Over the centuries, many people have been blessed by God to know the time of their departure from this world. Most of us will likely not be told. But what if we knew that this Great Lent would be our very last one? Would we make any changes to our Lenten life? As Orthodox, we […]
Dandelions – A Valentine’s Day Message by Fr. Stephen Can you tell the difference between a flower and a weed? Many folks in our society view people in prison as weeds. But as Orthodox Christians, we take a different view. We believe that every person has the potential to be a flower—people in prison, and […]
As we begin 2016, many of us have set goals with the hopes of becoming a better person. When I served as a prison chaplain, I gave a pre-release class to men who would soon get out. They too were setting goals with the hope of becoming better people. One of the things I stressed […]
Christmas Day!! For many of us, those two words bring to mind cherished images: a joyful celebration of the Divine Liturgy rejoicing at the Birth of our Savior, the mystery of presents under the tree, the smiles of children as they unwrap their gifts, the savory smells of Christmas dinner and the warmth of family […]
Giving Thanks to God In the Gospel of Luke, we read the story of the 10 lepers. Imagine how desperate these men were for healing, living as pariahs in a society that shunned them because of their leprosy. One day, as Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord have mercy!” And the Lord healed […]
There is a battle that rages within people, both those in prison and those on the outside. It is described well by St. Paul in Romans 7: the battle between good and evil inside of us. Here’s a wonderful old story for us to think about today: An old Cherokee was teaching his grandson about […]
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From Behind the Desk to Behind Bars By Paul Politis OCPM Director of Operations Paul Politis describes his first experience visiting a jail. It was a cold and rainy Thursday morning when I met Father Nicholas Solak at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. I had traveled to the seminary to make my first visit to a jail. […]
After 15 years in federal prison—including 22 hour-a-day lockdowns at Supermax facilities—Clark Porter achieved what was once unimaginable: a scholarship to Washington University, two university degrees, a full-time position with the US District Court, and a stable family life. And that’s not even the most incredible part of the story. Fr. Stephen Powley can laugh […]
Monasteries run into various problems with the internet, but let’s not try to unravel that mess right now. Maybe another time. Right now I’d like to mention just one thing in that connection because it provides a good example of what we leave behind—or at least we should—when we commit ourselves to a life according […]