The Saint Emmelia Podcast

Meet Deacon Nicholas Kotar: author, translator, teacher, and fellow homeschool parent. In this un-depth discussion, Deacon Nicholas shares an author's perspective on American Orthodoxy, building culture through folktales, and creating roots of faith through storytelling.

Mat. Melissa Naasko interviews Subdeacon Herman Tyler Ward. A technology expert for a school district in California, Sbdn. Herman shares his insights on AI and internet safety. You can hear his previous episode here: https://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/saintemmelia/081_interview_with_subdeacon_herman_ward/

Mindi is joined by Monica Chilbert, an Orthodox Christian wife, mother, homeschool co-op teacher, and of course, avid reader. Monica and Mindi discuss assessing books for their kids, and the role of monsters in books. Books mentioned: The Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel S...

Meet our board of Spiritual Advisors! Fr. Nikolai Meyers is the priest of Sts. Peter and Paul in Topeka, KS and is our advisor for the diocese of Wichita and Mid-America. He has been invaluable to Saint Emmelia's, advising us on communications, helping with the SOUTH conference the past few years, and sharing his wisdom about curriculum in our Saint Macrina Lectures.

On today’s episode, Matushka Melissa talks with St Emmilia Ministries financial officer about the scholarship programs funded by our organization as well as managing homeschooling when you have lots of small children at home. It’s a fun and informative interview that will give the listener lots of ideas to make homeschooling easier.

On this special episode, Matushka Melissa talks with her oldest daughter, Maria Ross. Maria is a former homeschooler and a 2023 graduate with honors from Michigan State University with a double major in Math and Secondary Math Education with a minor in Biology. Maria uses her personal experience as a formerly math resistant student to give advice and guidance on teaching math in general but especi...

Some of the Summer '24 Interns--Cecilia, Caroline, Londyn, and Sevastiane--are joined by Fr. Noah Bushelli to discuss issues around modesty and peer interactions that teens encounter.

On this episode, Dr Philip Mamalakis shares advice and reflections as well as his motivation for writing Parenting Towards the Kingdom which Matushka Melissa and her husband, Fr Benjamin, recommend as THE parenting book every Orthodox Christian needs. The companion book is spiral bound making it infinitely easy to work with for independent study, book clubs, and church school groups. It was co-aut...

Taken from the Saint Emmelia Ministries Vocation Fair event, Fr. Noah Bushelli talks about what vocation means and how we can go about discerning what God intends for our lives.

In this episode, Summer '24 interns Juliana, Sevastiane, and Londyn join Mindi to talk about their reading habits, as well as why certain stories have such a strong pull on readers. Books and Authors mentioned in this episode: Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh The End of the Affair - Graham Greene El coronel no tiene quien le escribe - Gabriel Garcia Marquez The Anxious Generation - Jonathan Hai...

On this episode, we talk with Summer Kinard about creating accessible environments at home and in church school. Summer has both a masters of theology and a masters of divinity and she speaks and writes on disability access as an Orthodox Christian. She also owns Park End Books publishing. Summer shares her experiences and her joys on working with challenging situations and teaching us how it is t...

Mindi is joined by her husband, Calvin Schneider, to discuss how his unique educational experience impacted his relationship to reading, as well as how books reveal the Incarnation. Books mentioned: Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry The Miraculous Pigness of Pigs by Joe Salatin 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C...

Today on the podcast, Melissa Elizabeth Naasko talks technology with Subdeacon Herman Ward. Subdeacon Herman is a husband and father and holds his masters degree in library science. He works as a technology expert with a public school district in California. His wife works as a teacher with St Athanasius Online School and he gives parents advices based on both his professional experience and his f...

Fr. Peter Kavanaugh offers guidance on how to address some of the challenging questions with which parents will be faced.

On today’s episode, Melissa Elizabeth Naasko interviews Casey Kassiani Newman, an iconographer, mother, and wife of a deacon . She maintains her studio, Kassiani’s Art Studio from which she produces icons and children’s art and iconography educational materials. She is the creator of the incredibly helpful Sparks4Orthodox materials for children. Kassiani’s Art Studio on Instagram https://www.insta...

Fr. Ignatius Green reflects on the importance of and need for beauty. Fr. Green is St. Emmelia's Spiritual Advisor for the OCA.

Amanda Chagnon is a wife and mother of three who is now using her professional experience as a nurse to care for her medically fragile child. She talks with Melissa Elizabeth Naasko about the joys and challenges in homeschooling with chronic illness.

In this episode, Fr. Noah Bushelli (Saint Emmelia Ministries Director) joins Mindi to discuss the spiritual aspects of reading, especially selecting books. Books mentioned: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery The Cosmere series (and other works) by Brandon Sanderson The Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Laurus by E...

Fr. Peter Kavanaugh offers suggestions for helping our children to form good Orthodox friendships.

On today’s episode, Melissa talks with Steve Christoforou. Steve’s smile and friendly voice is familiar to Orthodox youth and their families because of his incredibly popular Be the Bee internet series and the accompanying Bee Retreats. Melissa and Steve talk about the positive and the many negatives of engagement with social media. Recently, Steve has made an intentional effort to reduce the role...

Among the many books mentioned are: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Wave Kings by Brandon Sanderson Billy Summers by Stephen King How Should We Then Live? by Francis Schaeffer Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey Dracula by Bram Stoker Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevski Les Miserables by Victor Hugo A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens AND MANY MORE!

Fr. Peter Kavanaugh offers suggestions for the challenges of Orthodox dating.

Two of our Summer 2023 interns join Mindi for a discussion about favorite books and how their parents helped them learn how to love good literature. The books discussed are: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodr Dostoevsky  The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander Fahrenheit 451 and Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Till We...

Fr. Nikolai Meyers reflects on loving ways to address moments when parents are faced with disobedience and disrespect.

Today’s podcast with Melissa Elizabeth Naasko features the new financial coordinator for St Emmelia Ministries, Marcy Fox. Marcy is a mother of three and she and her husband own a small business. As music teachers with a studio, they incorporate their business life with their homeschooling life. Marcy is also a dedicated life long adult learner and she inspires others to always keep learning and t...