Chris Castillo’s 52-year-old mother, Pilar, was murdered in 1991. After becoming involved in prison ministry – specifically Bridges to Life almost 20 years ago - he learned to forgive the men who killed his mother. He has worked as a reporter and a marketing specialist before taking a job with Murder Victim’s Families for Reconciliation, where he created a dialogue with homicide survivors who were against the death penalty and showed an interested in speaking out against capital punishment. Chris is currently the coordinator of chaplain volunteers for the Diocese of Beaumont’s office of Criminal Justice Ministry. He has worked with Kairos and is now involved in St. Kolbe retreats in the Diocese of Beaumont – the focus is to bring Christ in those incarcerated. He has participated on 12 St. Kolbe retreats. Chris serves on the advisory board of Journey of Hope, From Violence to Healing, and is on the Catholic Mobilizing Network’s Restorative Justice Steering Committee.  He has been sharing the story of his mother for almost 20 years to end the death penalty and improve the lives on the incarcerated.

Chris Castillo has a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Texas Southern University, with an emphasis on mass communication and a major in journalism.