Prayers for Prisoners Day - polish catholic holiday celebrated every year at 26 of March, established at Polish Episcopal Conference during 347th Plenary Meeting of Episcopate.
Initiative of establishing new holiday came from Evangelical Association of Helping Prisoners "Prison Brotherhood", alongside its founder - priest Jan Sikorski, and Chief Chaplain of Jailing and at the same time vice-president of International Catholic Commission of Prison Priesthood - priest Paweł Wojtas.
Celebrations are taking place at the memorial day of Penitent Thief, a patron of prisoners. At the same day Prison Brotherhood organizes pilgrimage of prisoners' representatives to Jasna Góra Monastery.
The idea behind establishing Prayers for Prisoners Day is a need of promoting prayers among especially those prisoners who are standing far away from God, who do not see a point in conversion or among those who lost their faith in Divine Mercy.
During his fourth pastoral visit to Poland back in 1991, pope John Paul II visited Prison in Płock, turning to prisoners with words:
You are convicted, that's a truth, but you are not yet condemned. All of you can, with a help of God's grace, become a saint.