About Us
"Manliness is when you give yourself completely to God."
St. Paisios of Athos
St. Paisios of Athos, the patron Saint and Father of the St. Paisios Brotherhood, always equates manliness with virtue. The cultivation of virtue is the path that strengthens the man; the road to stable, sound, and secure manhood.
Our Vision
The Brotherhood of St. Paisios is a fraternal order of Orthodox Christian men established to recover authentic manhood in a world where manhood is diminished and men have grown weak. We draw from the sacred teachings the Orthodox Christian faith that teaches that God calls men to develop virtue and strength of character. Men are to fight the flesh and the devil in order to bring good into the world, protect the weak and infirm, build families, and defeat enemies.
Our Mission
- To define, recover and restore authentic masculinity in the hearts of men.
- To expose the lies that keep men weak and enslave them to vices and bind them to ideologies.
- To foster and nurture authentic fellowship between men so that a man can discover and grow into who he was created to be.
What St. Paisios Brotherhood Does
- Creates and supports local face to face brotherhoods rooted in Orthodox parishes.
- Arranges for regular gatherings of like-minded when where authentic relationships between men can be forged.
- Recruits and trains qualified men to form a network of mentors to help other men realize and achieve their high calling in Christ.
People Behind the Scenes
Fr Hans Jacobse
Fr. Hans Jacobse has been a priest in the Orthodox Church for over thirty years. His service to men began in earnest over ten years ago when a young man approached him asking for help in learning how to become a man. As he embarked on this work more young men approached him and as he gained experienced it grew to where men began contacting from all around the country.
Fr. Hans has a BA in History from the University of Minnesota, studied the Greek Language from Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece where he lived for a year and started and English language school, a sought-after speaker, and contributed numerous articles to various venues on religion and culture (some of which appear on the St. Paisios Brotherhood website).
Fr Stephen Lourie
Father Stephen is Pastor at Holy Spirit Orthodox Church, in Venice, Florida (hsoc-venice.com) since 2013 and a co-founder of The St. Paisios Brotherhood.
He is well known for his uncanny leadership skills in dealing with the challenges facing modern men. He understands the issues of our time, how they affect young men and what it takes to become the men we are called to be.
Fr Stephen has been an Orthodox priest since 1996, in Alaska, Pennsylvania and now in Venice, Florida. He has been married for 42 years and has 4 children and 7 grandchildren.
He been leading a St Paisios Brotherhood chapter at Holy Spirit Orthodox Church in Venice Florida since 2020.
Fr Michael Butler
The Very Rev. Archpriest Michael Butler is pastor of Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church (OCA) in Livonia, MI.
He has been a priest for 26 years. He has degrees in archetypal psychology and theology, and a PhD in church history & patristics. His interest in men’s work began over 30 years ago. He is particularly interested in rites of passage, masculine archetypes, sacred space/time, initiation, and in ways that traditional Orthodox psychology and spirituality can help men today become the best they can be.
Dan Gray
Deacon Dan serves at St. Andrews Orthodox church in Pensacola, Florida. He’s been serving for 17 years in Alaska, Louisiana, Hawaii, and now Florida.
A retired Naval Aviator and helicopter pilot, he holds a B.S. in Psychology, a Masters in Career and Technical Education, Command and General Staff College, and the St. Stephen’s deaconate course. He has completed graduate studies programs in Naval Operations, Aviation Safety, and extensive courses in Disaster Relief and Chaplaincy in Crisis situations.
He has traveled extensively for humanitarian aid work, OCMC missions, and with IOCC for U. S. disaster relief and Spiritual care in crises the last 15 years.
Married for 37 years with four grown children, he continues to study human performance and motivation, Interpersonal relations, mentoring young men and women, ancient civilizations and economic and political history. His aim in retirement is to help others find their best place in the world, their natural gifts and vocation, and the will of God for their lives. Deacon Dan enjoys all water activities and as much time with kids and grand-kids as possible.
Gary Metz
Gary Metz is the executive director of the St Paisios Brotherhood. He converted to Orthodoxy in 2010. As an active layman of St Barnabas Orthodox Church, Costa Mesa, CA he has served on the parish council and men's ministry.
Throughout his adult life he has been focused on supporting men in the pursuit of their destiny. This ultimately led to the establishment of the St Paisios Brotherhood with Fr Hans and the rest of the board. He is a convert from Protestantism, has been an award-winning investigative journalist, apologist, publisher.
He is currently the managing partner of an Internet Technology firm: Ingenious Geeks, which is a technology security and cloud specialist firm with a focus on the unique needs of America's entrepreneurs.
