Rev. Dr. Ignatius Lozano is the priest in charge of St. Andrew the First-Called Orthodox Church in Lockhart, Texas. After growing up a Roman Catholic and serving as an Anglican priest for several years, Fr. Ignatius (or Fr. Iggy as he is usually known) came home to Orthodoxy a little more than a decade ago when he was ordained by Met. Hilarion (Kapral) of Blessed Memory.
St. Andrew’s serves as the BBQ Capital of Texas and is situated in the third-poorest county in the state, but that hasn’t slowed growth at the parish which is now looking to purchase land for its 2nd temple! When Father isn’t serving the parish, he can be found in the library, the kitchen, the gameroom, or the woodshop, pursuing hobbies; he also teaches Philosophy, Ethics, Religion, and Humanities at the collegiate level. He and Matushka built their current parish by hand over a few years and have been delighted to see it grow and to introduce new generations of Texans to the beauty of Holy Orthodoxy!
Fr. Iggy and I talk about historic monuments, evangelistic missions in Texas, challenges posed to Southern Orthodoxy at-large especially from those within the Church, the seduction of modernity, the ultimate “wheat and chaff” moment of possible coming lockdowns and increased Christian persecution, strong shepherds, crafting coffins, and more.
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Satisfied with a job well done: Fr. Iggy with fellow Texan, St. Andrew parishioner, Counterflow podcast host, previous DM podcast guest, and friend Buck Johnson. Be sure to check out Fr. Iggy’s coffin and casket business, as well as a few of my essays which are relevant to much of our conversation: “Monasteries, monks, and monuments” and “Piety-signaling priests.”
