V. Rev. Fr. Damian Kuolt
RECTOR OF ST HERMAN ORTHODOX CHURCH; LITTLETON, CO
Fr. Damian has spent virtually his whole adult life serving Christ. Raised in Washington State, active in the Lutheran church, is the grandson of a Lutheran Missionary to India; a direct descendant of a line of Lutheran pastors going back to one of the six original founding ministers of the Lutheran Missouri Synod in America. After attending the United States Air Force Academy, he met his wife from Hawaii in 1971 and they began a spiritual journey that led them to the Eastern Orthodox Church. In his early years of searching for his place in ministry, he worked as an EMT, in hospitals, in a men’s homeless shelter, as a group home leader for the mentally challenged, as Co-Director of Raphael House Shelter for Women, with his wife; first in San Francisco and then in Boise, Idaho.
It was this service, dedicated to our Lord, Jesus Christ, that ultimately led them to Holy Orthodoxy. Having previously served as an ordained minister, he attended Mount Angel Benedictine Seminary to prepare for his ordination to the priesthood. It was during this period he was instrumental in the founding of Annunciation Orthodox Church, Milwaukie OR.
His ministry as an OCA priest has been primarily in the arena of missions, building and reinvigorating small parishes, preparing parishes to step-up to obtaining and supporting a fulltime priest, and other ‘immediate response’ needs throughout the Diocese of the West.
Fr Damian and Mka. Joanna have raised four children who embrace Orthodoxy, and whose marriages have produced eight grandchildren so far. They understand the challenges facing youth and how to advocate a life in Christ at each stage of their development. Fr. Damian is always looking for the way that the Holy Spirit leads those around him to be effective in their own spiritual lives, using the experiences of great men and the Church Fathers, old and new, to bring others to Christ. It is his hope to make Orthodoxy alive for each Orthodox Christian, as it is his belief that every Orthodox Christian is called to reach those who are ‘across the threshold’ of the Church, demonstrating a love for God and our neighbor to each person he reaches.
Fr. Damian also serves on the Diocesan Council of the Dioceses of , as its Secretary and on the Advisory Council for the Diocese of the West.