Blog posts and original articles
Dear Supporters of OCPM: The human touch: a hug, a pat on the back, or a handshake. The human interaction: laughing together, talking together, or crying together. We take them for granted. But there is a group of people in our country who rarely experience these. They might experience the touch of someone’s hand, but […]
As we continue through Great & Holy Lent, we wanted to provide you with some inspirational updates from our ministry. We would like to welcome our newest volunteer, Jim Demetrios, to the OCPM! Jim has started corresponding with those in jails and prisons across the United States. The challenge of writing to prisoners extends beyond […]
In Matthew 5:44-45, Jesus gave us a radical command “love your enemies; bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and […]
During this Lenten season we as Orthodox Christians can choose either to be like the Pharisees of old and be comfortable in our self-righteousness, or we can be like Saint Moses of Ethiopia or St Mary of Egypt and be humble and lowly even as Christ was humble and lowly. We cannot enter into the […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Our ministry would like to share with you this powerful letter we received. It is written by an individual who is currently incarcerated and corresponds with our ministry. We want to highlight the impact that even a small act can have on someone who is far removed from society. […]
Monday, November 29th, I received the best Christmas gift I could ever possibly receive. I was in Home Depot ordering a new blind for our parish hall when I suddenly heard the voice of a lady behind me exclaim, “Joy!” I turned around and as she drew closer to me, I looked deep into her […]
What would inspire a grandmother of seven and great-grandmother of two to want to be involved with prison ministry? His name is Douglas Charles – my precious son who died in 1991 at the age of 23 as a result of using drugs. He left behind his then 13-month-old son John who is now 28 […]
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the Main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a Promontory were, as well as if a Manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death […]
Here is a great story: .. I remember confession in the monastery Grigoriou. Then (in 1981) hegumen George, who is still alive, told me a story. He happened to take a confession from a dying priest in a small town in Greece. The priest had two children with a very large age difference – the […]
In making rounds today, I was stopped by an inmate who wanted to talk. The question he asked is; “Will Christ forgive me for my sins and transgressions.”? It is important to note the words of St. Paul who said; “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the […]