Culture Archives — Page 4 of 5 — Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

How I See Things After the SCOTUS Ruling on Marriage

June 26, 2015June 27, 2015 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

It’s late, and this may be a bit incoherent. Sorry in advance. Sometimes I stay up late writing something so that it’s not on my mind when I go to sleep. I have to be honest here: I find the public debates over sexuality (every kind) really, really tiresome. There is a part of me that feels like so much of what is being…

Day After Christmas

December 26, 2014December 26, 2014 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

On this day after Christmas, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Synaxis of the Theotokos, remembering in a special way the Virgin Mary’s role in giving birth to our Savior. A number of our great feasts have a secondary celebration the day after focusing on what may be called the “supporting cast” in the feast. So, the day after the Annunciation, we celebrate the Synaxis…

What Are We Waiting For?: Andrew, Advent and Emmanuel

November 30, 2014November 28, 2014 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

Feast of the Apostle Andrew, November 30, 2014 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. On this day, the thirtieth of November, we celebrate the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-called. As you may imagine, he is a saint who is special to me and always has been. And…

Jennifer Aniston Goes Makeup-Free. Liberation Ensues.

November 6, 2014November 6, 2014 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

I read this morning that actress Jennifer Aniston (whose family name is Anastasakis and whose godfather is Telly Savalas) had declared that going makeup-free in her new film Cake was “dreamy and empowering and liberating.” I don’t normally bother with celebrity news, but of course when using social media, it’s hard to escape it. This caught my eye, though, because it struck me as…

Suicide as “Death with Dignity”: The Power in Suffering at the End of Life

October 7, 2014October 26, 2021 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

I recently came across this article, which tells the story of a 29-year-old young woman who has decided to end her life by her own hand rather than letting an aggressive brain tumor (the same kind that took my mother’s life) do its work. It’s suicide, but a lot of people in the Facebook comment thread where I encountered the article did not seem…

Unifying the Orthodox Church in America

September 30, 2014 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

I’ve got a new piece published today at First Things, where I discuss the problems and solutions of Orthodox Christian unity in America. Here’s an excerpt: Are you Greek?” This is the question I get asked the most when I tell someone that I am an Orthodox Christian. At first, this question rankled, because I am not Greek. (I am, among other things, Lithuanian.)…

“We speak one language: Antiochian”: More Thoughts on the Future of the Antiochian Archdiocese and Orthodoxy in America

May 12, 2014July 20, 2017 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

If you’ve done any reading from modern Orthodox saints, you know that there is a certain tone among the holy elders of Greece, another from Russia and so forth. Each culture enculturates the Gospel in its own authentic way and speaks of the truth of Jesus Christ with its own voice. One of the things which makes the particular Antiochian voice distinct—although it is…

Raising Authentically Christian Children: Good News and Bad News

April 8, 2014 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

My friend Seraphim Danckaert published an article today on the O&H site that I think every Christian (Orthodox or not) should read: Losing our Religion: On “Retaining” Young People in the Orthodox Church. Why? Almost every kind of church throughout America is losing kids. So read it first before reading the rest of this. Okay, done? First, some bad news: If you’re counting on…