(Continued)
From : Louie Crew, Rutgers, the State University (Newark, New Jersey)
Re: +Mikhail Itkin
Date : 12 Aug 2001
I met Mikhail on a couple of occasions, but can't pinpoint them, probably in regard to the Gay Academic Union in 1974-76 period, possibly at on one of my visits to NYC (to Integrity; as a member of the early NGTF board; as an occasional speaker at Dignity...). And we corresponded, but I don't have that correspondence: all my correspondence is stored at the Labadie Collection at the University of Michigan.
I have copies of all since 1983 (when I bought my first computer), and I have no record of correspondence during that time.
I remember being impressed by him when I met him.
He was many things that I was not, urbane, theologically literate beyond ECUSA. I read his work in a few places and felt the argumentative pinch of it, so much so that I was surprised by joy in his graciousness to me personally.
I am blessed to know of your ministry to him and of his to you. He is one with whom I look forward to some long conversations in heaven.
From: Michael B. Music, the episcopal Church of Saint John the Evangelist (San Francisco)
Re: +Mikhail Itkin
Date : 12 Aug 2001
I first met Mikhail Itkin at the Downey St. (upper Haight-Ashbury, San > Francisco) home of spiritualist trance-medium Ivan St. John.
It was no later than 1968 I think, because I was still in the final few months of my two years of civilian alternative service (in lieu of military service for conscientious objectors) at Glide Methodist Church. Ivan, like me, a native of St. Louis, was a former roommate of mine at the Good Soup Collective (2265 Fulton St., S.F., 94117) where I was sort of Pater Familia from 1966 to 1971.
Ivan had met Mikhail back in New York where they were both living in the early '60's, and he introduced Mikhail to me.
Mikhail and I became friends, colleagues and kindred spirits. Mikhail ordained me a deacon in the Community of the Love of Christ, about 1971, which had as one of its purposes, ministered to scattered and suffering Gay people.
Mikhail was a bit of a Holy Fool, tearing down a good deal of what he built almost as quickly as he built it; both ordaining and excommunicating people impetuously, being radical and vocal and outrageous, vs. being systematic or "pastoral" as that term is ordinarily understood.
He was rather well read, but essentially self-instructed (someone told me he never completed high school and I know he never graduated from anything remotely like a college), yet, nevertheless, he was captivating, sometimes likeable, frequently insightful, and energetic as only the manic-depressive can be (and I am pretty sure the m-d label is not far from the truth).
He constantly revised his liturgy(s) and those who were involved used to say we belonged to the Liturgy-of-the-Month-Club. Mikhail and I had our ups and downs, but the downs were brief and I decided to kind of make Mikhail into an "uncle or cousin of choice", and simply not concede that our underlying relationship could ever be negated.
Toward the end of his like, I was one of Mikhail's caregivers.
He liked to go out places, but wanted someone to go with him in case > he got weak or dizzy, and to carry his briefcase or books if he was weak or breathless. It was for him, and with him that I began attending Integrity Eucharists on Sunday afternoons at the Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist. That church was only a block from the house I had already been living in (and where I still like and am keying this e-note) for ten years, but I had never really noticed it.
But one thing led to another and I joined St. Johns' de facto a few months later and was formally recieved into the Episcopal Church in April 1990. St. John's is still my parish - among other things I am coordinator of hospitality (mainly coffee hour service) and if you were here in this room with me you could smell the pot of vegetable soup (non-milk and non-meat) that I have just made and am taking to church tomorrow.
Mikhail Itkin died of AIDS in 1990 and his ashes are scattered in the garden of St. Johns.
These are just a few memories off the top of my head.
I rejoice to know +Mikhail is remembered and of interest to someone, somewhere, and that his name is actually on my monitor. +Mikhail was no saint in the gooey, pious sense of the word. But he was a tough little Jewish kid from the Bronx that made one helluva remarkable journey through 20th century American religion.
I am greatly, greatly blessed to have known him and to have been a friend and associate, and yes, one of his deacons.
My name in the CLC was Brother Aaron.