Fr. Thomas Heard assumed the duties of Rector of Saint John's on 1 August 2007. Fr. Thomas comes to Mobile from Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis, Missouri where he was an assisting priest. He was ordained to the priesthood in June of 2007 following his graduation from The General Theological Seminary with the degree of Master of Divinity in May 2007. While in New York City, Fr. Thomas was seminarian at The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Times Square, where his formation continued in the Anglo-Catholic tradition under the care of the parish clergy.

As part of his own discernment process, Fr. Thomas enrolled in the formation program for Deacons in the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. It was through this program that Fr. Heard found his calling as priest.

Prior to answering the call to priesthood, Fr. Heard enjoyed a 26-year career with A.G. Edwards (now Wells Fargo Advisors) in St. Louis. His career was split between service to the Information Technology area and head of the Business Continuity and Contingency Planning practice of the firm.

Fr. Thomas is originally from St. Louis and he attended the University of Kansas, pursuing degrees in music and electrical engineering. He is an instrument-rated private pilot, fly fisherman, and enjoys tennis,SCUBA, bicycling and skiing. Fr. Thomas is married and he and his wife have one child.

A native of Alabama, Jayne joined the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in 1998. After an intensive discernment process and with the support of her parish, she joined the initial class of candidates for the diaconate in the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast. She was ordained at the Diocesan Convention in February of 2011 and assigned to St. John’s as her first posting.

Jayne graduated from the University of South Alabama with a Bachelor’s degree in Business and a Masters’ degree in Community Counseling. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Trauma Specialist  Previously, the  Rape Crisis Center of Mobile won a national “Point of Light”  award from President George H.W. Bush while under her direction. She developed and currently directs the Mobile County District Attorney's “Helping Families Initiative” – a groundbreaking program serving at-risk youth and their families, now implemented throughout the state. Her hobbies include gardening, reading, “Angry Birds” and her four cats.

Mr. Louis F. Daniel,
Organist & Choir Director

Ms. Lella Lowe, Financial Secretary

Ms. Janet Buckley, Senior Warden