Clergy and Staff
The Reverend Blake Sawicky, Rector
bsawicky@saintmarksphiladelphia.org
The Rev. Blake Sawicky has served as the 15th rector of Saint Mark’s since January 2026. He was born in Marshfield, Wisconsin, and holds degrees from Wheaton College (IL), University College London (UK), and Yale’s Berkeley Divinity School. Before going to seminary, Fr. Sawicky was (briefly) an archaeologist, with fieldwork experience both on land and underwater in Italy, Israel, and Cyprus. He came to the Episcopal Church in college, and later discovered the Anglo-Catholic movement through its pastoral and theological imagination. A lifelong love of music, history, and geography helps orient his sense of vocation towards connecting people with a larger story than the ones that can entrap and diminish them — that is, introducing them to the Christian Gospel and its power to forgive and set free.
Ordained in 2011, Fr. Sawicky came to Philadelphia from Berkeley, California, where he served eight years as rector of St. Mark’s Church there; previously, he served on the clergy staff of Saint John’s Cathedral in Denver, S. Stephen’s in Providence, and the Church of St. Michael & St. George in St. Louis. He and David were married in 2019, and together they adopted their son, Oliver, in 2021. When not at church, they love exploring Philadelphia on foot or by public transit.
The Reverend Dr. Nora Johnson, Priest Associate for Adult Formation
Mother Nora Johnson has served at Saint Mark's since her ordination to the priesthood in 2013; as Priest Associate, she oversees ministries of Adult Education and Formation. She earned her master of divinity degree from the General Theological Seminary in New York, having begun those studies at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Mother Johnson has served at Trinity Church, Swarthmore, and as a seminarian and lay associate at the Church of the Crucifixion, Philadelphia.
Mother Johnson is Professor of English at Swarthmore College, a position she held throughout her theological studies and continues to hold while serving in ordained ministry. She holds a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a scholar of English Renaissance drama. With her wife Leslie, Mother Johnson lives in Philadelphia and presides over a herd of cats, goldfish, and a little terrier named Tipper who is sometimes seen around the church grounds.
Donald Meineke, Organist & Choirmaster
dmeineke@saintmarksphiladelphia.org
Donald Meineke serves as Organist and Choirmaster of Saint Mark's Church, Locust Street and maintains an active career as a recitalist, lecturer, conductor, and singer. Originally from Houston, TX, he studied at Indiana University and The University of Texas at Austin and has held prominent positions in Chicago, Massachusetts, New York City, and Philadelphia. Additionally, he serves as the Artistic Director of Choral Arts Philadelphia, where he brings his passion for choral music which transforms and inspires through musical storytelling and connection to the human condition.
An ambitious builder of programs, Donald was the Co-founder and Artistic Director of Ensemble VIII, Austin’s premier vocal ensemble for Renaissance and Baroque music. He was the Co-Founder and Director of the 2014 Early Music Festival: NYC which featured over thirty concerts by dozens of local and national ensembles to critical acclaim.
He served as Director of Music and Organist of The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity in New York City where he led the twice Grammy®-nominated Bach Choir and Players in the internationally renowned Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity series. Hailed as a “fresh voice on New York’s musical scene” (The New Yorker), his Bach Choir’s recording of Samuel Capricornus’ Jubilus Bernhardi, in collaboration with string ensemble ACRONYM, received critical acclaim and was on Colorado Public Radio’s December 2017 “Top 5 Must Have New Recordings” list. His recordings of Capricornus and Bach Vespers have been featured on classical music stations nationally and internationally, including KMFA’s Ancient Voices and WXXI’s With Heart and Voice, and he has appeared as a guest artist on Columbia University-WKCR’s Bachfest.
He served as a choirmaster for the internationally revered conductor and Bach expert, Helmuth Rilling, preparing choirs across Europe and South America for performances of the major choral and orchestral works by Bach, Mozart, and others.
Dr. Thomas Gaynor, Assistant Organist and Choirmaster
tgaynor@saintmarksphiladelphia.org
Thomas Gaynor came to Saint Mark’s from Houston, Texas, where he served as Associate Director of Music & Organist at St. John Vianney Roman Catholic Church. In that position, he doubled the volunteer base of the Vesper Choir, and built an entirely new chorister program of 45 singers. At Saint Mark’s, Thomas directs the Saint Mark’s Singers and works with Donald Meineke, Organist & Choirmaster, to assist in the direction of the Parish Choir and the Boy & Girl Choristers, and in leading all aspects of the busy music program.
A native of Wellington, New Zealand, Thomas earned his undergraduate degree from the New Zealand School of Music while holding organ scholarships at the Wellington Anglican Cathedral of St. Paul and St. Mary of the Angels Roman Catholic Church. In 2012, he moved to Rochester, New York, to study with David Higgs at the Eastman School of Music. He recently graduated with a DMA and Eastman’s highest honor, the Artist's Certificate.
In 2017, Thomas was presented with the Gold Medal and Audience Prize at the St. Albans International Organ Competition. This followed first prizes at the Bach-Liszt Internationaler Orgelwettbewerb Erfurt/Weimar, the Sydney International Organ Competition, and the Fort Wayne National Organ Playing Competition. He also holds second prizes from the Tokyo-Musashino International Organ Competition, the Miami International Organ Competition, and the Arthur Poister Scholarship Competition. He has concertized extensively across North America, Europe, Oceania, and in Japan and Colombia. In 2018, Thomas gave the North American premiere of Jean-Baptiste Robin's organ concerto Fantaisie Mécanique. He is a member of The Diapason magazines's “20 Under 30” Class of 2016.
Daniel Russell, Verger
drussell@saintmarksphiladelphia.org
Daniel came to Saint Mark's in the summer of 2017, having completed a Master of Sacred Music degree in choral conducting from Boston University, School of Theology in Boston, MA. He additionally holds a Bachelor of Music in Sacred Music from East Carolina University, Greenville, NC and a Master of Music in organ performance from University of Houston, Houston, TX. His background in sacred music, theology, and liturgy serves as a solid foundation for him to explore a broader ministry in his role as Verger at Saint Mark's. He is responsible for organizing a great many aspects of the parish life of Saint Mark's. Primarily, he works with the clergy staff to plan liturgies and coordinates the many volunteers who serve at them. Additionally, he manages communications for parish and is building manager and liaison for the care of the buildings & grounds. Daniel continues to ensure a southern accent is heard around the parish.
Nick Augustine, Ministry Resident
naugustine@saintmarksphiladelphia.org
Nick Augustine is a Ministry Resident for 2025–2026. In this role, he will support a wide range of parish ministries, including church communications and outreach, youth formation, liturgy, and other aspects of parish life.
Before entering ministry, Nick spent several years in public relations. Most recently, he was at DEY. Ideas + Influence, where he advised leading nonprofits, philanthropies, universities, and public benefit corporations on communications strategy, media relations, corporate positioning, and content development. His clients included senior leaders at organizations such as The Rockefeller Foundation, The Atlantic Council, The World Bank, Stanford University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and The Global Fund.
Nick holds a degree in Political Science and Journalism from Hunter College, where he graduated in 2018. He began his career as a reporter for the Hunts Point Express in the South Bronx, earning an Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism for his work.
In his spare time, he enjoys reading, seeing films at the PFS, and exploring Philadelphia. He came to Philadelphia after spending a decade in New York City.
