Michelle Poirier Brown

Michelle Poirier Brown

poet + performer + photographer

Waking The Morning After
Our decisions, especially decisions we make as activists, can cause us anxiety. Courage, one might say, is a spiritual practice. This homily looks at that.
First Unitarian Church of Victoria. Sunday April 3, 2022
Walking The Path Between Tansi and Ekosi
A performance that explores what it means to be Cree. The project draws from research conducted on a 2019 trip of poetic inquiry throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan, and also draws from the 25 year journey the author has experienced since learning about their Cree ancestry.
CSRS Coffee Talk, University of Victoria, Nov 2019.
7th International Symposium on Poetic Inquiry, Halifax Thursday Oct 3, 2019.
Beneficiaries of a Genocide
A reflection and response to the experience of co-facilitating dialogues on “Reconciliation and Relationship.” The dialogues were hosted at the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at UVic in spring 2019 for the Victoria Unitarian Universalists church and guests. This homily is also a response to the song “Beneficiary” by Wintersleep. Watch Now.
First Unitarian Church of Victoria, Sept 2019.
Mary Oliver: A Devotion
“Attention is the beginning of devotion” – Mary Oliver 
Mary Oliver was an American poet who passed away in early 2019. This sermon was written for a service that was held in honour of her September 10th birthday, celebrating the life and legacy of Mary Oliver.
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday Sept 8, 2019
Universalism: Roots and Current Practices
A Universalist heritage is both the rational heart and the deep well of wisdom in the Universalist tradition. We’ll look at two perspectives on universalism, and their legacy in the UU tradition.
First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo. Sunday, October 14, 2018
First Unitarian Church of Victoria. Sunday, May 22, 2016 
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday, August 9, 2015
Religion As A Survival Strategy
Churches were language sanctuaries for Hungarians who came under Romanian authority in 1920. Even today, seminarians are charged with responsibility for the cultural survival of Hungarian-speaking Transylvanians.
First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo. November 5, 2017
First Unitarian Church of Victoria. September 3, 2017
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation. August 13, 2017 
Embarrassed to be Religious?
There are valid reasons to avoid talking about religion. And times when the silence is uncomfortable. A look at uneasiness about admitting to religion.
First Unitarian Church of Victoria. Sunday, June 12, 2016
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday, November 22, 2015
Elevation and Awe: Emotional Roots of Religious Experience 
At the heart of universalism lies a conviction that humans are naturally religious — whether believers or unbelievers. Recent scientific studies show the role of human emotions in the religious impulse.
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday, September 13, 2015
Congregation Models Not Model Congregations
According to sociologist Penny Edgell Becker, there are different types of congregations. Family congregations. Social action congregations. We’ll look at the characteristics of each of Edgell Becker’s four types, why we might be drawn to them, and the challenges they face.
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday, June 21, 2015
The Idea of God: Is Plato’s God an Option for Unitarians?Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. May 2012
Mindful Speaking: Honesty, Kindness, Questions and SilenceCapital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday, March 15, 2009
Happiness Is Letting Go of JoyCapital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. ~2008
More Tolerance: Different From Respect
A further exploration of the challenges of tolerance as a spiritual practice, and a call to move beyond respectful distance to close discomfort.
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday, September 19, 2004
Tolerance and Intimacy
Unitarian Universalists embrace “tolerance” as a spiritual practice. This homily draws a parallel to the Buddhist concept of bearing shenpa, the stated of being “hooked,” and explores a link between tolerance and intimacy.
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. ~2003
The Poetry of Antonio Machado
This homily explores a small selection of poems by the Spanish poet Antonio Machado, a modernist and member of the Generation of 1898 group of intellectuals.
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation. February 17, 2002

Personal Homilies

A Thread From A Tapestry
The story of our CUUC congregation can be told in many voices. This talk looks at the role Capital has played in the life of one its member families.
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday, April 5, 2015
Out: An Inside Look
In our search for truths and meanings, some truths can stand between us. This homily looks at what can be one of the more challenging inclusions in our weekly welcome: sexual orientation.
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday, November 6, 2011
Homecoming 2009Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Sunday, September 13, 2009
Fire CommunionCapital Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Sunday, December 31, 2006
Homecoming 2005Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Sunday, September 11, 2005
Homecoming 2003Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday, September 7, 2003