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

Stuart Little by E.B. White

The Children of the Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

The Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall

The Hug Machine by Scott Campbell

Curious George by H.A. Rey

Hortense and the Shadow by Natalia O'Hara

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond

St. George and the Dragon by Jim Forest

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Fables by Arnold Lobel

The Fire Cat by Esther Averill

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Middlemarch by George Eliot

Remains of the Day Kazuo Ishiguro

Phantastes by George MacDonald

The Secrets of Ormdale by Christina Baehr

Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

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 especially to struggling students.

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Three_R_s.html?id=vRqGAAAACAAJ&source=kp_book_description

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1614165.You_Can_Teach_Your_Child_Successfully

https://hewittlearning.org/curriculum-home/math-it/

https://youtube.com/watch?v=yXNG6GKFhQM&si=kUugCpC_QqV2eNXq

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-authored with Kendra Hunter, Kristina Tartara, and Stephanie Patrides.

https://store.ancientfaith.com/parenting-toward-the-kingdom/

https://store.ancientfaith.com/parenting-toward-the-kingdom-a-companion-guide/

https://www.instagram.com/krusaderkendra40?igsh=MW9rcnZwd3Y0M2p4dA==

https://www.kristinatartara.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaaxW-Rix9_OleGAvhUraG0Ze13zYyj_FSamng6ps68XCPgxYO7Pl-Lkg3s_aem_XRSfBOEvDZpxNu4ZjhEh2Q

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 Haidt

Constantina R. Palmer - The Scent of Holiness & The Sweetness of Grace

The Idiot - Dostoevsky

Ruta Sepetys (all books, especially I Must Betray You)

Susan Meissner

Rilla of Ingleside - L.M. Montgomery

The Light in Hidden Places, Bluebird - Sharon Cameron

The Hired Girl - Laura Amy Schlitz

Within These Lines - Stephanie Morrill

Traitor, The Silent Unseen - Amanda McCrina

Shakespeare

The Aeneid - Virgil

T.S. Eliot

Jane Austen

David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

Agatha Christie