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The first ever Certificate Program in Prison Ministry, in partnership with Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM) and St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (STOTS) graduated its first cohort of students June 16-22, 2024.

The inaugural seven students of the Certificate Program have been remotely learning and reflecting together since February from their own homes and parishes across the United States. But coming together for the culminating residency on the campus of St. Tikhon’s brought a spiritual depth to the experience no one, not even the Certificate Program staff, were fully prepared for.

“We learned a word in our studies this week,” says Joseph Nast, graduate of the Certificate Program. “Synchronicity: the outstanding hand of God.” That’s how Joseph describes his parish priest, Fr. Chrysostom, first learning about the Certificate Program only two days after Joseph asked for help discerning his call to prison ministry.

“I and all my colleagues have been thunderstruck with the experience of being here at St. Tikhon’s. It is so much fuller than just learning about prison ministry.” Being able to participate in a daily cycle of services at St. Tikhon’s Monastery takes the students’ experiences far beyond the classroom, drawing nearer to Christ and each other. “To come here and have such wonderful fellowship with other people I’ve only known through Zoom for a few months…I’ve got brothers and sisters in this ministry who have become dear friends,” says Joseph. “It’s been an incredibly meaningful experience, and I don’t think I can possibly put it into decent words.”

Certificate Program students get to worship together at St. Tikhon’s Monastery (left), visit the new Iconography Workshop at the monastery (top right) and study together at St. Tikhon’s Seminary (bottom right).

As the culminating experience of the Certificate Program, students are able to put their studies into practice by visiting the nearby Pennsylvania state prison, SCI Waymart. This year, students even got to witness first hand what it is like to baptize someone behind bars, a deeply moving experience for everyone.

(Above) Fr. John Kowalczyk, Fr. Stephen Powley, and Fr. Michael Pejovic, baptize the newly illumined, Moses, from inside SCI Waymart. The godfather, is Father Michael, a monastic at St. Tikhon’s Monastery.

“We could not have designed the Certificate Program to be so impactful,” says OCPM Executive Director, Nicholas Petrogeorge. “That’s how we know it is blessed. We did our part, we created this partnership between OCPM, St. Tikhon’s Seminary, St. Tikhon’s Monastery, and SCI Waymart, but the whole ecosystem of this program and the community together created something genuinely life-changing for all of us. Because of the one-on-one time with fellow instructors and time with each other, in the services, in the facility, this was far more than a classroom experience. This was a spiritual experience.”

Back home, several Certificate Program graduates are already volunteering in prisons close to where they live. “Life as a parish priest can be busy,” says Fr. Chrysostom, “so to have Joseph now, who can come back and teach us more about prison ministry is a huge blessing to our parish and those who will benefit from this ministry in our area.”

(Above) Joseph Nast graduates the Certificate Program in Prison Ministry, alongside Very Rev. John Parker, Dean of STOTS, Nicholas Petrogeorge, Executive Director of OCPM, and Archbishop Michael.

“It’s essential we get as many laypeople and clergy involved in this as we can,” says Archbishop Michael, rector of St. Tikhon’s Seminary. “Prison ministry is a sacred task, given to us by the Lord Himself. Obviously, this is a daunting task, if you look at all the people that need to be reached. But on the other hand, it’s not about the numbers. We can establish this program seven people at a time. We can train and place these people. Christ has told us to do this ministry for so long, and we haven’t done it. I’m so proud, even in a small way, to be helping this ministry.”

To learn more about the Certificate Program in Prison Ministry, visit theocpm.org/certificate. Applications for the Spring 2025 cohort will open in the early fall.