In Memory of Michael McShane

Seonghwa

Mar 7

Written By Youth and Young Adult Ministry

Michael McShane

Spouse: Toshie McShane
Birthdate: September 19, 1957
Blessing: July 1, 1982
Ascension: February 2, 2024
Seonghwa Ceremony: March 9, 2024

Michael “Mike” McShane was born on September 19, 1957 as the oldest son of his father, a Canadian WW2 veteran, and his mother from Michigan. He grew up in the suburbs south of Chicago. He had three younger brothers and one sister.

Early in life, Mike became a member of the Lutheran Church, and he loved going to the church in his neighborhood and serving as an altar boy. Because of his family situation, he often spent his time with his grandparents in their home in northern Michigan. There, Mike had deep experiences connecting to God’s heart and unconditional love through the beautiful nature in the woods. He sometimes talked of his childhood experiences saying that, “Without God, beauty does not exist in this world.”

During high school, his skill was recognized by his art teacher, and he produced many murals, paintings, and drawings. He graduated high school right after the Vietnam War ended and started to travel by hitchhiking from Chicago to California to search for his new life.

He met some Unification Church members in California and joined in 1977. He was deeply moved to hear lectures from Rev. Kevin McCarthy during a 40-day workshop and continued to study the Divine Principle.

Mike served as staff for NY CARP for many art-related projects dealing with design, photography, filmmaking, including projects taking him to Guatemala, Russia, Ukraine. After missionary work in Korea in 1989, he returned to Chicago to support “hometown providence.” He then worked with the movement in Chicago. From 1992 to 2007, Mike supported various speaking tours for Rev. Moon and Dr. Moon.

After attending a workshop for Blessed Couples in Korea in 2001, Mike started to work on a special project about Korea. After 9.11, his goal of filmmaking changed to focus on “The Providence of Korea.” He worked to support True Parents’ Coronation Ceremony in Korea in 2003. Mike also volunteered as a caretaking for a church camp in the Chicago region from 2002 to 2011.

Mike received a B.A. degree in filmmaking at Columbia College in Chicago. During this time, he studied the movie Inchon produced by HSA-UWC, and kept pioneering the new way of introducing True Parents and the Divine Principle to the public. One of his projects was shown at the local theater in Chicago.

He worked as a teacher and served as a volunteer for 20 years in central Illinois. Mike was an independent artist who had a unique artistic eye and mind for creativity. He loved passionately talking to people about beauty and God’s heart and has been always studying and documenting True Parents and God’s words to inspire and create his art.

“His youngest brother, Jeremy was gone with light, and a big brother, Mike was gone with wind around the great lakes, Michigan.”

Mike is survived by his wife, Toshie McShane; mother, Donna McShane (90); two brothers, Kevin McShane and David McShane; sister, Carla Orlandi; niece, Marisa Orlandi; and nephews, Austin McShane and Matthew Rittono.