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About Us

We Welcome

We are inclusive and celebrate diversity. Everyone is warmly welcomed and has a place at the table.

We serve all of our neighbors: the affluent and those experiencing homelessness; queer, straight, and transgender; cradle Episcopalians and wandering atheists; kids, retirees, and everyone in between. St. Margaret’s is a warm place to renew faith in God, care for one another, and thrive in a diverse and inclusive community.

We Worship

An inclusive expression of belief in God’s work and love.

We express our beliefs about God–Source of all being, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit–and affirm our identity as beloved children of God in worship. In our worship, we take seriously the words we use to describe God and God’s people, recognizing that neither God nor humans are constrained by masculine, feminine, or binary identities. When encountering God in worship, we are formed and transformed to deepen and practice our faith.

We Seek Justice

Standing with those who are marginalized.

We speak up with those who are marginalized. We stand up for justice and equality so that we might thrive, together, as a community.

We Grow

Inviting challenging questions about faith and purpose.

We invite people to bring their questions, yearnings for the holy, and hunger for meaning and purpose in life. We keep it conversational, relevant, and gentle to include life-long church attenders or someone new to the faith journey.

We Serve

Serving our neighbors and community.

We love our neighbors and our communities through our actions, attitudes, and words. We actively engage the most vulnerable among us through service, solidarity, and generosity.

Our Story

How we've made room at the table for 125 years.

Our Team

Clergy & Staff

The clergy are the ordained ministers of the Church.

The Rev. Richard Mosson Weinberg

Rector

Richard was named the ninth Rector of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in 2020. As Rector, Richard serves our parish as senior pastor, priest, and administrator, and is passionate about preaching and sharing the loving, liberating, and life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Richard was first called to St. Margaret’s as Associate Rector in 2017 and was later appointed priest-in-charge in 2019, when our former Rector, the Rt. Rev. Kym Lucas, was elected bishop of Colorado.

In his first four years of leadership, St. Margaret’s attendance, giving, and pledging units have grown; volunteer and formation engagement has increased; we navigated ministry during the pandemic by becoming a hybrid (online and in-person) church; we reimagined a more than 30-year-old cardinal homeless ministry program; and the parish has gone from years of consecutive deficits to three consecutive years of surpluses.

In his ministry, Richard draws upon more than a decade of non-profit, communications, fundraising, and church-related experience, including an eight-year tenure at Washington National Cathedral. Fluent in Spanish as a second language, Richard has worked with Latino congregations in D.C., Atlanta, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. 

Richard was conferred a Master of Divinity degree by Candler School of Theology at Emory University, where he also graduated with a certificate in Anglican Studies in 2017. Richard earned an M.A. in Arts Management from George Mason University in 2006 and returned there to teach public relations and marketing for the arts as an adjunct faculty member in 2013. A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., Richard’s background is in vocal performance. He is currently a member of the Cathedral Choral Society and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington. 

Richard lives with his partner Alban, a journalist and social worker, and their two teenage sons, who they adopted from Colombia in 2022. Their family is passionate about helping other families who are considering adopting older children.

The Rev. Diana Gustafson

Associate Rector

Diana’s childhood memories are of regular conversations with God on the windy beaches of Massachusetts. Despite an occasionally austere early education, she has sought out God at the limits of experience, She was baptized in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington as an infant and has been a serious student of Judaism and Tibetan meditation.

She loves language and studied English and French at Johns Hopkins University. Through all these things, her joy comes in helping others find new and old ways to talk to God. As Associate Rector, Diana serves the people of St. Margaret’s in the areas of formation, pastoral care and anti-racism development. She loves to preach, and would love to chat with you about your spiritual life or St. Margaret’s.

Prior to her ordination as a priest, Diana was a print and new media journalist. She has a daughter who works in Hollywood and a son who is a linguist in Sweden. She and her husband Tom live with their little dog Lola in Cleveland Park.

The Rev. Rachelle Sam

Adjunct Priest

Rachelle was raised in Baptist churches and nurtured by a grandmother who would often recount stories of baptisms in the Neches River and ask her to listen for God after rainstorms; a background that shaped her deep sense of spirituality.

It is little wonder that attending an Easter Vigil and getting sprinkled with the waters from the baptismal font drew her into the Episcopal tradition. Rachelle’s calling to be a priest grew out of her formative experiences teaching and working with students in Episcopal schools.

She currently serves as the Associate Dean of Strategic Implementation and Priorities at Virginia Theological Seminary and adjunct priest at St. Margaret’s. She helps lead worship services and overall pastoral care. Rachelle lives with her family in Alexandria, VA.

Francisco Serrano

Deacon

Rev. Francisco de Jesús Serrano was ordained a Deacon by Bishop Mariann Budde on November 12, 2022 at the Washington National Cathedral.

Francisco was born in El Salvador and immigrated to the United States in 1998. Raised as a Roman Catholic, he was received into the Episcopal Church in 2006 after congregating at St. Mateo/St. Mathew’s in Hyattsville. It was under the leadership of Rev. Vidal Rivas that Francisco discerned a call to the ordained ministry.

Rev. Francisco serves as a pastoral presence at St. Margaret’s Charlie’s Place homeless program and leads Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan homeless outreach, as well as regularly serving in Sunday worship. And currently he works 8 hours a day at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School as Faculty & Staff, and he does everything for the Glory of GOD and the good of others.

Timothy Duhr

Director of Operations and Music

A Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance, Timothy Duhr serves as St. Margaret’s Music Minister. With an extensive background in organ performance, teaching, and sacred musical composition, he leads the worship ministry with passion and talent. Timothy also serves as choirmaster, nurturing St. Margaret’s staff and volunteer choir singers.

Additionally, he serves the parish by updating the website, managing all church communications and volunteers. He has been with St. Margaret’s since 2017 and lives in Washington DC.

Reggie Cox

Charlie's Place Executive Director

The very first time Reggie walked through the doors of Charlie’s Place it was as a client having recently lost a long time job and experiencing homelessness for the first time ever in his life in 2013.

He knew right away this was a special place as it was infectiously welcoming. Reggie knew he wanted to be a part of it. First starting as a volunteer, he eventually joined the staff as floor manager and then grew to program manager. Today, he serves as the Executive Director.

Charlie’s Place energizes him because serving others is an amazing and rewarding experience. He especially loves working with the guests who always express gratitude and are so appreciative of the work at Charlie’s Place.

Reggie currently resides in Northwest Washington D.C.

Damon Clements

Sexton

Damon Clements has been the St. Margaret’s Sexton for nearly 8 years; he has been a faithful member of the parish for more than 20 years. As Sexton, Damon cares for the overall maintenance of the church, providing knowledge and direction to all on-site projects. One of the characteristics he appreciates most about the parish community is how people genuinely care about one another and are willing to help others. He is a source of encouragement to everyone who steps into St. Margaret’s.

Damon was confirmed at the Washington National Cathedral in 2021. While a Pittsburgh native, Damon has resided in Washington DC for 42 years. He currently lives in Northeast DC.

Jen Mariano

St. Margaret's Seminarian

Jen Mariano is a postulant for the priesthood in the Diocese of Maryland and a third-year seminarian at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. She was a student at Church Divinity School of the Pacific for two years, but just this past summer transferred to Candler’s new, mostly online M.Div. program. For the last thirty years Jen has worked in cancer research as a Biologist for the National Cancer Institute.

A member of the Order of the Daughters of the King®, Jen has served in various capacities for many years with this ministry. Jen lives in Frederick, Md., with her wife Lisa, their dog Maximus, and their two cats, Buster and Casper. Aside from family, science, and church, Jen’s other love is lacrosse. She has played, coached, and umpired the game for more than thirty-five years.

The Reverend Caron A. Gwynn

Adjunct Priest

A native Washingtonian, a third generation Episcopalian, and the first woman sponsored for ordination to the priesthood from her home parish, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, DC, Rev. Gwynn has a passion for church mission, equality and justice, pastoral care, and rural and urban ministry. 

Caron was ordained a priest in 2007. She entered ordained ministry with more than 20 years of experience in public health–from hunger advocacy and serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in The Gambia, West Africa, to serving nearly 20 years for the American Cancer Society.

Rev. Gwynn served as Assistant Rector at St. Margaret’s from 2006 to 2009.  She went on to serve two other parishes in the Diocese of Washington, including as Priest-in-Charge and then Rector of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, DC, from 2011 to 2017. In addition to assisting St. Margaret’s now as an adjunct priest, she is also currently serving as a supply priest at St. Philip the Evangelist Episcopal Church and Church of The Holy Communion in Washington, D.C.

Rev. Gwynn is also currently the chaplain for the Diocese of Washington Episcopal Church Women (ECW) Board, the Diocese Daughters of The King (DOK), and the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) Crummell-Cooper DC Chapter.  She currently serves on the Washington Diocese Black Church Committee. 

Rev. Gwynn’s ministry passion is social and racial justice. She supports local community events sponsored by EDOW advocating for non-violence and gun control.  She enjoys traveling especially to Africa and her hobbies include reading, biking, movies, African drumming, theater, and family genealogy research.

The Vestry

The Vestry is an elected body, consisting of 12 parishioners and the Rector, who serve as the legal representatives of St. Margaret's. Supporting the church’s mission by word and deed, they ensure effective organization and planning and manage the church's resources.

Giselle Pole

Senior Warden

Ron Lorentzen

Junior Warden

Patty Nicoson

Gene Batiste

Brian Bolton

Jessica Church

Carline Watson

Nellie Fagan

Annie Elliott

Chris Kimmel

Carolyn Eaves-Goff

Mary Mervenne

A majority of our photography has been generously provided by Bob Connelly.

Contact Us

1830 Connecticut Ave NW,
Washington, DC 20009

 
T: 202.232.2995
E: hello@stmargaretsdc.org