The Marino Family

“The whole foundation of our faith is love. For our family, that’s one thing that we’ve done really well. We’ve just loved. No matter what is going on, we know we can lean on one another. Growing up, we never had to wonder if we were loved, and that makes all the difference.” – Anna Grace Marino

Karen and Dennis Marino both grew up in Catholic families, Karen in Burlington at Divine Mercy parish and Dennis in Texas. They met through a Catholic young singles group in Dallas after Karen had moved there following her college graduation. They moved back to Burlington after Karen’s mother passed away and have been parishioners at Divine Mercy in Burlington ever since.

Karen & Dennis have three daughters. Their oldest, Anna Grace, is a full-time missionary at Damascus, home to Catholic Youth Summer Camp, in Ohio. Damascus is a place of encounter that awakens, empowers, and equips the next generation and leads them to “live the adventure” with the Lord. They minister mostly to middle and high schoolers, but also provide retreats and experiences for adults. Their twin daughters, Taylor and Kayla, are currently finishing their education degrees. The two of them are preparing to open a bakery and Christian boutique together, which will be named “Taste & Seek.” The twins discerned this calling after Kayla was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that prevented her from eating gluten and dairy. Kayla began to bake gluten and dairy free treats, and when Taylor began to experience similar dietary needs, the idea of opening a bakery came to the both of them in prayer.

Karen and Dennis both are active in their home parish, as well as serving as Welcoming + Belonging representatives. The Marinos all have strong & devoted prayer lives, individually and as a family. Yet, this hasn’t always been the case for them.

While Karen and Dennis raised their children in the Catholic faith, as cradle-Catholics, the family admitted that it was easy to just go through the motions. When Anna Grace went off to college, she didn’t have any Catholic friends, so she would go to the local Catholic Church on her own on Sundays. Anna Grace remarked, “I was alone at this new parish, and felt unwelcomed. I had a friend that invited me to a non-denominational church. The people there were so welcoming, and I had a real encounter with Jesus and the Holy Spirit there.”

When COVID-19 hit and Anna Grace returned home, she would watch non-denominational sermons online. She had a deep desire to lean into her faith. “I knew that I had been baptized as a baby, but I thought that I needed to be baptized again, to actually make my faith my own. I wanted to be all in somewhere.” She expressed this desire to her family and started asking them about the Catholic faith. Taylor reflected, “Anna’s questions made us ask ourselves why we do what we do. We wouldn’t have answers for many of her questions.” Dennis added, “Anna Grace’s searching made us all look at our faith, and it enabled us to grow. It ignited the flame of faith that our family needed.”

Karen suggested that Anna talk to a priest prior to getting baptized. Anna Grace said that Fr. Marty (the pastor at Divine Mercy in Burlington at the time), “met me exactly where I was and was so great at listening to my situation and explaining things gently.” It was around this time that the family was made aware of the Christ Our Life conference. Anna Grace was resistant to going, but Karen asked her if she wanted to attend one last time a week before the conference. Anna Grace recalled her mom’s last ask, “I don’t know what came over me, but I just said, ‘okay, I’ll go.’” She was a bit reluctant when the conference began, but she heard God tell her, “Anna Grace you’re here. All you have to do is be open.” Anna Grace looks back fondly on the rest of her time at Christ Our Life, “I experienced Jesus first-hand in the Eucharist and it changed everything for me. That conference was in September and by December, I had applied to be a missionary at Damascus.”

The Marino family has great respect and admiration for the non-denominational church that Anna Grace had found at college. Karen added, “when Anna was attending the non-denominational church, they were doing everything right. They were welcoming, had programing for everyone.” Dennis added, “Anna’s experience inspired us to dive into our faith and make our Church more welcoming.”

Taylor and Kayla were also inspired to make welcoming and belonging the foundation of their new business endeavor, Taste & Seek, opening in July in Burlington. Taylor described the vision, “we want Taste & Seek to be a place where people feel loved, welcomed, and seen. A place where they encounter the Lord.” Both Taylor and Kayla took time to discern and pray about this project, taking to heart the advice they were given, “dream with the Lord!” The location of Taste & Seek is special to the whole family, because the business is opening in the building that Karen’s father, the twins’ grandfather, owned. “Our grandpa loved downtown and always had a vision about my love for baking. He told me before he passed that I should open a bakery in the heart of the family-owned building,” Kayla shared.

As parents of Anna Grace, Kayla, and Taylor, Karen and Dennis have much to be proud of. “Yes, Dennis and I built the foundation, all by the Lord’s grace and guidance, but we’ve learned so much from our girls. People often comment about how my daughters just radiate joy, and I respond that it is because they have Jesus in their daily lives,” Karen expressed.