Waymart Supt. Wahl Honors Interns at St. Tikhon's Seminary Luncheon

On May 18, SCI Waymart Supt. Mark Wahl, Deputy Superintendent Joe Grillo, CCPM Tim McDermott, Rabbi Joseph Kolakowski (CPD), and accompanying staff traveled to St. Tikhon's Seminary in South Canaan. A festive luncheon was held at the seminary dining hall and certificates of completion were presented to 17 seminary interns for their work in the visitation program for both the fall/winter 2022 semester and the winter/spring 2023 semester.

Joining the staff from SCI Waymart were staff from the National Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM), headed by OCPM National Director Nicolas Petrogeorge. The interns, under the guidance of Rev. John Kowalczyk, chaplain at Waymart, spent hundreds of hours visiting SCI Waymart’s mental health units. Prior to handing out the certificates of completion, Wahl thanked the interns and the seminary leadership for this program that has been in existence for more than 35 years at Waymart and continues to support the facility’s mental health patients. During the ceremony, Kowalczyk was presented with an antique cross from Czar Nicholas 11 of Imperial Russia, for his inspiring work within the mental health field.