Michael shaw
Michael was very popular in high school, serving as class vice president during his sophomore and junior years. As a senior, he was voted most handsome in his class. He dated several girls, including Homecoming Queen Patty Shearer, for six months in his senior year. She was smitten. He was not. He dated over half a dozen girls during those years and was considered "The Catch" by many of them. As it turns out, none caught him permanently. He did not excel academically but enjoyed history and theology, and, in the process, developed a deep appreciation for the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, Thomas Merton, and St. Augustine.
He also learned to play the guitar at an early age. His father started a bluegrass band while living in Nashville: The Jack Shaw Express. He brought his love for country music to Boston, instilling it in his children. Michael developed an immediate appreciation for the modern country sounds of Luke Bryan and Little Big Town, but held legends like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson close to his heart. Most of his guitar work was confined to playing for friends and family, but everyone thought he had talent. Especially his singing voice. A smooth baritone. Those who didn't know country music compared him to Michael Buble. Those who did, compared him to Blake Shelton.
Following high school, Michael attended the prestigious Emerson College in Boston, where he won the middleweight Golden Gloves competition as a senior. While his parents were not devout Catholics, Michael developed a deep connection to Catholicism, primarily because of his uncle Joseph. Not only did Joseph teach Michael how to play football, but he also helped Michael understand the more complex teachings of the great religious writers. In his junior year of college and, much to the chagrin of at least a dozen women, Michael decided to become a priest. A Master of Divinity from the University of Notre Dame soon followed, with his doctoral studies conducted at the Catholic Institute in Paris.
Afterward, he was ordained in the Catholic Church, where he served for 8 years as a parish priest at St. Dominic’s in Boston's Mattapan neighborhood. His parish was known for its various outreach programs to underserved and marginalized residents. It was one of the more dangerous areas of Boston, with a Crime Index Score of 7 out of 10, compared to the national average of 4. During his tenure, he was both shot and assaulted with a knife while serving in a shelter for battered women. For protection, he obtained a carry permit and discreetly armed himself with a 9mm Glock. One night, while walking home, he walked past a liquor store robbery in progress. The thief had already shot and killed the clerk behind the counter. With the dead man lying at his feet, the suspect fired twice at Michael. Michael returned fire, killing the thief. The investigation determined he was acting in self-defense. No charges were filed.
In his third year as parish priest, Michael hired a young woman named Shannon Bell as his assistant. As time went on, Michael fell in love with Shannon and decided to leave the church. Just before his departure, Shannon was accidentally killed in a robbery attempt. The trauma of her death caused Michael to leave the church and, with the help of his old high school friend, Rosseau, accepted a teaching position at the Catholic Institute where Rousseau also taught.
It is in the first year of his residency at the Institute that Michael receives the letter from Lisette Bellamy, which will launch him on his journey for the Shroud of Saint Markos.