Twelfth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

Although a somewhat farfetched concept, prisons can be viewed as a “religious communities” especially for inmates who are lifers (in prison without the hope of parole). Interviews conducted pre-COVID, examined the lived experiences of two diverse groups of women in religious communities with specific emphasis on the intersectionality of beliefs. This researcher examined the experiences of Catholic sisters aging in place in central Pennsylvania USA and female inmates at a prison in northern Pennsylvania, USA. Women in the aforementioned communities expressed the importance and value of their respective “faith communities.” As well as, how their sense of spirituality has influenced the aging process. With one community of spiritual support being in prison and the other a catholic aging community. Although two seemingly unlikely communities and individuals, research yielded a plethora of similarities within the two identified communities as it pertains to the values of religious underpinning, faith, aging and socialization.