Brief intro
Well, Andy has been out here in the blogosphere all by himself long enough. It is time to populate Our Little Forum, so, with some trepidation about speaking of myself before so august a group of worthies, I'll take the plunge.
The Rev Dr Michael E Butler is a native Texan (never ask a man if he is Texan; if he is, he'll tell you; if he isn't, there's no use embarrassing him), but he has been living in the Provinces for about 14 years now. He has been married to Annette for 20 years this last July, has two boys, Jeremy (15) & Christopher (11).
He has a BA in psychology (archetypal/imaginal & existential/phenomenological) & an MA in theology from the University of Dallas, & a PhD in church history & Patristics from Fordham University. He is an adjunct professor in the religion department of Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, OH, & he is the Late Vocations Program Director for the Diocese of the Midwest, Orthodox Church in America.
He started out as Roman Catholic, discovered the Uniates/Byzantine Rite Catholics while in college, & made the final leap to the Orthodox Church in 1984, when he was 23 (don't bother to do the math; he is 44 now). A few years later he was ordained a Deacon, in which capacity he served for 6 1/2 years. He was ordained a Priest on Lazarus Saturday (the day before Palm Sunday) in 1995. He has served two parishes. The first was St Demetrius Church in Jackson, MI, & the second, his current parish of St Innocent, in Olmsted Falls, OH. He readily avers that St Innocent's is better than he deserves, & he is deeply grateful for that.
He has particular interests in men's spirituality & psychology, ritual (how it works, how it works well, & why), & is a sly dog when it comes to promoting Orthodoxy.
Currently, he is learning a little Choctaw (because he is part Choctaw Indian), & spends a little time drumming, playing a Native American cedar flute, & clawing at a classical guitar, thinking that this is music. He works out at a local gym & likes to delude himself that someday he will see his abs & have abs to see. When he isn't at home, the church or the gym, you will find him a fixture at a local Panera's Bakery with a cup of hazelnut coffee.
The second annual Male Bonding Party is in the planning stages at the moment. Last year we roasted a whole goat, sampled a variety of salsas & locally brewed beers, built a sizeable fire, smoked cigars (well, others did...) & even smoked a hookah. This year's MBP will honor St Maximos Kapsokalyvites with the burning of several toy huts, in addition, of course, to having a whole roasted carcass, fine salsas, beer, cigars & hookah-smoke.
That should be enough to shock, amuse or distress those who would be my peers. Take the plunge, boys, & let's get this thang off the ground.
May Paradise consume us
Fr.M.+
The Rev Dr Michael E Butler is a native Texan (never ask a man if he is Texan; if he is, he'll tell you; if he isn't, there's no use embarrassing him), but he has been living in the Provinces for about 14 years now. He has been married to Annette for 20 years this last July, has two boys, Jeremy (15) & Christopher (11).
He has a BA in psychology (archetypal/imaginal & existential/phenomenological) & an MA in theology from the University of Dallas, & a PhD in church history & Patristics from Fordham University. He is an adjunct professor in the religion department of Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, OH, & he is the Late Vocations Program Director for the Diocese of the Midwest, Orthodox Church in America.
He started out as Roman Catholic, discovered the Uniates/Byzantine Rite Catholics while in college, & made the final leap to the Orthodox Church in 1984, when he was 23 (don't bother to do the math; he is 44 now). A few years later he was ordained a Deacon, in which capacity he served for 6 1/2 years. He was ordained a Priest on Lazarus Saturday (the day before Palm Sunday) in 1995. He has served two parishes. The first was St Demetrius Church in Jackson, MI, & the second, his current parish of St Innocent, in Olmsted Falls, OH. He readily avers that St Innocent's is better than he deserves, & he is deeply grateful for that.
He has particular interests in men's spirituality & psychology, ritual (how it works, how it works well, & why), & is a sly dog when it comes to promoting Orthodoxy.
Currently, he is learning a little Choctaw (because he is part Choctaw Indian), & spends a little time drumming, playing a Native American cedar flute, & clawing at a classical guitar, thinking that this is music. He works out at a local gym & likes to delude himself that someday he will see his abs & have abs to see. When he isn't at home, the church or the gym, you will find him a fixture at a local Panera's Bakery with a cup of hazelnut coffee.
The second annual Male Bonding Party is in the planning stages at the moment. Last year we roasted a whole goat, sampled a variety of salsas & locally brewed beers, built a sizeable fire, smoked cigars (well, others did...) & even smoked a hookah. This year's MBP will honor St Maximos Kapsokalyvites with the burning of several toy huts, in addition, of course, to having a whole roasted carcass, fine salsas, beer, cigars & hookah-smoke.
That should be enough to shock, amuse or distress those who would be my peers. Take the plunge, boys, & let's get this thang off the ground.
May Paradise consume us
Fr.M.+
Posted by Fr. Michael Butler on
Thursday August 25, 2005 at 3:11pm