Rev. Nihal de Lanerolle

Fr. Nihal de Lanerolle has been ministering at St. Paul’s since 1994, first as a Presbyter with the Middlesex Area Cluster ministry of which St. Paul’s was a constituent member and since 2010 when the church regained independent status as its Priest in Charge. In addition he has served the Episcopal Church in a variety of capacities – Curate at St Matthew’s, St. Paul. MN; supply Priest at a variety of churches; Priest Associate (8 yr.) and Interim Rector (2.5 years) at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church New Haven; College Chaplain at Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut (1999 – 2002) and Chaplain to the Episcopal Church at Yale (2002 – 2013).

He was born and grew up in Sri Lanka where he was educated through college obtaining a B.Sc. honours degree in Zoology. In addition to his ministry in the Church, Fr, Nihal is a full time Professor in Neurosurgery and Neuroscience at the Yale School of Medicine where he has worked for the past 36 years teaching and conducting research on Epilepsy and Brain Trauma. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Neuroethology and a higher doctoral degree of Doctor of Science from the University of Sussex, England. His theological training was at the Jesus College and Ridley Hall in the University of Cambridge, England and holds a M.A. degree in Theology and Religious Studies. His hobbies include reading, listening to classical music, playing squash and badminton, traveling and hiking.