Community Spotlight: Molly and Daniel

Tell us a little about yourself/selves.

Molly: I grew up in St. Albert, Alberta, with my mom and oldest (but still younger!) brother. I also spent a lot of time in Texas growing up, and my dad, stepmom, and youngest brother live in Northeast Texas. I came to Victoria in 2021 for school, basically because I thought Victoria would be a beautiful place to live and didn't really know what I wanted to study yet. I ended up taking some religious studies classes, changing my major, and now I'm in my final year of UVic's Religion, Culture, and Society program! I'm also applying to Master's programs for next year.

Daniel: I was born in Edmonton and moved to Kelowna with my family when I was nine years old. After high school, I went to Toronto to study archaeology and was there for two semesters before taking a year off to travel around Europe. When I got back, I enrolled in Okanagan College and graduated with a Writing and Publishing Diploma in 2021. Shortly after, I moved to Victoria and entered the sign industry as a graphic designer. I'm currently weeks away from completing a BFA in Creative Writing at UVic and am looking to attend an MFA program sometime in the next few years. In the future, I would love to teach writing and continue making art.

How did you find yourself at AbbeyChurch? What continues to draw you here?

Molly: I kind of found AbbeyChurch by accident. A few years ago, I was looking around on google maps to see if there were any monasteries on the island (just out of curiosity) and noticed the Emmaus Community on the map. I was intrigued enough to come to AbbeyChurch and check it out! About a year after that, I came to AbbeyChurch for Easter and felt drawn back the next week, and then the week after that, and so on. I love how eclectic things feel are here, especially when it comes to the music and liturgy. I also love the sense of community, and how it feels like everyone is involved in worship.

Daniel: I found AbbeyChurch through Molly. What continues to draw me in is the lovely community, of course, but also the incisive sermons and, as a Bob Dylan fan, the music selection.

Tell us a bit about your faith journey. Was there a spiritual background to your life/childhood?

Molly: I grew up Catholic, but I like to tell people we weren't Catholic-Catholic. The Catholicism of my childhood was more of an agnostic cultural Catholicism. I went to a public Catholic school in Alberta and we attended church every week, but at home we weren't particularly religious. I also occasionally attended evangelical churches with my Dad (in Texas and Arkansas). As a teenager, I stopped attending church (around the time my mom thought I was old enough to decide for myself whether or not I wanted to go), but in recent years I have been drawn back to the Christian tradition.

Daniel: I've always been curious about spirituality and have at some point considered or practiced many faiths. I grew up around my mother's family in Edmonton's Danish immigrant community and was baptized/confirmed in the Danish Lutheran Church. Due to my father's interest in Thich Nhat Hanh, I've also spent a lot of time learning about and practicing Buddhism. During my teens, I was fortunate to be involved in the Baha'i community in Kelowna as a member of junior youth/youth groups as well as study groups and devotionals. 

How do you fill your time? What brings you joy?

Molly: I'm a student, so a lot of my time is filled with reading and schoolwork and procrastinating schoolwork. I have two part time jobs; I work at the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at UVic part time as an event and research assistant and at Broad View United as a Youth group leader. I also practice yoga and play the piano (when I have time).

Daniel: As a creative writing student, I spend a lot of time reading. Some of my favourite writers include George Saunders, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Leo Tolstoy. I also work part-time at a woodshop and sometimes get in the habit of running. I love watching sports, especially among friends. I'm a huge fan of Liverpool F.C. and the Edmonton Oilers. I enjoy quiet mornings with a nice cup of tea. 

Where do you sense God is at work today - in yourself, in our community, in the world?

Both: We feel like God is at work in so many different places that it's difficult to say. God is present in love, in being with other people, in moments of stillness, in art, and that he is at work in our relationships with people and creation in general.