The Rev Dr Michael E Butler grew up on the Gulf coast of Texas, lived several years in South Texas on the Mexican border, and several years in Irving, a suburb of Dallas. He has been married to Annette for 22 years, and has two boys, Jeremy (a high school senior) and Christopher (8th grade). For those who are interested, his ethnic heritage is French, Irish and American Indian (Choctaw).

Fr Michael has a BA in psychology (archetypal/imaginal & existential/ phenomenological) with minors in French literature and philosophy from the University of Dallas, an MA in theology from the University of Dallas, and a PhD in church history and patristics from Fordham University. His dissertation was on St Maximus the Confessor. He is an adjunct professor in the religion department of Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, OH, and is the Late Vocations Program Director for the Diocese of the Midwest, Orthodox Church in America.

Father was raised Roman Catholic, discovered the Uniates/Byzantine Rite Catholics while in college, and made the final leap to the Orthodox Church at St Seraphim Cathedral in Dallas in 1984, when he was 23. A few years later he was ordained a Deacon. For 6 1/2 years he served as a Deacon in various parishes in Texas and Michigan, and he was ordained a Priest on Lazarus Saturday in 1995. As a Priest he has served two parishes, St Demetrius Church in Jackson, MI (5 years) and arrived at St Innocent in March of 2000.  

Fr Michael is deeply committed to sharing the Orthodox Faith with others and inviting them to "come and see" what St Innocent has to offer.

He reads voraciously, has a strong interest in men's spirituality, and is currently working on developing an on-line catechetical school for the Diocese of the Midwest.