Uh... We have a lot in common including Michigan though I away moved years ago.
My advice is just to find the best teacher possible regardless of the label on him, taoist, buddhist or catholic or whatever. When you find a teacher the other students will be your your sangha. You could approach it from the standpoint of learning meditation or tai chi chuan.
The master I studied with in Michigan does not teach anymore.
But here are some links of people and places that I have met/studied with / been.
High level meditation instruction and good community of western students here:
http://www.glbvihara.org/
This guy is a good meditation teacher: http://www.peacewithinmeditation.com/
And this guy is good though just watched him practice and never studied with him:
http://www.annarbortaichi.com/ Don't discount your catholicsm especially if you've spend so much time studying it. The beatitudes are a manual on cultivating and maintaining energy in a manner similar to the tao de ching, although a different kind of energy. -best
