View source for Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry

{{orthodoxyinamerica}}'''Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry''' (OCPM) is an agency of the [[Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America|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.

OCPM was founded by Fr. [[Duane Pederson]] in 1991 as a ministry of the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America]]. OCPM provides incarcerated men and women personalized spiritual care, Bibles, books, icons, catechism, and study courses. For those wishing to live an Orthodox way of life, OCPM advocates on their behalf for correctional facilities around the United States to recognize the Orthodox faith, so that priests can enter prison facilities and administer the Sacraments.

OCPM also provides resources and training to local parishes and clergy wishing to start their own local prison ministries and publishes spiritual books and icons, which have been designed for use in prison.

Since its inception, OCPM has distributed more than 1 million spiritual publications and more than 2 million icons to prisoners.