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07/06/26 A book was published by the head of the Department for Prison Ministry of the Ivanovo-Voznesensk Diocese, Priest Mikhail Kupriyanovtranslated

July 6, 2026 · 1 min read

📷 Guy Fawkes · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The Ivanovo-Voznesensk Diocese published a book by the head of the Department for Prison Ministry of the Ivanovo-Voznesensk Diocese, Priest Mikhail Kupriyanov, “Prison Ministry: Theological Origins, History and Modern Practice (on the example of the Ivanovo Metropolis).”

The text is preceded by a foreword by Metropolitan Joseph of Ivanovo-Voznesensk and Vichuga, which, among other things, says: “The book is dedicated to one of the most difficult aspects of pastoral ministry - caring for prisoners in places of deprivation of liberty.

Before us is a living testimony about the history and present day of the fulfillment of Christ’s commandment “I was in prison, and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:36).

The Orthodox Church has always seen in every person, even those who have committed a serious crime, the image of God. For him, until his death, the possibility of repentance and salvation in eternity remains.

In his work, Priest Michael shows that the understanding of both imprisonment itself and pastoral service among prisoners is rooted in the biblical and patristic tradition.

The author conducts a comparative analysis of the development of prison ministry in the West and in Russia. This makes it possible to clearly reveal the uniqueness of the domestic tradition of such activities based on...

Source: Site: Иваново-Вознесенская епархия · Read the full story →

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Thomas WrightInteresting read. Never thought about how the Russian tradition of prison ministry grew differently from the West until the article mentioned the comparative analysis. Fr. Michael’s book sounds like it gets right to the heart of that Matthew 25 command — glad the metropolitan highlighted it in the preface.

Марија НиколовскаКнигата изгледа корисна. Особено ме заинтересира споредбата меѓу Русија и Западот, како што пишува во описот, и што митрополитот Јосиф го споменува Матеј 25:36. Се прашувам дали отец Михаил пишува и за конкретни примери од Ивановската митрополија, од затворите таму. Ќе ја барам.

Marija StojanovićКњига изгледа корисна, посебно тај део о поређењу руске и западне традиције који се помиње. Мене је занимало што митрополит Јосиф истиче да се и у најтежем злочинцу види образ Божији до смрти. Да ли отац Михаило даје и неке конкретне примере из затвора у Ивановској митрополији, као што си ти питала, Марија?

Franziska HoffmannJa, die vergleichende Analyse zwischen russischer und westlicher Tradition hat mich auch neugierig gemacht. Besonders stark finde ich, wie Metropolit Josef betont, dass selbst beim schwersten Verbrecher das Bild Gottes bleibt bis zum Tod. Ob Vater Michael auch von konkreten Fällen aus den Gefängnissen bei uns in der Ivanovskaer Metropolie erzählt? Das würde ich gern wissen.