Finn Keesmaat-Walsh (they/them) joined St. Martin’s as our Pastoral Associate for Children’s and Youth Ministry on May 1, 2023.
Finn is a graduate of the Youth Ministry Apprenticeship Programme through the Diocese of Toronto and has over ten years of experience working with youth and children, the last five in church contexts. Finn is also a past member of Diocesan Council for the Diocese of Toronto and has been a member of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada since 2019. In that capacity, Finn is a member of the Council of General Synod and the Faith Worship and Ministry coordinating committee of the national church.
Finn was homeschooled and has a deep grounding in biblical studies through courses in the Creation Care Studies Programme in Belize, the Outtatown Discipleship School through Canadian Mennonite University, lay education courses taught by the Biblical Scholar in Residence at St James Anglican Church in Fenelon Falls, and through the online educational community Bible Remixed, where they have provided technical support for the last three years.
Outside of Finn’s work and volunteer time in the church, Finn is passionate about advocacy, especially for the 2SLGBTQ+ Community and the disabled community. In their downtime, Finn can often be found relaxing with a cat on their lap, singing the soundtracks of musicals, or training as an aerialist.
Finn is passionate about making the biblical story come alive for children and youth and helping them learn what it looks like to more deeply love God and their neighbour.