A new branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been formed in the prison in Praia, Cape Verde.
Praia Cape Verde Stake President Leonel da Cruz told the Church News that the São Martinho Pequeno Prison Branch was formed with the approval of the First Presidency in early February.
The branch grew from a group that was formed in July 2023 at the prison. And the group meetings grew from the efforts of the Praia Cape Verde Stake to minister to prison inmates.
The institution is within the stake boundaries, and members of the stake have provided hygiene kits and supplies to help aid overcrowding and other concerns.
The first Sunday meeting included hymns, prayers and talks.
“Registers of existing members are kept in that wing, and they receive all support according to prison rules,” President Cruz said in July. “An important job occurs when they are released, because there will be an outside-prison follow-up to their reintegration to society.”
The group leader, Celestino Mascarenhas, is the new branch president, with Mateus Rodrigues as the first counselor and Jose Maria Almeida as the second counselor.
President Cruz called it an important milestone for the country.
Last year, President Cruz was interviewed by a local television station about the service project at the prison.
“During the interview, I spoke about the mission of the Church, which is to alleviate suffering, promote self-reliance and offer opportunity for service, following Jesus Christ’s admonition to feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty and welcome strangers, clothe the naked and visit the sick and the imprisoned and afflicted,” President Cruz told the Church News.
He said the Church has participated in many humanitarian and self-reliance efforts to assist the inhabitants of the islands. Some of those projects have involved safe drinking water, wheelchair distribution, vision care, mother-baby training and immunization efforts.
Last year the Church donated an autoclave or steam sterilizer to the health department in Calheta-São Miguel.
About the Church in Cape Verde
The Church has been officially present in Cape Verde since 1990. The islands are in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of west Africa, but the country is a part of the Church’s Europe North Area.
The Praia Cape Verde Temple was dedicated on June 19, 2022, by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
