Pr. Maria also serves in a new role in partnership with the ELCA, the New England Synod, and the Maine Episcopal Diocese to develop small faith communities for people in their 20's and 30's, who may or may not consider themselves Christian, throughout the Portland area. We are excited to partner with her in this new "experiment".
Participating in the life of a congregation has been an integral part of Pr. Maria's life and her story. Originally from Lindstrom, Minnesota, a small Swedish town not unlike Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon, she was the 6th generation to grow up in Chisago Lake Lutheran Church and the child and grandchild of active church members. She often attributes her call to be a pastor to this community and their invitation to lead them in worship through singing at the age of 12. It is where she discovered her musical gifts, the value and importance of community, and the love and grace of God.
Upon graduating from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, where she sang in the Concordia Choir and was a student leader for the campus's service learning organization, Maria moved to Oakland, California to try out her degree in Social Work through participating in Lutheran Volunteer Corps in 2009-2010. During that year she served as a Case Manager for people experiencing Homelessness in Berkeley and live in an intentional community. Through this work, Pr. Maria discovered that the relationships she desired to build were pastoral - and she realized her call to seminary.
Pr. Maria enrolled at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) in Berkeley, CA for the call of 2010 where she studied, systematic theology, the Bible, Poetry, Process Theology, Thomas Merton, and Non-Violence, amongst other things. PLTS is a member of the Graduate Theological Union, a consortium of theological schools in Berkeley, which provided a diverse and unique seminary education. It is this context that has prepared Pr. Maria to be a pastor in a context that is increasingly less and less religious. Upon being ordained in October of 2014, she was thrilled to move to Portland, ME to begin this new chapter in her life.
Pr. Maria's passions in her work include, building relationships, sharing stories, asking questions of faith and doubt, advocating for a world that reflects God's inclusive love, and making music.
When she isn't being present around Portland, having coffee with others, or attending fun, local events, you may find Pr. Maria working with her trainer at Anytime Fitness, baking something delicious, working on a knitting project, utilizing her amazing sense of direction on one of the many hiking trails around Portland or New England, or taking photographs her adorable little kitties, Elliot and Ollie, and uploading them to Instagram.
