Chaplains
Fr. Robert L. Beloin, Chaplain
Fr. Bob, as Yale's Catholic Chaplain is affectionately known to students, faculty, and community members, is a native of Connecticut. He completed his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Divinity at Our Lady of Angels Seminary in Albany, New York. He received his Ph.D. in Religious Studies, magna cum laude, from the University of Louvain in Belgium in 1983.
Following his ordination in 1973, Fr. Bob served first as Assistant Pastor for St. Ann Church in New Britain, CT. He was the Director of Pastoral Formation at the American College in Louvain from 1978 to 1983, and then spent ten years as Co-Pastor for St. Barnabas Church in North Haven. In 1994, he became the 7th Chaplain at Saint Thomas More.
During his tenure, Fr. Bob has been active in both local and national organizations. In 1991 he became a member of the Advisory Board of the National Alliance of Parishes Restructuring into Communities, a Catholic organization supporting parish renewal. He has given many presentations and workshops on behalf of NAPRC, and adapted their "Small Church Community" model for Yale University students.
Fr. Bob was also a Retreat Director for the Ministry to Priests Program for nine years and has served on many committees for the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven and on various Archdiocesan committees, including the Presbyteral Council and the Personnel Board.
Fr. Bob enjoys classical music, Broadway plays, white water rafting, bungee jumping, zymurgy, and tailgate parties for Yale football games.
Fr. Eddie DeLeon, C.M.F., Assistant Chaplain
Fr. Eddie is a native of Indiana. He holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Mundelein College in Chicago; an M.Div. from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and a D.Min. in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO.
He comes to Saint Thomas More from Missouri where he served as a campus mimister for 13 years on three campuses. He has just completed a seven year term as Provincial of the Claretian community. He is beginning his first year at Saint Thomas More!
Katie Byrnes, Assistant Chaplain
Katie Byrnes is a native of Connecticut. She holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, Connecticut, and an M.A. in Pastoral Ministries from Saint Thomas University in Miami, Florida. She comes to us from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, where she worked as a Campus Minister and coordinated the “Iona in Mission” program that sent students all over the world to serve during their breaks. Katie also spent two years as the Resident Minister in the Campus Ministries house.
An avid volunteer, Katie has spent many years working with Habitat for Humanity and Heifer Project International, and has a special enthusiasm for working with kids in need. She also serves on the Board of Directors at the New Rochelle YMCA. According to Katie, “there is nothing like assisting in the birth of piglets at 2 in the morning on a farm in Massachusetts, putting up shingles on a roof of a Habitat for Humanity home in Georgia or spending a night in a Native American sweat lodge on a Navajo reservation to put your faith into action. Really living out your faith means getting your hands dirty!”
Katie strives to involve students of all ages in service as well as to find creative ways to engage folks in conversations on issues of faith and spirituality. Katie enjoys reading just about anything, Mexican food, Broadway music, football and travel.
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