The Fighting Priests

May 24 2024 77 ep. 42 mins 7
The Fighting Priests Podcast artwork

Welcome to The Fighting Priests, a podcast exploring Orthodoxy and Jiu-Jitsu: two paths, one struggle. Fr. Ted Paraskevopoulos and Fr. Thomas Sandberg are two orthodox priests who also happen to be practitioners of Jiu-Jitsu. Together they explore how these two unique worlds intersect and what it means for our spirituality.

  Religion & Spirituality  Health & Fitness
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S5 Ep76: “Back Again”

May 24 2024 16 mins  
After six months away, Fr. Ted gives an update on what’s been going on and reflects on the journey to Easter 2024.

S4 Ep75: “Getting Up Again” w Carollynn Xavier

Dec 02 2023 60 mins  
Stand up comic Carollynn Xavier is back on The Fighting Priests podcast to give an update on her spiritual journey and her career in comedy, taking a break from jujitsu and then coming back again.

S4 Ep74: “War, Peace & War Again”

Oct 16 2023 45 mins  
With the war, both in Ukraine, and now in Israel, Fr. Ted and Fr. Thomas, discuss the idea of war, defence of one’s people, and the Orthodox understanding of it all.

S4 Ep73: “Just Stand Up!”

Oct 01 2023 46 mins  
In this episode Fr. Ted and Fr. Thomas discuss the difficulty of falling and getting back up. Defeat, both in BJJ and in the spiritual life can be difficult to overcome. Here they discuss how they deal with it and how BJJ and Orthodoxy has helped.

S4 Ep72: “Finding Purpose” w Dimitri Tsourounis

Sep 17 2023 57 mins  
Fr. Ted and Fr. Thomas discuss with blue belt Dimitri Tsourounis, a Gracie Combatives certified instructor at RevMMA in Toronto, Canada. Together they explore the theme of “finding purpose“ through becoming part of a community and giving back.

S4 Ep71: “Strength & Humility” Part 2 w Fr. Yuri Hladio

Sep 03 2023 37 mins  
In part two, Fr. Ted and Fr. Yuri, continue their conversation about the tension between strength and humility, and how it affects Orthodox Christians, who train BJJ.

S4 Ep70: “Strength & Humility” Part 1 w Fr. Yuri Hladio

Aug 20 2023 41 mins  
In part one of this two-part interview, Fr. Ted speaks with white belt Fr. Yuri Hladio from Hamilton, Ontario. Together, they discuss the tension between strength and humility, and what that means for Orthodox Christians, who train BJJ.

S4 Ep69: “Staying the Course” - Consistency in Training w Yianni Avgeropoulos

Aug 06 2023 45 mins  
In this episode, Fr. Ted interviews Yianni Avgeropoulos, a two stripe white belt from Markham, Ontario. Together they discuss the importance of consistency in training and in spiritual life.

S4 Ep68: “The Clothes Make the Man” - Gis & Vestments

Jun 04 2023 58 mins  
In this episode, Fr. Thomas and Fr. Ted explore the history and practicality of both Orthodox, priestly, vestments and jujitsu uniforms.

S4 Ep67: “Doubt, Confidence & Trust”

May 07 2023 52 mins  
In this episode Fr. Ted and Fr. Thomas discuss the importance of trust in any relationship, including religion and Jiu Jitsu.