John Stasio

EM Founding Director – John’s vision for social justice, interfaith spirituality and the potential of a spiritual community of gay men began at a young age and motivated him to begin Easton Mountain.  In 1989 he founded Brothers Together Inc to promote community, spiritual growth, healing and transformation among men who love men. Prior to establishing Easton Mountain in 2000, John worked as a body-centered therapist and workshop facilitator. John was a member of the Jesuit Urban Center’s Urban Ministry team where he provided spiritual direction and bodywork to people living with HIV/ AIDS. He is a former seminarian and member of the Catholic Worker Community. John’s undergraduate studies at Boston College focused on Philosophy and Theology and their application to contemporary social challenges. He received the Lisle Fellowship in 1987 to study non-violent social change at the Gandhi Peace Foundation in New Delhi India and then stayed on in India to work with Mother Theresa’s sisters at the home for the dying in Calcutta. While in India he met Dom Bede Griffiths with whom he had a powerful connection and remains committed to promoting interfaith dialogue. Additionally he seeks to apply the principals of Spiritual/Global Psychology, studied at the Concord Institute under the direction of Tom Yeomans, to his work for social change, in his own life and in his work with others. He splits his time between sharing a home with his partner and a golden retriever in Albany and retreating to his cabin in the woods of Easton Mountain.