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1977-1991: From an early age, Brian Haxton felt a connection to the Church. Growing up in Eugene, he went to mass every Sunday at St. Mary's on Charnelton Street, listening to the priest closely. Fascinated by the stories and ritual of it all, he proclaimed at the age of seven that he would someday become a priest, too. Of course, his parents merely smiled and nodded, figuring that he'd want to be a firefighter or cowboy the next week. An only child born late in his parents' lives, Brian was indulged his fancies, no matter what they were. Unfortunately for Andrew Haxton, Brian's father, the young boy had less interest in baseball than he did the bible.
1991-1999: Between his fourteenth and nineteenth years, Brian lost both of his parents. First, his father to a heart attack, then his mother five years later to complications of undiagnosed ovarian cancer. For most people, this would drive a wedge between themselves and their father. For Brian, it only brought him closer to God. Entering into the Mt. Angel seminary, he felt as though he was finally finding a place where he belonged. He grew close to his teachers, as well as fellow students, letting his grief work itself out naturally. However, once he had completed his training, and had become ordained in his own right, Brian felt it was time to seek out his own niche.
2000-2010: Six months after graduation, Brian found a place at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in New Orleans. For a young man who had never been further East than Montana, Louisiana was a whole other world. At the age of twenty-five, it was an amazing sight to behold. In August of 2005, nearly five years after Brian had relocated to Louisiana, he bore witness to what could only be described as an act of God. Hurricane Katrina raged for seven days, laying a good portion of the city to ruin. Brian, as well as the rest of his parish, remained in the city - determined that God would protect them. When the storm finally blew over, New Orleans was left to pick up the pieces - meaning most of Brian's focus was put into helping those residents who were slowly returning to the city. He found the work he was doing to be immensely gratifying and, as the city began to slowly recover, eventually found a home again. He loved New Orleans, his parish and his parishioners. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last for much longer. In the summer of 2010, after nearly a decade at Our Lady Star of the Sea, Brian was accused of molesting a teenager, who had briefly served as an altar boy. While the accusation was a false one, that mattered little. Even the rumor of such a thing was enough to cost Brian his position. He was dismissed from the parish, as well as the diocese of New Orleans. The charges were soon dropped after substantial evidence was provided that Brian's accuser (and his parents) had repeatedly attempted to blackmail clergy from several different parishes across Louisiana, but by then the damage had been done.
2011-Present: Following his dismissal, Brian left New Orleans (and Louisiana) as soon as the district attorney notified him that he was free to leave the state. He quickly began to spiral downward, spending time in St. Louis with a friend from high school. Brian began to drink and smoke heavily, losing his virginity at the age of thirty-three to a woman whose name he still cannot recall. Eventually his money ran out and he scraped together enough cash to buy a bus ticket to the one place that he knew he'd be welcome - Portland. Looking up his childhood best friend, Brian eventually got his shit together and found his way back to God. While he had decided not to go back to the Catholic Church, he found peace and a new place among the Reformed Church in America (RCA). It hasn't been an easy transition, but going back to school to get his license and becoming a crisis counselor has helped tremendously. After all, he could never resist a cracked mirror.
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