I sat down to talk with Allan Esteron, one of STM’s Assistant Chaplains, earlier this semester. Over the course of an hour, our conversation touched upon the importance of incorporating service into a Catholic life of faith as well as the work he has done to develop STM’s social justice programming.
SW: Allan, thank you so much for speaking with me today. If it’s alright with you, I’d like to ask my first question—What drew you to working in campus ministry?
AE: When I was twelve, I entered the seminary in the Philippines, thinking that I'd be a priest someday. Then, after spending eight years in the seminary, I decided to test the waters. So, I went out and eventually did not look back. I ventured far, far away from the seminary and found myself teaching a course on philosophy in a local college where I also became involved in youth ministry. And then, there was an opportunity that came up in one of the Lasallian schools in the Philippines for a new campus minister. I think that's the point I realized God was calling me into a vocation of lay ministry, especially that of campus ministry. There, I felt the joy of being able to connect and accompany people — and somehow, hopefully, make a difference in their lives.
SW: How have you been developing social justice programming at STM?
AE: It was a need the STM Leadership Team identified last year. I remember a colleague saying at one of the first meetings I participated in, “We don't have enough volunteer or social justice opportunities.” That stuck with me and it was something I could take on as one of STM’s Assistant Chaplains. So our students at STM and I got to work with local churches and organizations, namely a few local Episcopal churches. We collaborated with Christ the Epiphany in East Haven and participated in four of their “Midnight Runs,” an outreach ministry that delivers food to New Haven’s homeless. We also collaborated with Trinity Church on the Green in New Haven and did two projects with them. One of which was “Clean the Green,” where we picked up trash on the New Haven Green. The other was making hygiene kits for girls in Kenya through the Days for Girls program.
We also collaborated with other Yale student groups, namely Focus New Haven, an organization that inspires youth to be active in social justice projects. We introduced them to our Wednesday Soup Kitchen. We worked with several other student groups to assemble care packages for our soup kitchen guests. We also went to Amistad Catholic Worker House where we helped prepare and serve meals; and, we participated in an educational outreach program at Saint Rose and Francis School in Fair Haven. There, we did crafts and discussed the season of Advent with children who are mainly from immigrant families.
SW: What are your plans for service opportunities next year?
AE: I would like to see STM provide service opportunities with both short-term and long-term commitments. Like, if you can commit just one time, there are short-term opportunities for you. I'd call them “opportunities of charity.” But, if you would like to do something for a longer period of time, you can volunteer for a year or a semester. We could have opportunities like that in our Wednesday Soup Kitchen.
I would also like to see our students take on more leadership roles in our social justice programming. Maybe it will be a combination of members of our Undergraduate and Graduate Councils coming together — or, just a separate committee for social justice. I hope to see something like that
next school year. And finally, I would like to explore new service opportunities, especially prison ministry.
SW: And lastly, do you have any advice for our alums and friends who would like to become more involved in social justice programming in their localities?
AE: I think faith is active. So, on a personal level, I think if you engage in your faith, it will naturally come into play that you are called to do something. Cultivate your faith by being of service. I think it's also good to be connected with the community or a church because the church should be able to provide local opportunities for service. So, for alums or other community members not involved with STM, I think the main thing is to connect with your church— or, even a non-religious organization that provides opportunities for service.
I think opportunities for service are always there. It's just a matter of you wanting to be involved and having a connection with a community, or a group, or another person.
Interview has been edited and condensed.
Pictured above with Allan Esteron, Assistant Chaplain, is Hannah Coy '18.
