St. Dismas volunteers in the Catholic Diocese of Wichita began in 1991 when Pat Rackers, director of Catholic Social Services and Sister Theresa Wetta, ASC, recruited volunteers to visit the El Dorado Correctional Facility and the Sedgwick County Jail.

These new volunteers joined other Catholics already ministering in the two facilities.

In the spring of 2004 the name of the group was changed from St. Dismas Missioners to St. Dismas Ministry to the Incarcerated.