in good shape…books that show they have been used are usually not acceptable for prisoners.

By the way, there is a severe shortage of good Catholic Bibles for prisoners. They get lots of Good News Bibles, but they really need Douay-Rheims, RSV CE, and NABs. This might be something special that you and/or your church groups might do for a special offering. They can get prot translations for free all over the place and free anti-Catholic literature by the TON, but it’s like pullin’ teeth to get a decent Catholic Bible. And God knows those guys need it.
 
How about at any Catholic run homeless shelters, orphanages, shelters, any Catholic inner-city parishes that may need them, Catholic schools, any Catholic charities (such as Right to Life offices), nursing homes, assisted living, hospices.

I hope that these suggestions are helpful.

Go with God!
Edwin
 
For many years, I bought Bibles from thrift shops and yard sales and just left them in waiting areas wherever I might be.
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In all seriousness, doing this these days, I guarantee you, will get you stopped and questioned before you leave the airport, bus terminal, or train depot.
books that show they have been used are usually not acceptable for prisoners.
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Most prisons will not accept any used materials from any source whom they do not know, because of the risk that contraband - especially drugs - may be smuggled in the binding, between pages, even applied to pages (to be licked off) or may be used to communicate information to a prisoner by highlighting, marking, underlining, etc. For this reason, most require that magazines and books only be received direct from publishers. Those that are donated are generally accepted graciously and then destroyed, as they don’t have the staff available to spend time checking them.

I strongly suggest that you stick with missionary orders or individual missionaries and limit yourself to those that are in excellent condition; the remainder are best respectfully destroyed, as virtually every other possible recipient suggested (nursing homes, shelters, etc.) are already overrun by same donated by other well-meaning folk and don’t have the space to store them.

Many years,

Neil
 
Actually the used ones that are not in excellent condition still have a use. I suggest you donate them to your local parish so they can be given out to anyone who asks. Our see if you can find a Catholic website that gives out free stuff and they can advertise giving out free used Bibles. I know that on Catholic forums, I’ve come across the question…“Where can I get a free Catholic Bible?” That’s a hard question to answer especially when you find so many non-Catholic sites giving out free non-Catholic bibles.
 
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joye:
Our crowded parish library receives many used Catholic Bibles. Can any one suggest an organization that would accept a donation of these Bibles and find them a good home?
Click to expand...
According to the Evangelical radio station I occationally listen to, China is “starving” for the word of God.
 
Irish Melkite:
In all seriousness, doing this these days, I guarantee you, will get you stopped and questioned before you leave the airport, bus terminal, or train depot.

Most prisons will not accept any used materials from any source whom they do not know, because of the risk that contraband - especially drugs - may be smuggled in the binding, between pages, even applied to pages (to be licked off) or may be used to communicate information to a prisoner by highlighting, marking, underlining, etc. For this reason, most require that magazines and books only be received direct from publishers. Those that are donated are generally accepted graciously and then destroyed, as they don’t have the staff available to spend time checking them.

I strongly suggest that you stick with missionary orders or individual missionaries and limit yourself to those that are in excellent condition; the remainder are best respectfully destroyed, as virtually every other possible recipient suggested (nursing homes, shelters, etc.) are already overrun by same donated by other well-meaning folk and don’t have the space to store them.

Many years,

Neil
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I have a prison ministry and while I can understand your statement about some prisons they are not all the same. I send used catholic reading material and other used items to prisons. They are accepted. They cannot be directly sent to the individual inmate but can be sent sometimes through the chaplain and sometimes through the assistant warden as in the case at Louisiana State Penn. I can only speak for some of the facilities that I am in contact with…others may be different. BTW…they do require some identifiying information such as name, organization …etc.
 
How about inquiring of the military chaplins, there might be a bigger need there than we know.
 
I think you have to stop and consider that used bibles proliferate at a rate that is only exceeded by Readers Digest Condensed Books and National Geographic Magazines. There are few markets.

The following will accept softcover Catholic Bibles:

Archdiocese of Baltimore Prison Ministries

Before anyone starts deluging any military chaplains with them, I suggest contacting the Military Ordinariate and see if there is a need.

Many years,

Neil
 
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