How long have you worshiped at Saint Philip’s?
Since 2022. My very dear friend, Becky Friesen, kept telling me that “my people” were at Saint Philip’s, and that we needed to come. So after Covid we did.

How are you involved in the parish?
My main involvement is with Stephen Ministry; I head of one of the supervision groups that meets twice a month. Our trained ministers meet to receive support from their peers as they walk with people who have experienced crisis in their lives. It’s all very confidential.

What is Stephen Ministry?
Trained volunteers offer non-emergency, confidential support for people going through life crises, such as the death of a spouse or child, grave illness, loss of a job, or other such challenges.

Ministers receive over 50 hours of training that prepare us to be compassionate, trustworthy, and faithful caregiver. We build relationships through weekly visits and conversations in one-on-one relationships with our care receivers.

There is a short video about it on the parish website. Readers can click here to watch it (at the bottom of the page).

What prompted you to volunteer for this ministry?
I believe very much that each person deserves to be heard and has valuable things to say! I’m more of a details person than a big picture person, so I’m drawn to one-on-one ministry.

The early church spread because of the way people took care of each other, and I think it’s important not to lose sight of the very basics of Christianity.

What do you do professionally?
I’m an oncology Nurse Practitioner, which allows me to make diagnoses, interpret tests, prescribe medicines, and treat conditions. I feel honored to be able to help people in a direct way during their cancer treatments.

My love language is acts of service so my profession and my volunteer work reflect that.

Where do you work?
At Radiant Oncology, which is a division of Center for Neurosciences, very close to Saint Philips on River Road.

Before this I worked for over 10 years in hospital medicine in Connecticut, where I grew up. Before we moved to Tucson in 2014, I was at Yale New Haven Hospital.

When we moved to Tucson I wanted something specialized—where I could build relationships and become an expert in a specialized field.

It has been very rewarding. We have a stellar team.

Were you raised in a faith tradition?
My parents are from England so they were raised in the Anglican tradition. When they moved to this country, my mom always took my brother and me to the Episcopal Church. It was on the University of Connecticut campus.

My mother passed away a year ago. Our family flew to Connecticut to be together, and we held her funeral at my brother’s small Episcopal Parish in rural New England.

I was struck by how comforting the familiarity of the service was. It also touched me that our children could slip into the ancient words of the service and prayers—they were something familiar and grounding and such a painful time.

Parents talk about how to prepare children for the bad stuff. We’re doing it here—and now. The liturgy and theology is written on their hearts, week by week. Even though we weren’t at Saint Philip’s, we were at home, and felt a sense of belonging in that Episcopal church. It was really nice.

What’s one of your core values?
Patience. My mother was incredibly constant, cheerful, and calm, and I learned that from her.

She was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at 54, and then developed Parkinson’s dementia which she had for 18 ½ years. She was very ill for a long time, yet throughout her trial she never lost her patience or grace. She was amazing.

My dad was her 24-hour caregiver. They had a very, very strong relationship, and modeled that for my brother and me.

What role does faith play in your life?
It’s my grounding foundation and what everything else is built on. The older I’ve become, the more I realize how important that is. My mother’s death made clear how grounding my faith is to me.

What about Saint Philip’s appeals to you?
I love the people. (Becky was right!) There’s a lot of wisdom and kindness here.

Gianni and I also connect with the music; both our children participate in choir. Luca loves being an acolyte and Ella went on the UK Residency/Pilgrimage in 2024. It was very special to be able to connect with both family and church heritage in that way.

What’s something you know now that your younger self didn’t?
That when I make a decision it’s not necessarily right or wrong. It’s a choice. And when I look back, especially in the context of faith, I now know that God works with me no matter what choice I did or didn’t make.

God is always with me. I would tell my younger self that.

What’s something that challenges you?
Balancing work with being a mom, and still doing additional things that are fulfilling like exercising, reading, learning new things, and spending time with people I love.

Can you think of a decision you made that had a significant impact on your life?
That’s easy. Marrying Gianni. We were high school sweethearts; I was 14 and he was 15 when we met in Biology class.

We’ve been married for 22 years. We’re really lucky that we’ve grown together. Having a strong relationship means that everything else is easier.

What’s something you’re proud of?
I’m proud of our kids and who they’re growing up to be. They’re kind, brave, engaged, and they’re growing in independence.

Ella is much more engaged with her faith than I was at her age. She’s co-president of the Christian student foundation at school and teaches me new things all the time.

Luca is ever patient and good humored, and naturally empathetic. He makes me laugh everyday with his unique way of seeing the world. I’m excited for their futures.

Saint Philip’s—participating in a community like this—is something I often prayed that my kids would have (long before we found it). And it’s even more than I asked for.

How do you approach parenting?
I tell our children that their job is to explore whatever they’re interested in. It’s our job to keep them safe and set the boundaries. We encourage them to pursue what they want to do—not what they think they should do because of outside pressures.

And Gianni and I encourage them to be independent. For example, while Ella was in England for the Residency/Pilgrimage, Luca (11 years old at the time) went to China with the Tucson Boys Chorus to sing for audiences there.

He and his pals would go around the Chinese markets using Google Translate to navigate their way and explore. It was a great experience for him, despite quite a few challenges along the way!

What are some of your guiding principles?
There is always uncertainty. As Christians, we are lucky because we get to choose joy despite the uncertainty around us. Isn’t that a relief?

It’s good to be curious. And it’s ok to really lean on people we love and can trust.

What makes you feel joyful and fulfilled?
Being in nature restores my soul. I love hiking, yoga, and cooking. Being able to take care of others is essential. I hope I will always be able to be of service in some way.

I’ve been loved unconditionally and that is a blessing to pass forward in whatever ways come along. I am honored to give back when I can.

What’s something you’re grateful for?
My family, and so many really good friends in my life who are wise, and funny, and loving.

What’s something your friends say they appreciate about you?
They tell me I’m a good listener. I also don’t like drama so I tend to stay out of if it I can!

What’s one of your super powers?
I’m good at being present with whomever I am in that moment. I think that’s true both professionally and personally.

I’m intensely interested and curious about whoever is in front of me. If I’m with a patient I’m challenged to stay on time because I let them talk. My experience is that if you let people talk then they’ll tell you what you need to know.

I think that’s why Stephen Ministry is so important. People don’t tend to reach out for help. We hope that we can cultivate a culture at Saint Philip’s where people will reach out for help because that’s what we do here! These connections help make our community stronger for whatever comes our way.

What do you consider an ideal Saturday afternoon?
Having friends over, cooking for them, and having a good laugh.

What have I not asked that you would like people to know?
I would like to make a plug for Stephen Ministry. Contact me if you’re curious. We are hoping to train a new group of ministers—perhaps in the spring. If you know somebody who is experiencing something difficult, we’d love to help.

What’s a fun fact about you?
I have a twin brother. He’s a good foot taller than me but I’m one minute older.

Also, I just started a tap dancing class. It’s harder than I thought!