First Things RSS Feed - Jacob Adams

Finding Hope at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Seminary

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0400

My visit to St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania, was a long time coming. For eighteen years I lived only thirty-five minutes from it, occasionally taking the road past its striking golden and brown domes that rose anachronistically from the dairy land of northeast Pennsylvania. I was raised Protestant and went to a Catholic school for college. My experience with Orthodox Christians was more sparse. I had a close friend in college who had helped lead the tradition’s student organization, but I could count the actual number of Orthodox services I had attended on one hand. So, while I had some free time, I thought it only fitting that I see what it was like on the ground for the Eastern Orthodox in my hometown, and the perfect opportunity presented itself: The seminary was hosting a barbeque event described as a night of appreciation for its supporters to “share all the good God is doing” at St. Tikhon’s.

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Cabrini’s Empire of Hope

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0400

The beautifully shot film Cabrini , released at the beginning of March, explores a forgotten piece of New York history: the tribulations and ultimate triumph of Frances Xavier Cabrini, an Italian immigrant nun. The Italian television actress Cristiana Dell'Anna , who plays Mother Cabrini, steals every scene she is in. Her dark, steely eyes portray a woman at war with the world and, in the quiet moments of the film, convey a deep sadness at not only the suffering around her but at her human frailty as well. Indeed, the film suggests that her ambition was brought on by the consistent reminder of her own mortality; lingering symptoms from tuberculosis as a child prompted doctors to give an adult Cabrini just a few years to live. Mother Cabrini’s story offers a treasure trove of insights for the Catholic Church in America today.

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A Light in the Dark

Wed, 27 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500

This article is part of our 2023 year-end campaign series, featuring reflections from prominent authors on why First Things matters. To make your year-end campaign gift now, visit firstthings.com/donate.

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Satan Comes to Georgetown

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Iam immensely grateful to my alma mater, Georgetown University, for the four years I spent there learning from brilliant minds. Nevertheless, evil was celebrated on campus on October 16, and I think it should be addressed.

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