“Psychologists by God’s Grace”: An Odesa Priest with 15 Years of Prison Ministry Shares Thoughts on Training, Aiding Inmates, and Peace of Mind

Dmytro Krasnobaiev is a priest of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the rector of the Holy Protection Church in Odesa, and the director of the Odigitria Charitable Foundation. For 15 years, he has been one of the few people inmates from all across Ukraine turn to. Letters, requests for counseling, and needs for medicine, clothing, or food — everything passes through his hands.

“Inmates reach out to me from both pretrial detention centers and correctional colonies. I send them food, medicine, clothing, and personal hygiene products,” says Father Dmytro.

He notes that he did not consciously choose this calling — at least, that is how he puts it. “I didn’t decide anything. It just happened. I simply accepted the will of the Lord.” He joined the Church 25 years ago, and his intensive work with prisoners began a decade later. Among those he helps are the terminally ill.

It was this very experience that brought Father Dmytro to the “Palliative Care and Spiritual Support” training session, which he attended at the invitation of Father Serhiy Dmytriev (Chairman of the Board of the NGO "Eleos-Ukraine" – Editor's note). The priest’s wife had attended a previous session and shared her positive impressions, so this time they came together.

“There were a lot of useful takeaways. For instance, the discussion about the illusions of this world — how people live under them and how they must let them go. In fact, when I returned from the training, I built my Sunday sermon around this topic. I shifted the perspective a bit, added references to Christ, and included quotes from Holy Scripture,” the priest says.

Father Dmytro is convinced that such training sessions are essential for clergy, as a theological education is no substitute for psychological knowledge. “In our Odesa diocese, I don’t know of any priests with a formal background in psychology. That’s why this would be valuable for everyone. We are psychologists by God’s grace rather than by education, so gaining extra knowledge is incredibly helpful.”

When asked how he withstands the constant influx of other people's pain, Father Dmytro answers simply: “The Divine Liturgy. Every single morning. That’s it. That’s the whole secret.”

He offers the same advice to young seminarians: receive Communion daily if possible, and seek out opportunities to do so if it isn't. “If your day begins with Communion, prayer, and Liturgy, it will be fruitful. You will be able to handle everything and get it all done. And whatever you don’t manage to finish simply wasn't meant for that day. I am convinced that it is not the training itself or the curriculum that teaches us. We are taught by God’s grace.”

Grace, he explains, is a peaceful state of mind, “when you are at peace with yourself and with God. It guides you through life, showing you which way to turn — left or right. Learning to achieve this state is a process, and it’s far from easy.”

The project "Clergy and Communities for Mental Health: Innovative Support Practices During the War in Ukraine" is implemented by Eleos-Ukraine in partnership with DanChurchAid and Norwegian Church Aid, with financial support from the Norwegian Government (NORAD), in collaboration with the Kyiv and Lviv Orthodox Theological Academies.