Prison Ministry Diaries

Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry

5.0 (1)
Christianity
Biweekly

From decades of ministry experience in prison facilities of every security level, Fr. Stephen Powley and Fr. John Kowalczyk of OCPM are taking common questions and worries that come when God asks you to care for our brothers and sisters behind bars. ocpm.substack.com

1d ago

S1 E5 // Confronting Evil

One of the hopes of Prison Ministry Diaries is to make prison ministry less scary and more available to people. The challenges of prison ministry are real, but they don’t have to have the last word. Fr. John Kowalczyk and Fr. Stephen Powley throughout these interviews have a knack for taking heavy subjects and shining a light on them; today’s episode is no different. And yet, prison is a place of acute darkness. As Christians, how should we respond when we encounter evil? How do we recognize it, and what are we to do? Listen on Substack, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or RSS wherever you get podcasts. Prison Ministry Diaries is produced by Natalie Ellis and Nicholas Petrogeorge (Filming), Luke Taylor Gilstrap (Writing), and James John Marks of the Christian Saints Podcast (Audio Production). All music featured on this podcast is used in accordance with Creative Commons licenses. Subscribe to the OCPM Substack for more Prison Ministry Diaries episodes and other stories of radical transformation: Dispatches from real men and women behind bars and wisdom from the most experienced Orthodox Christian prison chaplains in the United States. We’d love to hear your comments or questions about our show. You can reach us at info@theocpm.org or visit our website and learn more about how you can get involved with prison ministry at theocpm.org. Prison Ministry Diaries is sharing wisdom from the most experienced Orthodox Christian prison chaplains in the United States. From decades of ministry experience in prison facilities of every security level, Fr. Stephen Powley and Fr. John Kowalczyk of OCPM are taking common questions and worries that come when God asks you to care for our brothers and sisters behind bars. Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry is an agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. Get full access to OCPM at ocpm.substack.com/subscribe
Oct 19

S1 E4 // Catechism and Baptism in Supermax Security

If you have heard about Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry before now, you’ve probably heard something about Fr. Stephen’s (almost) unbelievable testimonies of performing catechism and baptism in the highest security prison facility in the United States, ADX Florence. Now, for episode four of Prison Ministry Diaries, Fr. Stephen takes the lid off these incredible stories that are not just amazing but humbling to hear. From these incredible accounts comes the heart of the Orthodox Faith: sincere repentance, baptism, and putting on Christ, no matter where we are or where we have been. Listen on Substack, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or RSS wherever you get podcasts. Prison Ministry Diaries is produced by Natalie Ellis and Nicholas Petrogeorge (Filming), Luke Taylor Gilstrap (Writing), and James John Marks of the Christian Saints Podcast (Audio Production). All music featured on this podcast is used in accordance with Creative Commons licenses. Subscribe to the OCPM Substack for more Prison Ministry Diaries episodes and other stories of radical transformation: Dispatches from real men and women behind bars and wisdom from the most experienced Orthodox Christian prison chaplains in the United States. We’d love to hear your comments or questions about our show. You can reach us at info@theocpm.org or visit our website and learn more about how you can get involved with prison ministry at theocpm.org. Prison Ministry Diaries is sharing wisdom from the most experienced Orthodox Christian prison chaplains in the United States. From decades of ministry experience in prison facilities of every security level, Fr. Stephen Powley and Fr. John Kowalczyk of OCPM are taking common questions and worries that come when God asks you to care for our brothers and sisters behind bars. Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry is an agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. Get full access to OCPM at ocpm.substack.com/subscribe
Oct 5

S1 E3 // When the Justice System is Not Just

For our third episode of Prison Ministry Diaries, Niko, Fr. John, and Fr. Stephen are opening up an uncomfortable conversation that anyone doing prison ministry will have to reckon with at some point: how are we to respond when we witness clear examples of injustice? Inconsistent sentencing—two people receiving vastly different sentences for the same crime—is just one common example of injustice you will see behind bars. However, as Christians, the question of justice, what it is we all deserve in a spiritual, eternal sense is a question that goes far beyond the prison yard. Listen on Substack, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or RSS wherever you get podcasts. Prison Ministry Diaries is produced by Natalie Ellis and Nicholas Petrogeorge (Filming), Luke Taylor Gilstrap (Writing), and James John Marks of the Christian Saints Podcast (Audio Production). All music featured on this podcast is used in accordance with Creative Commons licenses. Subscribe to the OCPM Substack for more Prison Ministry Diaries episodes and other stories of radical transformation: Dispatches from real men and women behind bars and wisdom from the most experienced Orthodox Christian prison chaplains in the United States. We’d love to hear your comments or questions about our show. You can reach us at info@theocpm.org or visit our website and learn more about how you can get involved with prison ministry at theocpm.org. Prison Ministry Diaries is sharing wisdom from the most experienced Orthodox Christian prison chaplains in the United States. From decades of ministry experience in prison facilities of every security level, Fr. Stephen Powley and Fr. John Kowalczyk of OCPM are taking common questions and worries that come when God asks you to care for our brothers and sisters behind bars. Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry is an agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. Get full access to OCPM at ocpm.substack.com/subscribe
Sep 7

S1 E1 // What Kind of People Go to Prison?

In the first episode of Prison Ministry Diaries, Fr. John and Fr. Stephen are starting with a simple question: what kind of people go to prison, anyway? Through their characteristic sincerity and lightheartedness, Fr. John and Fr. Stephen together shed light on some of the assumptions Orthodox Christians can have about the prison population, mainly that we are not as far away from, nor are we that different, from people who go to prison. Listen on Substack, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or RSS wherever you get podcasts. Prison Ministry Diaries is produced by Natalie Ellis and Nicholas Petrogeorge (Filming), Luke Taylor Gilstrap (Writing), and James John Marks of the Christian Saints Podcast (Audio Production). All music featured on this podcast is used in accordance with Creative Commons licenses. Subscribe to the OCPM Substack for more Prison Ministry Diaries episodes and other stories of radical transformation: Dispatches from real men and women behind bars and wisdom from the most experienced Orthodox Christian prison chaplains in the United States. We’d love to hear your comments or questions about our show. You can reach us at info@theocpm.org or visit our website and learn more about how you can get involved with prison ministry at theocpm.org. Prison Ministry Diaries is sharing wisdom from the most experienced Orthodox Christian prison chaplains in the United States. From decades of ministry experience in prison facilities of every security level, Fr. Stephen Powley and Fr. John Kowalczyk of OCPM are taking common questions and worries that come when God asks you to care for our brothers and sisters behind bars. Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry is an agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. Get full access to OCPM at ocpm.substack.com/subscribe
Aug 25

Introducing Prison Ministry Diaries

The first podcast of its kind 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 navigating gang culture to what it takes to found a monastery in maximum security (true story), Fr. John and Fr. Stephen are your best possible coaches for how to do this ministry well. Tune in for sincere and often lighthearted conversations about what matters most. New episodes air every two weeks, and subscribers are the first to know. Get full access to OCPM at ocpm.substack.com/subscribe

5 Episodes

From decades of ministry experience in prison facilities of every security level, Fr. Stephen Powley and Fr. John Kowalczyk of OCPM are taking common questions and worries that come when God asks you to care for our brothers and sisters behind bars. ocpm.substack.com

Creator

Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry
Years Active

2026
Episodes

5
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© OCPM
Show Website

Prison Ministry Diaries

Christianity

Christianity

Updated Biweekly