Staff and Board

Reid's Bio:

Reid Hamilton is the Chaplain of Canterbury House because he loves everything the University environment has to offer, from bright and interesting people to ivy-covered libraries to smoky dives. Poet, musician and scholar, he is most interested in things he has not seen before.

Before becoming a priest in 1998, Reid jumped out of airplanes, practiced law, got married, got divorced, and got married again - permanently this time! Reid has two children and has spent nearly half of his life in one school or another.  He is passionately committed to justice and civil rights. His wife, Deb (originally from Detroit), also loves music and social activism.  Reid and Deb enjoy cooking together and conducting bold culinary experiments on their friends.

Born in Joplin, Missouri, Reid has lived in Nashville, in North Carolina, in Atlanta and Kansas City before at last making his way north. In his life as a priest he has served as Assistant Rector of St. Paul’s Church, Kansas City, Missouri, and as Rector of Christ Church in Kent, Ohio – home of Kent State University – where he encouraged a parish-based campus ministry.

Stephen Rush's Bio:

Dr. Stephen Rush has been the Musical Director at Canterbury House for 9 years. With his group Quartex, he brings an encyclopedic knowledge of modern music (all genres) into the liturgical space. His approach is "lectionary based improvisation", which could lead to music by anyone from Albert Ayler, Sun Ra, John Coltrane, Charles Ives, Jacques Berthier (Taize), Blind Willie Johnson and Hildegaard von Bingen. Essentially his approach to liturgy is this: whatever music is the most appropriate for the service/text, we should do!

Dr. Rush is an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Michigan. He performs and writes extensively, with 3 operas to his credit, including vidGod (recently performed in Germany) and !!Stop Blaming Columbus¡¡", symphonic works, many chamber pieces, electronic installations (including his well-known "Gypsy Pond Music") and over 100 jazz and liturgical compositions. Both Quartex and his New-York based ensemble Yuganaut have toured and recorded extensively. Stephen has performed with Roscoe Mitchell, Pauline Oliveros, Steve Swell, Eugene Chadbourne, "Blue" Gene Tyranny, and Peter Kowald, and has recordings on CALA, MMC Records, Centaur O.O.Discs, Equilibrium, Canterbury House and CRC Publications. His music has been performed by ensembles literally all over the world, including the Warsaw and Detroit Symphonies, members of the New York Philharmonic, Gyori Ballett in Hungary, and a recent tour of India (playing laptop) with Sitarist Robert Newcomb.

Stephen has been married to Merilynnne Rush for 26 years. She is a home-birth midwife and an annual volunteer at Casa Materna, Nicaragua, where "campesinas" receive pre-natal care, Education, and food.

Kathleen Peabody's Bio:

Kathleen, office manager at Canterbury House since January, spent the previous 20 years caring for family and running her home business. Kathleen was born, raised, made it through 12 years of Catholic school, had a lot of fun, worked, married, had her first son and got divorced in Detroit . She moved to Ann Arbor in ‘75, became active in the open schools of Ann Arbor and with Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice. She graduated from EMU in ’80. Kathleen is an active member of Ann Arbor Friends Meeting. She married Michael in 1981 and had two more children, now both in college. A couple of highlights have been the joyful and gut-wrenching effort of co-founding the public high school, New School, 1996-2000 and also meeting Bishop Tutu in ‘99. Kathleen also has two (perfect) grandchildren. She loves her job at Canterbury House and also works to alleviate hunger with the CROP Walk and to influence government leaders against war as a solution to anything. Kathleen is happiest when she’s camping with Mike in the north woods.

Aaron Gold's Bio:

Aaron Gold, Concert Series Coordinator, was born in Santa Monica, California, but at age 5, he and his family moved to Czechoslovakia shortly after the Velvet Revolution. He has called the magical city of Prague home ever since. After completing elementary, middle and high school at the International School of Prague, Aaron moved back to the States to study at the University of Michigan. He is currently in his sophomore year, pursuing a dual degree in Jazz and Contemplative Studies and Psychology.

Aaron’s primary passion is music, and he plays the drum kit, ethnic hand percussion, didjeridoo and has performed in the Metro Detroit area and overseas. When not playing music, Aaron spins and juggles fire in styles reminiscent of the Maori poi tradition, and Polynesian staff dances. He also loves to explore new cultures and has traveled throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia. His travels have instilled in him a great appreciation and respect for the people, traditions, food and music of indigenous cultures.

Marty Javornisky

Marty Javornisky is Canterbury House's accountant.

But al be that he was a philosophre,
Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre;
But al that he myghte of his freendes hente,
On bookes and lernynge he it spente,
And bisily gan for the soules preye
Of hem that yaf hym wherewith to scoleye.
Of studie took he moost cure and moost heede.
Noght o word spak he moore than was neede,
And that was seyd in forme and reverence,
And short and quyk, and ful of hy sentence;
Sownynge in moral vertu was his speche,
And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche.

Wendell N. Gibbs' Bio:

The Right Reverend Wendell N. Gibbs, Jr., Bishop of Michigan and President of the Canterbury House Board.

All wrong translations, all absurdities in geometry problems, all clumsiness of style, and all faulty connection of ideas in compositions and essays, all such things are due to the fact that thought has seized upon some idea too hastily, and being thus prematurely blocked, is not open to the truth.  The cause is always that we have wanted to be too active; we have wanted to carry out a search.  This can be proved every time, for every fault, if we trace it to its root.  There is no better exercise than such a tracing down of our faults, for this truth is one to be believed only when we have experienced it hundreds and thousands of times.  This is the way with all essential truths.