Everyday Orthodox

Richard Ramsey co-wrote and co-directed the feature film, Unsung Hero. He and his brother, John, make comedic short films which have been featured in numerous film festivals. Richard and his wife live in Nashville and have five children (all named after Beatles songs).

Fr. John Kowalczyk serves as chaplain at S.C.I. Waymart’s Forensic Treatment Center. He is an executive member of the board of Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM), and advocates for prison inmates in need of Christ and pastoral care.

Michael is a husband and father of three, a parish council president, the son of an Orthodox priest, and the President of The Antiochian Men. We'll hear his story and learn why and how he founded this impressive new group.

Eleanor is a delightful woman whose deep faith has carried her through tragedy, including the loss of her sweet son. A wife and mother, she works in the banking industry and has taught Sunday School, sung in the choir, and baked prosphora.

Pres. Melanie and her husband, Fr. Joseph, have one son, Michael Seraphim, whose special needs greatly impact his health and independence. She works to encourage families who face similar challenges and to dispel cultural stigmas associated with disabilities.

Fr. Eugen is the author of Church Ministries on a Shoestring Budget, a subject he knows well, having established mission churches in Pittsburgh, PA, and Columbus, OH. A husband and father, he has been a priest for 32 years, and speaks on Pastoral Theology and other topics.

On Everyday Orthodox, we'll be live with Kassiane, the dynamic force behind Ancient Faith Ministries' Chinese Language Division. We'll talk about life in China and in North America, and about what it means to her to be to creating Orthodox materials in Chinese.

Michael Witcoff is one of Elissa's AHOS classmates. He grew up Jewish, and then became a Freemason, before converting to Orthodox Christianity. His book ‘On The Masons And Their Lies’ was written to help communicate the fraternity’s incompatibility with Christianity.

Marie is cradle Orthodox from the coal region of Pennsylvania. She married her best friend and they have three adult children. She is outgoing and fun, and works as a Medical Assistant. Her family was always active in the Church, laying a firm foundation for her.

Katherine is a wonderful author, and has been an editor at Ancient Faith since 1993. She has written several children's books, as well as the Crime with the Classics series of traditional mysteries for adults. She and her husband have recently moved to the Pacific Northwest.

Christopher is a figurative artist working primarily in a type of Biblical Narrative. He has a degree in Drawing and Painting from Biola University and has been a work-from-home artist and homeschooler. He and his wife lead the Burial Society ministry at their parish

Fr. Patrick is Elissa's Liturgical Theology professor at AHOS, and author of Come, Let Us Worship. Though he grew up Protestant in New Jersey, he spent most of his life as an Orthodox priest on the West Coast.

For 22 years, Jimmy (Santiago) Garcia has worked as Operations Coordinator, Director and Child Care Administrator at a long-term residential program for at-risk teens. A convert to Orthodoxy and church school teacher, he and his wife, Veronica, are raising two grandkids.

Kh. Kelleylynn is a gifted photographer and the administrator at St. Athanasius Academy. She is the mother of five and wife to Fr. Raphael in New York state. Funny and soulful, Kelleylynn loves deeply and is an engaging and compassionate woman you'll enjoy getting to know.

Dr. Pano Kanelos is the Founding President of the University of Austin. He previously served as President of St. John’s College, Annapolis. Pano is a Shakespeare scholar, a husband and father, and an active member of his Greek Orthodox parish in Austin, Texas.

Drew Chancey is the author of Goodnight, Child of God, and writes a semi-monthly poetry newsletter. Drew and his wife Brittney, along with their four children, live in Tulsa, and attend Holy Apostles Orthodox Church where Drew sings in the men's choir.

Simon is a soil science graduate student as well as a husband and a new father. In addition to studying and helping his wife with the baby he also works with Ancient Faith on live-streaming shows on YouTube.

John Maddex was the founder and CEO of Ancient Faith Ministries, and then he stepped down -- but what has he been up to since then? We'll catch up on how retirement is going and what John plans next.

To celebrate our 200th episode, we welcome special guest, Helena Bjeletich, who will interview her mom, Elissa Bjeletich Davis!

After 20 years serving the police department, Lt. Raphael Barberg retired and became an Orthodox priest! He works with IOCC to minister when catastrophes occur (9/11, mass shootings, natural disasters, etc.), and serves at St. George in Niagara Falls, NY.

Blogger, podcaster, gardener, and regular gal-in-the-pews Lynnette Horner is an editor at Ancient Faith Publishing and hosts the blog and podcast "Walking an Ancient Path: Living and Learning Orthodox Christianity."

Margaret is a delightful grandmother who found herself in a terrible car accident. Her experience there brought her an entirely new outlook on the Orthodox faith.

Melia studied in Abu Dhabi and learned of Orthodoxy from Matt (a history buff and convert from California) while in New York City. Baptized in Tbilisi, Georgia, Melia works in cybersecurity and decorates her church through flower-arranging. Matt works as a paralegal and sings in the church choir.

Buck Johnson is host of The Counterflow Podcast, a weekly show featuring discussions on spiritual warfare, culture, and politics. Buck is an Orthodox Christian and musician who has worked as a firefighter for more than 25 years.

Kh. Gigi Shadid is a delightful musician, best known for the children's albums she has created and loved by adults and children alike!

Gordon James is a husband, father, and grandfather. He has lived in alcoholic idolatry, changed in AA sobriety, and come home to Orthodoxy. God gave this walking miracle the gift of desperation.

Dr. Michael Wingert is a professor and a podcaster specializing in ancient medicine, philology, and theology. He's a Syriac Orthodox Christian of Assyrian heritage, and the Dean of Agora University. What's more, he's a dad, a husband, and a lot of fun.

Dr. Johnson bakes prosphora and teaches Sunday School, but her greatest ministry is surely her work as a clinical psychologist, serving children, teens and their families and offering support for all the struggles of life.

Readers Stephen and Andrew Ritchey are brothers and creative partners from Birmingham, Alabama, where they serve at St. Symeon Orthodox Church. Together, they’ve released multiple books and activities, as well as an Orthodox musical children’s show.

Fr. Thomas Manuel grew up in the Church, and with his wife, Elizabeth, served four years in Guatemala and southern Mexico as OCMC missionaries. Fr. Thomas taught at the seminary of San Andres, and upon his return to the US, was ordained a priest!

Jane Meyer is a children's book author and editor and is heading up the new Ancient Faith Kids project on YouTube! She lives in Santa Barbara, where she homeschools her son, tends fruit trees, bakes bread, and enjoys turning cartwheels as often as possible.

Jonah Martin and his family raise goats and ducks, manage a large garden, and sell various foods and household goods at HoldfastFarmstead.com. Jonah manages St. Nicholas Press, records audiobooks, and makes wooden carved icons in the Byzantine style.

You know Fr. Evan Armatas as the host of an Ancient Faith Radio live show, podcasts and as the author of two books, and now it's your chance to get to know him more personally!

Kathryn is the author of "God's Saintly Friends", and is a wife and mother of four young children, Church School Director, and Adjunct Professor of History. She loves adult and children's literature and has a passion for education.

This week, we'll be talking with Gabe Wilson, the artist behind several beautiful graphic novels about Orthodox saints. His latest, Sands of Salvation, is about St. Moses the Ethiopian!

We'll be talking with Fr. Stephen Freeman, podcaster, blogger, speaker, and author of the new book, Face to Face: Knowing God Beyond Our Shame. This is your chance to learn about Father's life, and to get to know him more personally.

Meet Clayton Dale, aka Nomadik Vagabond (born Clayton, baptized Moses, after Moses the Ethiopian) is an Orthodox Christian living in Portland, Oregon. He’s co-host of the Brews, Beards, & Shipwrecks podcast with Jamey Bennett. He’s a husband of 18 years with 2 teenagers.

Meseker Yohannes was baptized into the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. After growing up in Nevada, he went to college in California where, after graduating, he began working as a software engineer at a solar software startup. He and his wife currently live in Dallas, TX.

Derek grew up in a nominally Christian home, but REALLY met Christ while touring with a heavy metal band. He was a pastor in a charismatic church until deeper study led him to Orthodoxy. Derek and his wife, Rebekah, have 3 children.

We'll be talking with Sarah Byrne-Martelli, a board-certified Orthodox Christian Palliative Care Chaplain, health care researcher, and author of Memory Eternal: Living with Grief as Orthodox Christians. Sarah and her husband Peter and son Rafael live in the Boston area.

Meet Ioana and Sebastien! Dr. Ioana Popa is back, and she is bringing her husband, Sebastien Falardeau! We'll be talking about their experience of finding one another after divorce, embarking on a second marriage, and blending their families. Sebastien loves to cook, Ioana loves to garden, and together they co-founded Team For The Soul®. Hear all about it.

On Everyday Orthodox, Susan is a licensed clinical social worker and has been providing mental health care for the veteran population for 8 years, and she has a passion for advocating for mental health resources within Orthodox parish settings, particularly in ethnic parishes where the stigma of seeking care is prevalent. She is the current Vice-President of OCAMPR. Prior to this role, she served as the co-chair for the Needs Assessment Working Group with the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops' Mental Health Task Force. She also served, for 6 years, as the Diocese of South-West America Secretary for the Department of Counseling Services with the Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Syrian Church, where she was raised. She now attends St. Makarios the Great Orthodox Mission in Chicago, where she and her husband, Brandon, await a new addition to their family in October. In her free time, she enjoys baking, reading, hosting family & friends, staying active and walks to the great Lake Michigan.

On Everyday Orthodox, meet Katrina Bitar! Katrina has dedicated her life to serving Christ through work with young people. After graduating from St. Vladimir’s Seminary, she became the Director of Youth Equipped to Serve and worked for years as a summer camp director. Katrina's heart for service, for people, and for Christ is apparent in everything she does and we think you'll enjoy getting to know her.

On Everyday Orthodox, we will be live with Nazo Zakkak, the composer of the groundbreaking Mandarin Chinese Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom album commissioned and produced by Ancient Faith Ministries' Chinese Language Division.

On Everyday Orthodox, we talk with Zeina Livanos. Zeina is the author and creator of Zeina's Table on Instagram. She not only shares recipes but her life as a recipe collector, Orthodox Christian, wife, artist, and soon to be mother of 5.

This week on Everyday Orthodox, join us for an interview with icon carver and chanter, Dn. Romanos (Ron) Slockett. He is an Orthodox convert at St. Elias in Austin, Texas, is married to Sh. Jessica and has three children.

Mena was born into the Coptic Orthodox Church in Assiut Egypt, and moved to Puerto Rico and then to New York. He and his family now live in Massachusetts, where he and his wife are currently raising their young kids.

Meet Josh David Jordan! Josh began his career as an actor before transitioning to work behind the lens. When his short film, Sam and Gus, won several film festival awards, he decided to write/direct his full-length feature film, This World Won't Break, which won 14 festival awards, received distribution, theatrical release, and on every platform. Josh directed Joshua Ray Walker's hit single and directed the live spot on The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon. He is currently in pre-production for his second full-length feature, El Tonto Por Cristo, an Orthodox tale about a holy fool.

Meet Dr. Ioana Popa! Join Elissa for a visit with Dr. Popa, a National Board Certified Life Coach, with a host of additional qualifications that help her provide support and healing to families, those who are grieving, and more.

Lee Kopulos has been an active contributing member of several parishes throughout his adult life, and works in prison ministry as well as missions and outreach.  He and his wife Linda have been married for 54b years, and have three adult children.

Meet Fr. Steven Clark! The son of a Baptist Preacher, Steven studied music and thought a lot about theology -- specifically, what was meant by "The Word of God." When the U.S.S.R. Russian Choir under Alexander Shvesnikov released their recording of the Rachmaninov Vespers, he loved everything about it -- and especially the hymn's understanding of the Word. This led him from Florida to Russia and eventually to Orthodoxy.

Meet Deacon John Ma'ae. He's a Southern California native, born and bred, who serves his parish at St. Barnabas Antiochian Orthodox Church in Costa Mesa, California, while also working for the past 12 years as the Cathedral Secretary at St. Steven Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Alhambra, California.

Christian Gonzalez is the Director of Ministry at Orthodox Youth Ministries (OYM), the Assembly of Bishops’ new – and unanimously approved – Orthodox Youth and Young Adult Ministries Agency.” He is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who holds multiple degrees from Wheaton College, Azusa Pacific University, and Luther Seminary. Well known for his work developing training materials like “Effective Christian Ministry” and podcasts like “We Are Orthodoxy” and “Pop Culture Coffee Hour,” he is passionate about upbuilding of the Church as the Family of God: a household that forms young people into the likeness of Christ

Voula Asimacopoulos is a Greek Orthodox woman and a primary care physician in the Chicago area. We’ll ask about her experiences in the Church as a divorced mother.

oin Elissa for a live conversation with Corina Gheorghiu! Corina is a licensed Marriage Family Therapist in CA and a holistic life coach trained in a variety of psychosomatic modalities. Her main interest is the integration of the Orthodox psychotherapy of the deep heart, as the fathers of the ancient church taught us, and also validated by neuroscience, epigenetics, and some modern methods of psychotherapy

Meet Elizabeth Gatling! She's a project coordinator, a librarian, a mom — and a contributor to the new book, The Grace of Being There: Single Mother Saints in Our Lives.

Dr. Rebecca Hernandez is both Native American (Mescalero & Warm Springs Apache) and Mexican American. She is a convert to Orthodoxy and shares about her journey to the church.

Meet Eric! Eric lives near Seattle, WA, and has had a number of careers: newspaper reporter, Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine, homeless shelter financial manager, non-fiction writer, preemie-parent advocate, and fiction writer. The past few years. he has been a stay-at-home dad and written Voice in the Storm. He likes bicycling around Washington state, and landscape photography, too.

The Founder and President of the University of St. Katherine joins Elissa to learn about his life and what led him to start this unique university in Southern California founded on Orthodox Christian principles.

Meet Elise Photini, an Ancient Faith blogger and Elissa's guest on Everyday Orthodox this week! Elise Photini is raising her “littles” (no longer quite so little) on her own in the Pacific Northwest, where she works as a hospice nurse with half her heart, while the other half of her heart floats between writing and speaking on raising resilient, strong children and healing from trauma.

Jennifer Anna Rich lives on a small farm near Portland, OR, with her husband, horses, sheep, chickens, cats, and dog. She tends the garden, makes parchment from her Saint Croix sheep skins, and runs Oblation Papers & Press with her husband, designing handmade paper goods. Jennifer is the author of Prayer Spa: Ancient Treatments for the Modern Soul.

Hope founded Families Together in 2017 after her first experience as a foster mom almost led her to turn in her license. Four years (and four kids) later, Families Together is matching isolated families with helpful, friendly volunteers through the Neighbors program in Colorado, California, Texas, Illinois, and Michigan. The Neighbors team matches up volunteers to help combat our nation's mental health and loneliness crises. Hope lives in Colorado Springs with four generations under one roof and juggles homeschooling a her 8-year-old Maximus while keeping two-year-old Mercy at a reasonable limit with her daily marshmallow intake (with lots of help from grandma and great grandma)

Shereen Marcus is a wife and mother of two boys who works a full-time job as a Veterans Law Judge for the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. She's also an advocate for reforming Youth Ministry in Orthodox churches in North America. Starting with new ideas, writing abilities, and a knack for “kid-silliness,” Shereen did independent research into various youth ministry efforts and methodologies and began writing kids’ Christian education materials for her local parish. She furthered her work by completing a Master’s degree in Orthodox Theology, with a Youth Ministry Emphasis, from the University of Balamand, Lebanon in conjunction with the Antiochian House of Studies. From there, she took her materials to a bigger platform by launching “Bridges to Orthodoxy” in January 2020

Meet Esteban Picornell! He's an Orthodox Christian, born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. After first encountering Orthodox Christianity during the years when he lived in the greater Boston area, he returned to San Juan, where he spends his days between church (he likes to chant) at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in San Juan and work, workouts, neighbors, and family

Born and raised in the former Yugoslavia, Fr. Serafim moved to America in 1995 because of the war. At the monasteries in Ocala, FL, he met Elder Ephraim and realized his won monastic calling. After attending Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY, he became a hieromonk in 2008 at the New Gracanica Monastery in Illinois, where he still lives. Join Elissa as she visit with Fr. Serafim about his journey.

Fr. George was a reconstructive dentist, but reinvented himself after 28 years, retiring and earning a PhD in Orthodox Theology and History. Ordained as a deacon in 2003, he became an advocate for people living with developmental disabilities, and then, after his retirement, was finally ordained a priest. Fr. George and Presbytera Ria have been married for over fifty years, have two grown, married children and five grand children. They enjoy traveling, cooking, entertaining and the arts

Natalie is a wife and new mother who has worked as a dog bather, a mad scientist, and even put in some time in the morgue. Now she works as a fiber artist specializing in faith-based design as she strives to center her life on Chris

Daniel Girgis is a member of the Coptic Orthodox Church, born and raised in New York City. He is a tonsured reader and chanter who received his Master of Arts in theology from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in 2021. Prior to his time in seminary, Daniel also received his Bachelor of Science in biology from Long Island University, and his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from SUNY University at Buffalo. In addition to his career, Daniel focuses on the integration of the oral transmission of Coptic chant and the analysis of liturgical manuscripts in order to not only preserve Coptic heritage, but to encourage Coptic faithful to reconnect and embody their tradition

Matt is a husband and father of two, and the principal of a Christian school in Austin, TX. He has an MA in Biblical Studies from Trinity School for Ministry (in Ambridge, PA) and is currently completing EdD in Educational Leadership at Concordia University in Texas. Matt was recently elected to the parish council at Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Austin and recently sold his home in the suburbs north of Austin to buy a log cabin on a 4.5 acre property next to one of Elder Ephraim's monasteries--Holy Archangels--in Kendalia.

On January 16, we'll be live with Dr. Patricia Bouteneff! She discovered Orthodoxy as a Fulbright Scholar in Greece, and is both a folklore scholar and a strategic communications professional. She is the President of the Executive Board of Axia Women, a 501(c)3 organization by, for and about Orthodox Women

Michael Sider-Rose has been working for years in faith-based, off-campus experiential learning programs for youth, combining classes, internships and urban immersion. Now he's taking on a new project called the Orthodox Volunteer Corps. Listen in as Elissa talks with him about this innovative and important effort

Meet Susan Habegger! After living and working throughout Africa and Asia, she developed a humanitarian nonprofit, Thrive Life Skills, which speaks to the vision of discovering a courageous and peaceful way forward as related to our spiritual, emotional, and work life. One particular course, Moving Forward From Trauma, became an uninvited assignment of focus through events in her own life, but has opened the door to mission around the world.

Catch up with Jamey Bennett! We last spoke with Jamey in 2019, and since then he's married and had his first child! Jamey is the associate editor of the Orthodoxy & Heterodoxy blog, and a purveyor of arts with Royal Ruckus, whose albums you'll find on band camp.

Laura Wilson is a painter and designer, mother of three daughters, and a founding member of St. Nicholas Orthodox Mission in Jackson, TN. She is a student in the Antiochian House of Studies. Her diverse background is the result of a minister’s daughter and woman of faith reclaiming joy from abstraction and finding it in the meeting of spiritual and material existence.

Presvytera Kathryn is an artist whose goal is to connect creatively with others through humor, honesty, and/or purity of purpose. She loves book illustration, album art, portrait commissions, and comic work. When she's not creating art, she enjoys spending time with her husband, an Orthodox priest, and four kids, sewing, knitting, and taking long walks.

Fr. Yuri Hladio is a priest who, along with his wife Nikyla, serves the budding community at St. Maria of Paris Orthodox Mission in Hamilton, Ontario. Fr Yuri is an improviser, musician, and podcaster with a heart for hearing and telling stories. You can find Fr Yuri's podcasts at pryingpriest.com

Hannah grew up without a lot of structure and without religion—but she found her way to Orthodoxy while she was studying at Berkeley, and is now a delightful and optimistic middle school teacher.

Nic is a trained folklorist, a husband and father, a knitter, a third-generation comic book artist, and the author of the new book Northern Lights of Christ. We'll hear how, after surviving a natural disaster, he found a new life serving people in crisis.

Kyra is a delightful and energetic Orthodox woman, doing great work for the church: she's the Director of Crossroad Summer Institute and Assistant Director of the Office of Vocation & Ministry at Hellenic College Holy Cross in Boston. Now's she's working to launch the Orthodox Volunteer Corps (OVC).

Jaden is a certified landman, a convert to the Orthodox faith, and a devoted husband and father. His mother was murdered, and his grandmother's dying wish was that someone would introduce her killer to Christ. Jaden rose to that call, and something truly amazing happened.

Get to know Dr. Philip Mamalakis, a family man with a wife and six kids. He lives in Boston, teaching pastoral care at the Greek Orthodox Hellenic College Holy Cross Seminary. He often writes and speaks on marriage and parenting, and offers the Orthodox perspective on mental health.

Gayle is a professor and theologian working in molecular biology and bioethical issues (including work on medical ethics and climate change). We get to know her and learn about her participation in OCAMPR.

Pete is an emergency medicine doctor with an MBA—and a family man, married for 14 years with four kids. He has been investigating the remarkably good health of the monks on Mount Athos and has now written a new book—The Athos Diet.

One of St. Vladimir's Seminary's first female students, Anna Marie has coordinated the religious education curriculum at St. Tikhon's summer camp for 25 years. A children's librarian and a wordsmith with an MFA in writing for children, she is delightful and smart—and you're going to enjoy her!

Lucas Postolos is a 26-year-old Orthodox Christian from Texas. He works in corporate restructuring, and he's coordinating a Pan-Orthodox young adult conference coming up this October. We'll be talking about growing up Greek in Texas, how he lives out his faith in the business world, and what purpose a conference for young adults might serve.

Born in the northern part of the Holy Land, near Galilee, Elsie made her way to California, and is the mother of two sons. She studied Optometry in Tel Aviv, worked as a Culinary expert at Williams Sonoma and gave cooking classes there, studied interior design is now a real estate agent.

Michael Colburn is a mission specialist in linguistics and translation with the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC). He develops tools for translators of the liturgical texts, one of which is used by Fr. Seraphim Dedes for the AGES website. He served 13 years with the Wycliffe Bible Translators in Papua New Guinea.

Anya Thetford Seidel was blessed to spend her early years next to the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania and has loved visiting monasteries ever since. Anya graduated from the University of Chicago, where she earned degrees in psychology and social work and spent much of her free time hanging out with an awesome group of Orthodox young people learning and practicing Byzantine music. She spends her days working as a behavioral health consultant in the Portland, OR, area and is grateful to be raising four children together with her husband Robert.

Cassie Emerson lives a typical life in the suburbs as a wife, mommy, and residential architectural planner. However, contracting Lyme Disease five years ago turned her regular life upside down. At her lowest point, and frustrated with God, she received an unexpected miracle. Please join us for proof that God performs miracles every day!

Meet George and Mona Giolas! They were both born in the Chicago area, to families who had just recently immigrated. Today they're married and raising a family of their own, while also running the Giolas Foundation, which supports a number of domestic and international ministries.

Join Elissa for a conversation with Pres. Caroline Pavlakos! Pres. Caroline grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and is a certified teacher who loves to work with the youngest kids. She and Fr. Andrew have a one-year-old themselves, and together they serve a parish in Florida.

Interviewing our very own Mat. Trudi Richter! She produces several of our live shows, so you may have spoken with her when you've called in with questions -- but now it's time to get to know her! She grew up in a German Mennonite home in Bolivia, and found her way to Indiana via Canada. Join us to hear the whole story!

Meet Brandi Willis Schreiber, a longtime West Texas native and published author of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, including most recently her spiritual memoir, A Long Walk with Mary: A Personal Search for the Mother of God, released by Ancient Faith Publishing this year. A convert to Eastern Orthodoxy, she attends St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Lubbock, Texas with her husband, David, and baby, Rex

Anna is a faithful Orthodox woman, a dentist and mother in Southern California. Her work to support Sister Necatria's Orthodox orphanage in India has included creating two short films.

Meet Sherry Shenoda! She is an Egyptian-American poet and pediatrician, born in Cairo, living in California. Her work is at the intersection of human rights and child health. She is currently serving as a pediatrician in a non-profit health center caring for children in the community and who are transitioning out of homelessness. Her published works center on policy related to the effects of armed conflict on child health, on which she has briefed the US Senate. She was shortlisted for the Brunel International African Poetry Prize in 2019. She lives with her husband and two sons. The Lightkeeper is her first work of fiction.

Meet Father Mikael Fälthammar, an Antiochian priest building up a mission in Sweden! He's working on the translation of texts (both liturgical ) and on finding ways to introduce Orthodoxy in the Swedish context -- while also doing the services, working his regular job, and together with his wife, Kh. Frida, parenting and farming!

Another interesting guest with Elissa. Jeffrey Holton is from the Bay area and is a high tech specialist as well as a convert to Orthodoxy

Tatiana Nikolova-Houston was secretly baptized in communist Bulgaria, learning the faith from her father, an accomplished puppeteer. She made her way to Texas, and became an iconographer and artist.

For Mother's Day, Elissa has invited one of her very favorite Moms. Lainie Horwedel is a wonderful music teacher with a great sense of humor and an impressive opera background—but the defining role of her life may be as a mother and advocate, tirelessly fighting for her son.