SAN GABRIEL - The city's oldest Protestant church just received a new face.
The Rev. Michael Battle, a theologian, author and a colleague of legendary Archbishop Desmond Tutu, recently became head of the Episcopal Church of Our Savior in San Gabriel.
Battle is not your average priest.
Raised in North Carolina, Battle decided to pursue the priesthood at the age of 12. He later went on to receive a bachelor's degree in theology from Duke University, and master's degrees from both Princeton University and Yale University.
It was when he returned to Duke to pursue a doctorate degree that he first met Tutu.
An avid opponent of South Africa's system of apartheid, Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. Battle set out to delve into Tutu's theology.
"Nobody had yet approached him to do a dissertation," Battle recalled.
The two crossed paths during one of Tutu's visits to the United States, and he agreed to work with Battle for the dissertation.
From there, Battle was invited to travel to South Africa with Tutu, who later ordained him as a priest.
"You sort of wander into something, and suddenly all of these magical things occur," Battle said.
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