After nearly three decades of offering hope and heartfelt support to incarcerated Queenslanders, Logan’s Pat Stone retires, leaving a legacy of compassion behind bars.
For nearly three decades, Logan’s Pat Stone has been a quiet force of encouragement for people at their lowest. After 27 years of compassionate service behind prison walls, Pat has retired from her long-held volunteer role with Inside Out Prison Chaplaincy, a ministry of Carinity.
Pat’s journey of selfless service began back in 1998 at Brisbane’s infamous Boggo Road jail. It was a daunting start.
“On my first visit to Boggo Road I was a bit overwhelmed by the huge brick walls and by the size of the prison itself,” Pat recalls. “Later, my strongest memories are of the very large keys with which the officers used to open the gates to allow entry into the various units. Some units had old dilapidated lounges on which to sit.”
When Boggo Road closed in the early 2000s, Pat’s chaplaincy continued at the newly opened Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre in Wacol. Even when she took
a six-year break from official prison chaplaincy, Pat remained deeply committed to supporting those inside.
She turned her attention to youth detention, stepping into the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre and joining other Christian ministries to support programs in men’s correctional centres including Arthur Gorrie and Wacol.
In 2020, Pat felt the calling once more and resumed her pastoral care work in Queensland’s women’s prisons. Her reasons for returning were simple yet profound.
“Getting to know a prisoner, being able to encourage them and, especially, to introduce them to Jesus … are the vital aspects of being a prison chaplain that I like the most,” she shares. “Some of my most gratifying moments as a prison chaplain have been leading someone along the path of salvation, developing a trusting relationship with a prisoner, and being able to encourage people. It truly is a privilege to be interacting with prisoners, officers and staff—and to always be aware of this and never take advantage of it.”
Throughout her years of service, Pat has witnessed lives change, hearts open, and hope sparked in places many had given up on. Her work has not gone unnoticed.
Inside Out Prison Chaplaincy Coordinator, Graham Hembrow, expressed heartfelt gratitude for Pat’s enduring dedication. “Pat faithfully brought the love of Jesus Christ to the people she visited in prison. We thank her for her decades of sacrificial service,” he said.
Though Pat has retired, the Stone family’s legacy of service continues. Her husband Brian is currently training to become a volunteer prison chaplain, ready to carry the torch she lit all those years ago.
If you’ve ever felt called to support people through life’s darkest seasons, Pat encourages others to consider chaplaincy too. You can find out more at insideoutchaplaincy.org.au.
