Clergy and Staff
The Reverend Meghan Mazur, Associate Rector
mmazur@saintmarksphiladelphia.org
Mother Meghan Mazur serves as the Associate Rector at Saint Mark’s and she primarily oversees family and children’s ministry. She, along with her husband Brian and three children, move to Philadelphia from Sewanee, Tennessee, where she has been assisting at the Parish of St. Mark and St. Paul, as well as working with the Admissions Department of the University of the South. Before her ordination, she served as a lay person on the staff of the Church of the Transfiguration, in Dallas, Texas. She holds degrees in Music from Oberlin College (Vocal Performance), and SMU, as well as a degree in Library Science from the University of North Texas, and she received her M.Div from the University of the South.
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.
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 Robert McCormick, Organist & Choirmaster, to assist in 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.
Kevin Vondrak, Interim Choirmaster
Kevin Vondrak has been at Saint Mark's since 2022. Prior to his appointment as Interim Choirmaster, he was staff singer in the Parish Choir, and for five years before that served as staff singer and associate conductor at St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh. Outside of church, he is the assistant conductor & artistic associate at The Crossing, a professional new-music choir based in Chestnut Hill. His work with The Crossing has won him the 2023 Grammy Award, Best Choral Performance as a producer for The Crossing's album Born and taken him on international tours to the Haarlem Choral Biennale (Netherlands), Finnish National Opera (Helsinki), and Berwaldhallen (Stockholm), as well as to debuts with The Philadelphia Orchestra and New York Philharmonic.
Kevin holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Washington University in St. Louis. Elsewhere in the Philadelphia area, he directs the choir at The Beaumont @ Bryn Mawr and is a singer and rotating conductor with the Chestnut Street Singers. He lives near the Wissahickon Creek in Mt. Airy, where he enjoys trail running and fly fishing.
Sarah Palmer, Organ Scholar
Sarah Palmer, Organ Scholar, recently graduated from St. Olaf College, where she studied with Catherine Rodland and received the Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Performance. She has been the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards, including the AGO/Quimby North Central Regional Competition for Young Organists and the 2021 Ruth and Paul Manz Scholarship. She has a strong interest in playing transcriptions on the organ, and has made many of her own, mostly of orchestral and concert band music.
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.
Michele Castro
mcastro@saintmarksphiladelphia.org
Michele Castro was born and raised in sunny Southern California. She graduated from California State University in Long Beach with a BA in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a minor in Sociology in May of 2022. From August 2021 to July 2022, she served as the Parish Intern at her home parish, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where she assisted with liturgy, the youth ministry, and served as a lay preacher from time to time. Michele is an avid reader and passionate about Scripture, history, and feminism.
Shelby James
sjames@saintmarksphiladelphia.org
Shelby James, hailing from West Virginia, has been an active parishioner and volunteer at Saint Mark's since 2019. Her pursuit of a Bachelor of Arts in Theology at Eastern University is currently on hold as she participates in Servant Year to serve her community more deeply. Beyond her theological interests, she has a passion for art, particularly drawing, and finds joy in making people smile and laugh. Shelby also holds a special place in her heart for all of God's creatures, with a particular fondness for rats.
Jacob Hall
jhall@saintmarksphiladelphia.org
Jacob Hall, a native West Virginian, earned his Bachelor of Arts in April 2023 from Marshall University, Huntington, WV, with a major in Psychology and minors in Music and Religious Studies. He worked on campus as a Resident Advisor, was president of Vespers, the Episcopal campus ministry at Marshall, and sang in the choir of his home parish, Trinity Episcopal Church, Huntington. Jacob is discerning a call to the priesthood through the Diocese of West Virginia. In his free time, he enjoys exploring historic landmarks, reading about history (especially church history), listening to many different genres of music, and drinking a nice cup of tea.
