Prison Ministry Diaries, New Podcast from Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM) Coming This Fall
Not only is Prison Ministry Diaries the first-ever podcast of OCPM; it’s unlike anything else out there. Fr. John Kowalczyk and Fr. Stephen Powley, OCPM Co-Directors of Training and Spiritual Care, are ready to share from their decades of experience at every security level. Even among the darkness of prison, Christ’s light is shining all the more. From […]
Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry Awarded Scholarships Through 2026 First Community Foundation Partnership
New York, NY. (August 2026) – Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM) offers its deep appreciation to the Elsie Skvir Ganister Foundation Fund at the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania for their generous support of Scholarships for the Certificate Program in Prison Ministry, a key part of our mission to equip clergy and lay volunteers […]
The OCPM Learning Center: Bring the Light of Christ to a Jail or Prison Near You
Picture this: you and a few other people from your church are hearing Christ’s call in Matthew 25:36 in a new and deeper way (“…I was in prison, and you came to Me”). With the blessing of your priest, you form a ministry team. You are actively praying and discerning together. You’ve maybe even identified […]
Giving Back What I Received: Amanda’s Testimony from Repeated Incarceration to Prison Ministry
I am a product of prison ministry. I often try to distance myself from my past; however, I do not want to be like the healed leper who, after he is healed, does not share what the Lord did for him. I want people to know what Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry can really do for […]
Meet the Monk Who Transformed His Brokenness into His Ministry
Before Rassophore Monk Michael was called to monasticism and before he was called to prison ministry, Michael struggled with addiction. “A big part of my story is addiction. Before I came to the monastery, I had no inner relationship with Christ, so I began to devise my own sorts of idols. More than anything else, […]
OCPM Releases its First Book for the Public, Hitting the Shelves on Bright Monday
Years in the making, OCPM is excited to announce the release of its first book intended not primarily for the prison audience but for those of us on the outside. Suffer with You: Lessons on Forgiveness from Prison is a collection of four essays from people on various sides of the U.S. prison system, all […]
You are Invited to Unexpected Grace: An End-of-Year Address from Our Executive Director
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, “How did you get involved with this?” Almost any time I am representing OCPM somewhere, I am asked this question. As you can maybe imagine, I did not grow up with the Executive Director of Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry on my list of future careers, and when I began […]
“The Church Came to Me!”: Bring Christ to Prison this Thanksgiving
“It felt like the whole world was there to celebrate. There was no time more joyous.” This is Justin’s childhood memory of Divine Liturgy on Pascha at his home church in Philadelphia. But life had many sharp turns for Justin. At 29 years old he committed a serious crime and was sentenced to 7 years in […]
“It is Like a Dream”: On the Grace of Simply Showing Up
This reflection was first shared as a letter from the Executive Director of OCPM, Nicholas Petrogeorge. Recently, I had the blessing to visit a rural prison in Virginia, alongside my priest. The prison is very far from any Orthodox church, but we made the time to visit two men, both serving life in prison, who […]
“Offer Yourself to God as a Doer.” Fr. John Chagnon on the Universal Appeal of Prison Ministry
Fr. John Chagnon of St. Ignatius Antiochian Orthodox Church in Madison, Wisconsin, has had a heart for people in prison for many years, ever since he personally knew Fr. Duane Pederson, founder of Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry. “I had a natural attraction to both him and his work. He clued me into what prison ministry […]