Gerry Swieringa

Rector

Father Gerry+ became Rector of St. Brendan’s in 2016. He came to ordained ministry late at the age of 60, having enjoyed a long career in the oil industry before that. He has been at St. Brendan’s in several capacities ever since. 

He traces his theological roots to an upbringing in Reformed theology intersected by sacramental, liturgical worship in his late 20’s. His heroes of the faith include John Stott, J.I. Packer, T.S. Eliot, C.S. Lewis, George Herbert, and Gerard Manley Hopkins. 

 Both he and his wife Peg were active members in the Episcopal Church until the founding of St. Brendan’s in 2007. Shortly after the formation of the Anglican Church in North America, Fr. Gerry+ took on the task of bringing Anglican Fourth Day (A4D) to the Diocese of Cascadia. One of his great joys is seeing this program flourish in the Northwest. 

Fr. Gerry+ and Peg have lived in Whatcom Co. most of their adult lives. They graduated from Hope College and were married in Michigan in 1973 before leaving on the world’s longest honeymoon. They have yet to return home. They have one married daughter, Amanda, son-in-law Nathan, and 3 grandchildren.  

Fr. Gerry+ welcomes you to stop by for a chat and coffee any time and hopes to worship with you Sundays at 11 am at St. Brendan’s. 

Thom Blair

Assisting Priest

Fr. Thom Blair is a follower of Jesus Christ and a happily married father of four. He holds a Masters of Divinity degree and has been in ordained ministry since 2015 and lay ministry since his youth. He has served as editor of several academic works including the Hebrew-English Interlinear ESV Old Testament and the James volume of the Lexham Context Commentary. He enjoys playing the guitar, reading, household projects, and coffee. Lots of coffee. 

Angela Garvey

Director of Music

Angela Garvey began her musical studies at the age of six with her mother, Kate Williams Stampley, in Fort Benning, Georgia. Playing the piano, with her mother as resource and guide, was one constant in the changeable life of a military dependent.  Mrs. Garvey holds a Bachelor of Music, cum laude, from Mississippi University for Women and a Master of Music from the University of Alabama (both in Organ Performance). Her career has been spent as an organist and choir director in the service of liturgical churches, primarily in Maryland. She and her husband Ned moved to Blaine, Washington, in 2014, to be nearer Angela’s twin sister and to enjoy the cooler west coast climate. Angela is now enjoying playing the instrument of her dreams – a two-manual German-style harpsichord, built by Owen Daly of Salem, Oregon