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 Christian virtue and holiness is the path that strengthens a man; it is the road to stable, sound, and secure manhood.
Our Vision
The Saint Paisios Brotherhood is a fraternal order of Orthodox Christian men established to recover authentic manhood in a world where men are told lies about what a man is. These lies have caused generations of men to grow up weak and blind to the truth of who God created us to be. We draw from the sacred teachings of the Orthodox Christian faith which teaches us that God calls men to seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, developing virtue, strength of character, and purity of heart. Men are called to bear their crosses, to engage in spiritual warfare against their passions and the demonic forces, and to carry out God’s will in their lives.
Our Mission
- To define, recover and restore authentic masculinity in the hearts of men.
- To expose the lies that keep men weak, enslave them to their passions and bind them to ideologies.
- To foster and nurture real brotherhood and unity in Christ, so that a man can discover and grow into who God has created him 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 men, where authentic relationships between men can be forged.
- Develops and implements programs to educate and support men.
- Recruits and trains qualified men to form a network of mentors to help other men realize and achieve their high calling in Christ.
The 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.
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.
