Orthodox Engagement

In his final semester before retirement as a full-time professor at St. Tikhon's Seminary, Dr. David Ford sits down in-person with Fr. Andrew to draw the arc of not only his 37-year career of teaching Church History, forming generations of Orthodox clergy, but also to share his view of the scope of where Orthodox Christianity in America is headed.

Filmmaker Yelena Popovic joins Fr. Andrew to discuss her new film "Moses the Black," a story of redemption set in the gang violence of Chicago, intersecting with the life of the great fourth-century saint. She is also the writer and director of the acclaimed "Man of God," the story of St. Nektarios of Aegina. The conversation covers everything from the Chicago setting to the R-rated elements to the ancient and modern inspiration for the film. The film opens Jan. 30, 2026. Get advance tickets here: https://hubs.la/Q03Znnjy0

Fr. Lucas Christensen, a scholar focused on the liturgical arts, joins Fr. Andrew to discuss the enchantment of church art and architecture in the grand sweep of Christian history. In the wake of Reformation iconoclasm and the reorientation of sacred art from the Renaissance onward, is it possible for Christians in the West to engage in the project of re-enchantment? What does the Orthodox Church have to say in this conversation?

Was there such a thing as Norse Orthodox Christianity? And how does that connect with the Orthodox Church in modern Norway? Fr. Andrew is joined by Norwegian Orthodox priest Fr. Theodor Svane and his wife, iconographer and doctoral student Hanne Svane, to talk about the history and culture of the Orthodox Church in Norway as well as an intriguing project that embeds Orthodox iconographic traditions into the Norwegian culture and landscape. Lots more info: http://annunciation.no/

The Orthodox Studies Institute's Matthew Namee and Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin join Fr. Andrew to talk about statistical trends in Orthodox Christianity in America and speculate about how they might play out in the coming decades.

Dr. Scott Kenworthy joins Fr. Andrew to discuss the beloved saint Tikhon (Bellavin) of Moscow, touching on his time in Russia, the United States, and in Lithuania. Dr. Kenworthy is author of the new book 'The People's Patriarch: Tikhon Bellavin and the Orthodox Church in North America and Revolutionary Russia' from Oxford University Press. The book can be ordered at this link: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-peoples-patriarch-9780197644751 Use promotion code AUFLY30 to save 30%.

His Eminence, Metropolitan Saba of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to talk about the Orthodox priesthood and the kind of men he's looking for to serve in his parishes. Join us for the first-ever vocations retreat hosted by the Antiochian Archdiocese in partnership with Ancient Faith Ministries at the Antiochian Village Conference Center in Bolivar, PA from August 20-23, 2026. This retreat is for Orthodox men who are considering the vocation of priesthood within the Antiochian Archdiocese. If you are trying to discern this vocation, join His Eminence Metropolitan Saba and other Archdiocesan leaders for a long weekend of panel discussions, speaker sessions, church services, and socializing. For more information and registration, visit https://www.ancientfaith.com/events/priestvocations/

In this never before released recording from 2017, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick interviews Abbot Seraphim (Schema-Archimandrite Panteleimon) and Hierodeacon Makary of Holy Cross Monastery (ROCOR) in Wayne, West Virginia, asking the question: How does the monastery engage the world?

In his 1936 lecture "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics," J. R. R. Tolkien refuted the prevailing Beowulf scholarship of his day, which disdained the poem for its focus on monsters. He had this to say about the Old English epic: “I would suggest, then, that the monsters are not an inexplicable blunder of taste; they are essential, fundamentally allied to the underlying ideas of the poem, which give it its lofty tone and high seriousness.” Fr. Andrew sits down with ‪Jonathan Pageau‬ in his Montreal home to discuss whether and how the monsters make sense of our world today, what they have to do with the Christian story, as well as the place of the hero in facing the monsters.

There are memes and headlines going around tracking a change from 700,000 American Orthodox Christians in 2020 to 6 million in 2024. With the convert surge going on, this sounds... plausible? Matthew Namee joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to talk about not only whether those numbers really make sense but also the history of how Orthodox Christians in America have been counted. He also unpacks for us his discoveries about the demographics of Orthodox in America, culled from studies of the general American population.

What exactly is the traditional role of women in the Orthodox Church? This question can be controversial, and attempts to answer it by referencing early Christianity are often short on solid scholarship in service to the Church. The subject of deaconesses is a significant lightning rod for this issue at the moment. Presbytera Dr. Anysia Metrakos joins Fr. Andrew to discuss this question, which is her academic field of expertise.

In one of his YouTube videos, Fr. Andrew discussed a pile of anecdotal evidence that there is an Orthodox convert surge. But is it real? Does it show up in real data? And is it true that there is a big spike in young men converting? Does the form of reception (baptism vs. chrismation only) make a difference in long-term engagement? Matthew Namee, Executive Director of the Orthodox Studies Institute, discusses with Fr. Andrew a new study from OSI which tracked Orthodox converts in the US from 2013-2023.

Orthodox priest Fr. Jacob Siemens who has lived in Cardiff, Wales, for some 20 years, talked with me about Orthodox Christianity in Wales, both in the ancient Church and in the modern period. And of course we also talked about King Arthur. And the dragon.

During his pilgrimage in Wales, Fr. Andrew met the remarkable Tad (Father) Deiniol, pastor of All Saints of Wales Orthodox Church in Blaenau Ffestiniog and the only Welsh-speaking Orthodox priest in the country. During the interview, he told Fr. Andrew the story of how he became an Orthodox Christian and also many details of Orthodox saints of Wales, particularly in North Wales, where he serves. And of course he told about the dragon.

Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Anglican communion, sits down with Fr. Andrew at Ss. Theodore and Teilo Orthodox Church in Cardiff, Wales, to discuss his 60-year relationship with the Orthodox Church, including major figures such as Metr. Kallistos Ware and Archim. Barnabas (Burton). He also gives some pointers for pilgrims visiting ancient Christian sites in Wales, speaks of the peculiar character of Welsh Christianity, and answers Fr. Andrew's burning question -- what is it about dragons?

Matthew Namee, Executive Director of the Orthodox Studies Institutes, shares a new study tracking the disturbing reality of the major deficit in Orthodox clergy being ordained in the United States. How did we get here? What are the contributing factors? How do the Orthodox compare against non-Orthodox churches? What are the ramifications of the shortage? What is the goal of priestly formation? He also shares suggestions for both short- and long-term solutions.

What was it like to hang around with St. Raphael of Brooklyn? Did you know St. Tikhon had a brother who was in love with an opera singer? What about the mysterious Bulgarian monk who tried to convert the leader of the Mormons and became a ghost story in the Old West? In this video from Fr. Andrew's YouTube channel, he interviews Matthew Namee, Executive Director of the Orthodox Studies Institute and author of the newly published "LOST HISTORIES: The Good, the Bad & the Strange in Early American Orthodoxy." They also discuss what the new Orthodox Studies Institute is all about, as well as Matthew's Orthodox History website.

In this conversation from Fr. Andrew's YouTube channel, he welcomes Jonathan Pageau to discuss the Meaning Crisis and how the gospel of Jesus Christ responds to it. What is this crisis? Where did it come from? How is it affecting us and our world? And how does the gospel make sense of the crisis and heal us from it?

Fr. Andrew interviews two of the nuns of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Essex, England, who share with him the life and teachings of St. Sophrony (Sakharov), who founded the monastery. The interview was conducted on-site in the personal study of St. Sophrony at the monastery.

Fr. Nicholas Palis joins Fr. Andrew in the studio to tell him stories about his own encounters with five canonized saints -- Paisios the Athonite, Gerasimos Mikragiannanitis of Athos, Ephraim of Katounakia, Porphyrios of Athens, and Sophrony of Essex -- as well as other holy people -- Fr. Nikodimos (Nicholas) Kossis and Fr. Eustathios Giannakidis and his wife. His moments with these holy people contain wisdom, wit, sorrow and joy, and warmth from the Savior Christ.

Dr. David Ford, Professor of Church History at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, author and editor of multiple books, has a special love for St. John Chrysostom. He tells the story of how he became an Orthodox Christian, his life as a professor at St. Tikhon’s Seminary, his emphasis on writing about marriage and married saints, and his new volume of the works of the golden-mouthed preacher from Antioch.

During a pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain of Athos, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick collected interviews with pilgrims, talking about their purpose for going to the mountain and what they received while they were there. Included along with these short interviews is a longer conversation between several of the pilgrims and a holy elder living in Kelli Marouda, a small monastic settlement near Karyes, the center of the Athonite world.

Coloratura soprano Dr. Fotina Naumenko, Professor of Voice at Shenandoah University and the daughter of a Russian Orthodox priest, tells the story of becoming a professional classical singer while remaining a faithful Orthodox Christian, as well as her passion for teaching people how to pronounce Russian arias. Spectacular virtuosic hi-jinks included.

Archpriest Pimen Simon, pastor of the Russian Orthodox Old Rite Church of the Nativity of Erie, Pennsylvania, tells the story of the Old Believer movement and how he led his parish from being priestless Old Believers to receiving the priesthood from the Russian Orthodox Church.

Season 2 of Orthodox Engagement opens its story-telling with a consummate story-teller – Deacon Nicholas Kotar, author, choirmaster, translator and podcaster. The conversation begins with a look at the Story of the Pandemic and opens into a deeper exploration of the culture-wide and personal effects of Story and its relation to the greatest story given to humanity – the gospel of Jesus Christ.

What would you do if you walked in on a man just murdered in front of his child? What does ministry look like when a whole community suffers from PTSD for generations? Fr. Paul Abernathy, pastor of St. Moses the Black Orthodox Church in the Hill District of Pittsburgh and CEO of the Neighborhood Resilience Project, joins Fr. Andrew to talk about his life and ministry. (Part 1 of 2)

An Orthodox conversation is emerging, forging headlong into the flat, disenchanted world with the weapons of hallowing and the armor of spiritual warfare... and it might look something like the Avengers? Steven Christoforou joins Fr. Andrew in the studio for an ad hoc, unscripted exploration of the project of Christian re-enchantment. Is it really All One Podcast? (Part 2 of 2)

An Orthodox conversation is emerging, forging headlong into the flat, disenchanted world with the weapons of hallowing and the armor of spiritual warfare... and it might look something like the Avengers? Steven Christoforou joins Fr. Andrew in the studio for an ad hoc, unscripted exploration of the project of Christian re-enchantment. Is it really All One Podcast? (Part 1 of 2)

What would you do if you walked in on a man just murdered in front of his child? What does ministry look like when a whole community suffers from PTSD for generations? Fr. Paul Abernathy, pastor of St. Moses the Black Orthodox Church in the Hill District of Pittsburgh and CEO of the Neighborhood Resilience Project, joins Fr. Andrew to talk about his life and ministry. (Part 1 of 2)

Biblical scholar and pastor Fr. Stephen De Young joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to talk about the problem of Orthodox Christians in America appropriating the fullness of the Orthodox faith, especially in terms of the Biblical component. And of course giants, demons, angels and other spirits lurk in the woods.

Biblical scholar and pastor Fr. Stephen De Young joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to talk about the problem of Orthodox Christians in America appropriating the fullness of the Orthodox faith, especially in terms of the Biblical component. And of course giants, demons, angels and other spirits lurk in the woods.

London-based professional storyteller Anna Conomos-Wedlock joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to tell her story, to discuss how storytelling is integral to the Christian life, to share a tale or two from the British Isles, and to tell about the time her audience was entirely made of chickens.

London-based professional storyteller Anna Conomos-Wedlock joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to tell her story, to discuss how storytelling is integral to the Christian life, to share a tale or two from the British Isles, and to tell about the time her audience was entirely made of chickens. (Part 1 of 2)

Icon carver and Symbolic World YouTuber and podcaster Jonathan Pageau joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to talk about the patterns of reality, how the world really works and what’s wrong with it, and the inevitability of re-enchantment. Along the way they talk about whether the sun really rises and sets, Santa Claus, Kanye West, Jordan Peterson and the truth about angels and demons. (Part 2 of 2)

Icon carver and Symbolic World YouTuber and podcaster Jonathan Pageau joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to talk about the patterns of reality, how the world really works and what’s wrong with it, and the inevitability of re-enchantment. Along the way they talk about whether the sun really rises and sets, Santa Claus, Kanye West, Jordan Peterson and the truth about angels and demons. (Part 1 of 2)

Biblical scholar and pastor Fr. Stephen De Young joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to talk about the problem of Orthodox Christians in America appropriating the fullness of the Orthodox faith, especially in terms of the Biblical component. And of course giants, demons, angels and other spirits lurk in the woods.

Lithuanian expatriate Tomas Christensen, a private tutor, beer sommelier and convert to the Orthodox Church living in Norway, joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to talk about his fatherland, life in Norway, the Orthodox history and saints of both places, and of course pagan beer rituals. (Part 2)

Lithuanian expatriate Tomas Christensen, a private tutor, beer sommelier and convert to the Orthodox Church living in Norway, joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to talk about his fatherland, life in Norway, the Orthodox history and saints of both places, and of course pagan beer rituals. (Part 1)

Emily Wilkinson, a veteran of the pro-life movement and the new President and Executive Director of Orthodox Christians for Life, speaks with Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick about the revival of OCLife after 20 years and their vision for pro-life ministry within the Orthodox Church and throughout society. Visit their website at oclife.org.

Orthodox podcasting pioneer and professional builder Steve “the Builder” Robinson joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to talk engaging with the unlikely and unwanted, how God rescued him from ordination, evangelism, life, death and cancer. (Part 3)

Orthodox podcasting pioneer and professional builder Steve “the Builder” Robinson joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to talk engaging with the unlikely and unwanted, how God rescued him from ordination, evangelism, life, death and cancer. (Part 2)

Orthodox podcasting pioneer and professional builder Steve “the Builder” Robinson joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to talk engaging with the unlikely and unwanted, how God rescued him from ordination, evangelism, life, death and cancer. (Part 1)

Cathedral dean and Patristics scholar Fr. Joseph Lucas joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to talk about Orthodox Christians on the Internet. How does the Internet interfere with the normal process of Orthodox traditioning? Included is a “rogues’ gallery” of problematic behaviors and their critiques.

Cathedral dean and Patristics scholar Fr. Joseph Lucas joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to talk about Orthodox Christians on the Internet. How does the Internet interfere with the normal process of Orthodox traditioning? Included is a “rogues’ gallery” of problematic behaviors and their critiques.

Writer and Speaker Leah Libresco Sargeant, author of Building the Benedict Option and convert from atheism to Roman Catholicism, joins Fr. Andrew to talk about her conversion, about engaging privately and publicly online, and about building Christian community, including in the midst of pandemic.

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick welcomes His Grace, Bishop Thomas, of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America to tell the story of his early mentors, how he became a bishop, and his sense of mission and pastoral vision.

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick continues his interview with best-selling author and journalist Rod Dreher, covering his journey from and back to rural Louisiana, his career and worldview, and finishing up with his two best-known works — The Benedict Option and the new Live Not By Lies.

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick welcomes His Grace, Bishop Thomas, of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America to tell the story of his early mentors, how he became a bishop, and his sense of mission and pastoral vision.

For the debut episode of Orthodox Engagement, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick interviews best-selling author and journalist Rod Dreher, covering his journey from and back to rural Louisiana, his career and worldview, and finishing up with his two best-known works — The Benedict Option and the new Live Not By Lies.