New York, New York—Before Rassophore Monk Michael was called to monasticism and before he was called to prison ministry, Michael struggled with addiction.
“A big part of my story is addiction. Before I came to the monastery, I had no inner relationship with Christ, so I began to devise my own sorts of idols. More than anything else, I idolized myself.” His life of addiction and his newfound identity in Christ came head to head. “Something had to give.”
At Saint Tikhon’s Monastery, Fr. Michael began to pick up the pieces of his life and put them back together. There he began to genuinely receive the forgiveness of Christ and heal.
Now, Fr. Michael has turned the healing Christ is doing in him toward his brothers and sisters behind bars by visiting a local state prison every week. He is giving the forgiveness he has received.
“I don’t really like the word ‘prison ministry,’” he says. “ I know it’s the word we use, but I don’t feel like I’m ministering to them. It doesn’t feel like work at all. I’m going in there to visit my friends, to visit my brothers in Christ.” With a sincere smile, he likes to say to those he visits, “You’re here, and I’m at the monastery. We’re both serving life.”All of us have a past. Some of us are healing from past mistakes and selfishness outside of prison, and some of our brothers and sisters are doing so within prison. The work of repentance is the same, no matter where we are. Lent is an opportunity to take our past mistakes, give them to God, and focus on how we can serve and forgive others.
This Lenten season, may we be more like Fr. Michael and his friends he visits behind bars, everyone growing nearer to Christ and each other.
Hear Fr. Michael’s story in his own words:
Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM) is an agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States. For Orthodox Christians who have been arrested for crimes, OCPM helps them return to the Faith, offering forgiveness and reconciliation with Christ. For both Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike, OCPM provides spiritual care, enabling prisoners to find hope and purpose in their lives. For more information, please visit www.theocpm.org or follow us on Facebook and Instagram @theocpm.
