Founding

Father Jack Hickey founded Dismas House in 1974 along with a group of students as part of the Vanderbilt Prison Project. The idea for university students and former prisoners to share a home was conceived by a group of students and the late Father Jack Hickey, O.P., a chaplain at Vanderbilt University, as an extension of the Vanderbilt Prison Project.  Father Hickey and the students opened the first Dismas House in 1974 in Nashville.

Seven houses owe their origins to Dismas. The program has been recognized nationally for its success and has been used as a model for similar organizations throughout the U.S. and overseas.

Where does the Name come from?

Dismas is the “repentant” or “good thief” crucified with Christ on Calvary.