Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry Awarded 2025 First Community Foundation Partnership
New York, NY. (August 11, 2025) – Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM) offers its heartfelt appreciation to the Elsie Skvir Ganister Foundation Fund at the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania for their generous support of The Weekly Letter, a key part of our ministry to those behind bars. These weekly letters remind incarcerated men […]
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN PRISON MINISTRY Announces New Director of Church Programs, Nick Abdelahad
To welcome Mr. Nick Abdelahad to the Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM) team, OCPM Communications asked what brought him to the ministry and what he hopes for the future of OCPM. OCPM: What brought you to OCPM? What made you want to work in prison ministry? NA: For a long time, I worked in cybersecurity […]
Your Church is Nearer to the Prison System Than You Probably Think: A Reflection for Prison Ministry Awareness Sunday, July 27, 2025
When The Prison Policy Initiative, a team of experts on cutting-edge research around the U.S. prison system, released its annual “big picture” report in 2024, one statistic stood out to us more than any other: 113 million adults in the United States have an immediate family member who has been to prison or jail. Perhaps from […]
If the Church is a Hospital, OCPM is the Emergency Room: A Reflection from Nicholas Petrogeorge, Executive Director
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, If the Church is a hospital, I have begun to think of OCPM as being the Emergency Room. Let me explain. Recently, I spoke to a woman whose husband had committed a serious crime. When she learned about the crime, she was absolutely shattered and afraid. She felt she […]
“Where Hope Feels Scarce”: A Reflection from Madeline Cano, OCPM Intern
Madeline Cano served as OCPM’s first Social Media Intern from 2024-2025. When she was asked to write a culminating essay on her experience, we were so moved by her reflections on the heart of prison ministry, that we asked to share her thoughts with our greater community. Serving as a Social Media Intern at Orthodox […]
“Like the Thief Will I Confess Thee”: A Reflection for Holy Week
“Of Thy mystical supper, O Son of God, accept me today as a communicant. For I will not speak of Thy mysteries to Thine enemies, neither will I give Thee a kiss, as did Judas, but like the thief will I confess Thee: Remember me, O Lord, in Thy Kingdom.” (from The Communion Prayer of […]
And Now Seminary: How Prison Ministry Certification Has Been Preparing Sdn. Herman Almasy for the Priesthood
From the outside, there isn’t much a prison facility shares in common with an Orthodox Church. But for Subdeacon Herman (Almasy), these two places have always been closely connected. From his conversion to the Orthodox Church in 2010, Sdn. Herman has been volunteering in prisons. His parish priest was looking for volunteers, and he jumped […]
God’s Great Harvest: A Profile of OCPM Michigan
It all started with one priest writing letters to just one man behind bars. Now, sixteen years later, 21 Orthodox clergy and laity serve 69 people in four different prison facilities across Michigan. The growth was small at first, almost non-existent for nearly the first decade of his ministry and coming to a complete standstill […]
Today is a Great Day: On Baptism in Prison
Juwann stands at the front of the prison chapel, dressed in the same jumpsuit he has worn for the past ten years as an inmate of the Pennsylvania state corrections system. But this is no ordinary day. Beside him is Rassophore Monk Michael, a monastic of the nearby St. Tikhon’s Monastery, and soon to be […]
Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry Announces New Director of Programs, Diana Emry
Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM), the national prison ministry of the Orthodox Church, is very pleased to announce Diana Emry as the organization’s first Director of Programs. To celebrate this appointment, OCPM sat down with Emry to hear what this position means for her and the future of the organization. OCPM: Can you describe your […]