Minneapolis, October 21, 2026
Photo: theocpm.org
Antiochian women across North America are being asked to help put icons, prayer books, and spiritual reading into the hands of people behind bars.
The North American Board of the Antiochian Women has introduced its new shared Act of Mercy for 2026-27, partnering with the Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM) to support the prayer life of those in prison, reports the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
Suzanne Perry, the board’s humanitarian coordinator, explains that Antiochian Women groups will work with OCPM to provide newsletters, spiritual books, icons, and catechism courses to incarcerated men and women, helping them grow spiritually and encouraging them in their time of need. All parish chapters are encouraged to take part.
“Although these verses from Isaiah speak specifically of Jesus Christ,” Perry writes in a letter to His Grace Bishop John of Worcester, clergy, and sisters in Christ, referring to Isaiah 42:6–7, “we are also called as His people to be that light to those who are in prison and in darkness.”
OCPM says it needs the support and involvement of church partners to serve the more than 1.8 million people in prison across the U.S. It provides newsletters, spiritual books, icons, and catechism courses at no cost to men and women in prison. A year-long subscription to its monthly newsletter, The Journey, costs $14 for one person in prison, while $38 provides a package with icons, a prayer book, a church calendar, and other essentials for establishing a prayer life in prison.
Beyond donations, OCPM invites church groups to join its staff in monthly virtual prayer on the first Wednesday of each month, send postcards and letters to people in prison, or serve as an OCPM Advocate within their communities. The ministry also offers Storybook Connections, in which volunteers record parents reading a storybook so the recording and the book can be sent to their children.
Antiochian Women chapters can find more information and donations can be offered on the OCPM partner page at theocpm.org/antiochian-women.
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