Rachel Finazzo and Matt Doll, with their daughter, Maven, joined St. John’s last fall. “Matt and I both come from religious households–Catholic and ELCA Lutheran,” said Rachel. “Both of us were very involved in church growing up.” She says, “We first tried alternating where we went but never found a home.”
“I did some deconstructing around Catholicism–things that didn’t work, and also things I wanted to keep,” says Rachel. “Somehow we decided to check out the Episcopal Church and St. John’s. One of the first times we were here, Jered had a sermon that really was an antithesis to some of the things I was uncomfortable with [in Roman Catholicism] especially around suffering, and so we just felt like we needed to come back.”
Rachel and Matt met at the U of M. Matt is from Wisconsin and Rachel from Alexandria, MN, and they ended up deciding to live in St. Paul on the east side. Matt works in environmental advocacy and Rachel works for the city of St. Paul in the area of housing, and both are passionate about the things their jobs cover. In addition, Matt is a biking enthusiast, including using his electric bike and taking Maven in the trailer, and enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons. Rachel loves to cook and do crafts (fiber art, knitting–“I like to be busy with my hands”).
“A lot of what we’ve been looking for in a church home we’ve found at St. John’s. Clear and powerful messages that are so applicable to daily life and that come from a variety of people,” said Rachel. “People have been so welcoming around Maven–even when she’s making noise or whatever. We’re really looking forward to Maven learning about God and being formed in such a loving community. We’re also looking forward to getting involved in lots of things–although it’s a little hard right now with a little one!”
Welcome, Rachel, Matt, and Maven!
