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Dana Johnson is the Parish Secretary here at St. Augustine's. Dana arrived in 2019 during a time of great transition in her life where not only did she receive a job position, she also received a blessed opportunity to heal from the storms of life in a safe and nurturing environment. In her job interview, she was told by the previous rector, the Rev. Mike Goldberg that St. Augustine’s was the place “where broken people come to heal” and that she would be welcome here. Since that time, the baton has been passed to Father Wes and St. Augustine’s continues to be a place where people come first.
Today, Dana wears many hats at St. Augustine’s. She is really a church musician who is moonlighting as church administrative personnel! Most likely, you will find her chained to a computer at a desk piled dangerously high with papers. Her voice is likely the one you will hear first on the phone when you call the church office. Dana’s work spans anything from answering the phone, creating the bulletin, the upkeep of membership rolls, taking notes for vestry meetings and helping out Tom Hall with music administrative activities when needed. She is the soprano section leader for the choir here at St. Augustine’s, and is also an active professional vocalist out in the community. Dana is married to Brady Johnson, who is the Director of Music at Christ Church Vero Beach and also a prominent organist active in the community.
As part-time Director of Music, Tom directs and coordinates St. Augustine’s choir, which sings at Choral Eucharist Sunday mornings at 10 am and at services on various Holy Days throughout the year. He also coordinates and works with instrumentalists who perform preludes and other instrumental music for services. Tom plays organ for the 8 and 10 am Eucharist on Sunday mornings, at services on Holy Days, and at occasional services such as funerals and weddings. He also assists the rector with liturgical planning.
Tom holds degrees from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, and the Florida State University College of Music. He has been the Minister of Music at First Congregational Church in Sarasota, and Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg. Also in St. Petersburg, Tom was College Organist and Adjunct Faculty at Eckerd College where he was the principal player of the two Flentrop organs. Tom worked for a year for W. Zimmer and Sons, organ builders of Pineville, North Carolina. During this time, he traveled throughout the southern United States, helping to tune, maintain, refurbish, and install pipe organs.
In 2019 Tom moved to Peru to be with his wife Sandy, while waiting for the United States government to approve her immigration application. He served as organist for the German Lutheran Congregation of Lima, and investigated 17-century Spanish organs, still extant in many churches there. Tom was drawn to St. Augustine’s because of its liturgical worship and musical traditions. He has been at St. Augustine’s since February of 2022, and looks forward to many years of serving God in this place.
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Anyone who has an interest in music, whether it be vocal or instrument, is encouraged to speak with Tom regarding how their music can be incorporated for the enhancement of worship at St. Augustine’s.
Gary Attanasio is our Sexton. Originally from Putnam County, NY, Gary and his wife Mary moved to Vero Beach in September 2017. He and Mary have been married for 28 years and have two children, Alexis and Robert. Currently Alexis is working for the U.S. Government in Arlington, Virginia and Robert is attending University of South Florida in Tampa. Gary and Mary are certainly proud of their children's accomplishments and pray for their continued success!
Gary is a retired NYPD Police Officer, and has worked on and off in maintenance for 37 years. Before moving south, he worked at St. James the Apostle Church and School, performing maintenance and security duties. It was a wonderful place to work and felt more like home because Mary had been teaching there for 23 years!
Gary feels fortunate to have been hired as the Sexton at St. Augustine's in May 2018. He is responsible for maintaining all church and parish buildings, setting up for meetings, and maintaining church equipment. He also helps to care for and sustain the Columbarium. Most importantly, he makes coffee for the staff in the morning! From Gary's perspective, St. Augustine's has proved to be a warm and welcoming place to work. It's also been pleasant getting to know some of the many wonderful people who worship here. He is grateful to be part of this community.
During his free time, you might find Gary relaxing poolside or walking his dog "Baer," a German Shepherd mix who has become quite popular in the neighborhood. Gary is also an avid Yankee fan and really misses going to games at Yankee Stadium.
As part-time communications coordinator for St. Augustine’s, Barbara McGowan develops content, takes photos, designs layouts and provides technical support for our newsletters, website and social media. She promotes all our programs and event calendar, and supports our growing list of ministries and outreach programs with both print and online materials. If you are planning a program or event, Barbara will work with you to include it on the church calendar, and promote it in the newsletter, website and Facebook page, often designing banners, posters or flyers to help get the word out. She can also set up an online event registration.
Barbara grew up on the Jersey shore as the youngest of five girls. She comes to us via Boston’s northshore where she previously worked as a communications consultant, creating promotional strategies for both high tech companies and nonprofits, and via Washington DC where she directed communications for St. Columba’s, the largest Episcopal church in that diocese. She graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in Studio Art and is a graphic designer and a dabbler in the arts. Her greatest adventure was living aboard a 38-foot sailboat for two years with her husband Patrick and dog, Kona. They traveled from New York harbor to Charleston, SC and back home to Boston. The best part of the trip was visiting all the different Episcopal churches along the way and experiencing some very radical welcoming. Barbara and Pat currently live in Vero Beach and between them, have 3 adult children and 3 grandchildren ranging in ages from 7 to 24.