Family Matters

Fr Alex Goussetis speaks with Chaplain Sarah Byrne-Martelli on the various types of loss we face in life, helpful coping skills, and how the Orthodox faith provides avenues to healing and renewal.

Presvytera Melanie speaks with Hieromonk Michael Ziebarth about his relationship with Mother Gavrilia of blessed memory, the plans for republishing the book on her life, The Ascetic of Love, and experiencing God's light, joy, and peace through her example and prayers, even amid life's most difficult blessings.

Fr Alex Goussetis offers an encouraging message on how the parables of Jesus can impact our family's spiritual life.

Fr. Alex Goussetis speaks with Dn. Stephen Muse on what makes for a healthy and vital marriage.

Fr Alex Goussetis speaks with an "anonymous" guest on the blessings and travails of being a wife and mother in a step-family.

Presvytera Melanie speaks with Matushka Wendy Cwiklinski, founder of the private Facebook group "Koinonia for Exceptional Orthodox Families," about her family's experience of misconceptions of behaviors related to invisible disabilities, the difficult decision to speak on and publish material about such, the gift that persons with disabilities are to their "typical" community members, and more!

Fr. Alex Goussetis offers a book review and encouragement to consider using this workbook during the upcoming Advent season.

Fr Alex Goussetis speaks with Dr Evelyn Bilias Lolis on how to recognize the emotional needs of our children and methods of responding with tenderness and compassion.

Presvytera Melanie shares a personal reflection on how recognizing the fragility of life can make us more thankful for the idiosyncrasies of our loved ones.

Presvytera Melanie speaks with Jennifer Hock about her experience as a parent of both biological and adopted children with a variety of special needs, and the challenges of being a foster parent with limited access to medical history. She shares how attending weekly weekday liturgies at the encouragement of a parish priest was like a "hospital stay" for her, providing yearned-for peace and a trans...

Fr Alex Goussetis speaks with Susan Zacharia-Sanders on the practical and emotional dimensions of suicide that families face when a loved one is considering taking their life.

Fr. John and Khouria Alexis discuss how they had a "long distance relationship" until the past year, and how intentional communication, even when they didn't feel like it, got them through all the time apart. They also discuss how marriage is constant important work and how they figured out how to fight by deciphering whether issues were really about each other or about other things.

Presvytera Melanie speaks with Charlotte Riggle about her familial experience of invisible disabilities; how she came to see God's commandment to not bear false witness against one's neighbor as the virtue of philoxenia—the love of strangers—the Giant Cookie Test; and the value of online support for families with special needs.

Fr Alex Goussetis speaks with Dr George Stavros about rising above the sometimes routine and drudgery of daily life and experiencing sacred moments of transcendence, boundlessness, interconnectedness, and spiritual grace.

Fr. Alex Goussetis speaks with Dr. Philip Mamalakis on the trends in society and what conversations we can encourage with our children.

Anna and James discuss how they met at the Naval Academy, how they see their differing Christian faith backgrounds (Orthodox and Catholic) as an opportunity instead of a hinderance, how their combined military experience and James' deployment in Afghanistan have shaped their perspective on what real “problems and challenges" are in life, and how they maximize their time together despite their diff...

Fr Alex Goussetis speaks with social worker Melinda Johnson regarding the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America’s Directory of Orthodox Mental Health Professionals, an excellent resource for families.

In "Out of the Mouths of Babes You Have Perfected Praise: A Discussion at the Intersection of Anthropology and Theology," Presvytera Melanie speaks with Sarah Riccardi-Swartz about her involvement with disability rights, how her Autistic daughter further developed her advocacy role, the need for the Church to listen to and incorporate the stories of those with disabilities and their guardians to d...

Fr. Alex Goussetis speaks with Prevytera Melanie DiStefano about the launching of a new podcast series that is dedicated to special needs families.

Presvytera Melanie speaks with Matt and Louise Heusel on medical practitioners' adverse reactions to prenatal discoveries of disabilities and the pressure put on parents to abort their children, how their daughter with Down Syndrome has enriched their family life, and the special gifts she contributes to their parish family.

Presvytera Melanie continues her conversation with William Christy, this time including his father and mother, Father Paul and Presvytera Mary, and his twin sister, Gabriella. Each family member shares their personal perspective related to William's diagnosis of cerebral palsy—the joys, challenges, and the way their love for God and his love for them was made manifest through their experienc...

Presvytera Melanie speaks with His Eminence Metropolitan Savas of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh on theological "whys" of disability, the need for all of us to learn an etiquette regarding disability, and his exhilarating experience on an OCF Real Break mission trip when visiting "The Four Homes of Mercy," a group home for persons with disabilities.

Presvytera Melanie speaks with Presvytera Elaine Stavropoulos regarding her daughter's Autism diagnosis, and the ministry to families with disabilities which blossomed forth as a result.

Presvytera Melanie speaks with Natalie Kapeluck Nixon, the Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministry for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA and founder of the St. Nicholas Program, a church camp experience for persons with special needs of all ages, and their families. https://www.uocyouth.org/stnicholasprogram

William Christy - On Faith, Wheelchair Basketball, and How The Teachings of the Fathers Shape His Response to His Disability Presvytera Melanie speaks with William Christy about being a young adult with cerebral palsy, a PK (priest's kid), his love for English literature, wheelchair basketball, and how the teachings of the Fathers of the Church encourage him and inform his worldview.