Chapel Leadership

Fr. Lerner was appointed 8th Chaplain for Saint Thomas More in March 2019. He is a native of Manchester, CT. He holds a B.A. in History and Religion and a M.A. in Public Policy from Trinity College. He entered the seminary in 2008, beginning a six-year journey of prayer, study, discernment and ministry through the seminaries of St. Joseph in Yonkers, NY and completed a M.Div. from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Hartford in 2014. He served as Parochial Vicar at St. Margaret Parish in Madison, and recently as Secretary to the Archbishop, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Hartford and priest associate at Trinity College in Hartford.  Contact ryan.lerner@yale.edu

Sr. Jenn, a native of Washington State, is a Dominican Sister of Blauvelt, NY.  She holds a M.A. in Pastoral Ministry from the University of Portland, OR and a D.Min. from Seattle University focusing on charism formation in Dominican institutions of higher education. She has a Spiritual Director Certificate from Aquinas Institute of Theology. Before joining the team in 2013, she served in campus ministry at Ohio Dominican University and as Communications Director for her congregation. 
Contact Sr. Jenn at jenn.schaaf@yale.edu

Allan is a native of the Philippines. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy from St. Francis Seminary, Philippines. Before moving to the United States, he served as a lecturer, retreat facilitator and campus minister at different institutions of higher education. In 2016, he completed a M.A. in Religious Education from Fordham University, concentrating on Youth and Young Adult Ministry. Allan lives in Milford with his wife and two children.
Contact Allan at allan.esteron@yale.edu

Grace is a Rhode Island native and proud graduate of the University of Notre Dame. After college, she served as a high school teacher, coach, and campus minister for three years, also earning her Master's of Education. In 2020, she graduated with a Master of Divinity from her alma mater, while gaining experiences in counseling, writing, and mentorship to young women. She joined the Saint Thomas More pastoral team in 2021 and lives in New Haven with her husband. 

Contact Grace at grace.h.carroll@yale.edu

David is a California bay area native. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. in History and International Peace Studies he worked as a social worker at the Farm of the Child in Honduras for two and a half years. He returned to New Haven and worked at St. Martin de Porres Academy in the Graduate Support Department and as their Director of Spiritual Development and Student Support while he earned his M.A.R. at Yale Divinity School. He joined the STM pastoral team in 2021 and lives in New Haven with his wife, Rosabelle ad three children.
Contact David at d.rivera@yale.edu

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