Ryan grew up in Durham, North Carolina, and holds degrees from the University of Virginia, Yale Divinity School, and Berkeley Divinity School, the Episcopal seminary at Yale. Currently, he chairs the Board of Governors for the Episcopal Church at Yale and is Dean of the Manhattan Central Clericus in the Diocese of New York.

Ryan’s husband, Daniel Noble, is a successful lawyer in New York City and a devoted Christian. Dan grew up in southern California and attended Stanford before moving to the east coast. Ryan and Dan met at Yale, so there are Connecticut roots, and they are both looking forward to moving from NYC to Darien.

The search process was extremely rigorous and took many months to complete. Dozens of Saint Luke’s parishioners were involved in the process, working on the Communications, Discernment, Hospitality, Prayer and Recruitment Committees, as well as in other capacities. In addition, more than 250 parishioners participated in focus groups last summer to discern what Saint Luke’s really needs and wants in its new Rector.

Guided by the focus group findings, we cast a wide net for applicants. The Recruitment Committee identified more than 20 qualified candidates, then painstakingly narrowed the field to a small number of exceptionally strong finalists. When the Vestry received the final list, we thought it was going to be extremely hard to agree on just one. We invited these candidates back to Saint Luke’s for a second visit, this time with their families, and engaged them in hours of interviews and discussions. In parallel, we interviewed their references.

While the research and prayer that went into the decision took a lot of effort, we were inspired at how easy the decision itself turned out to be. Ryan clearly emerged as the choice for Saint Luke’s. The Vestry vote was unanimous.

With the Hospitality Committee and others, we will be arranging a series of events, both large and small, which will allow each of us to get to know Ryan. We will also be getting the rectory in shape to be a welcoming home for Ryan and Dan and for them to welcome you in it. We will keep you up to date on timing and ways you can be involved. 

Words cannot express how excited we are that Ryan has accepted the call to Saint Luke’s. We are also ever mindful of the blessing we feel to have completed our search within days of the coronavirus upending our daily and community life. We have felt God’s presence at every step of the way during this process and His strong hand in leading us to Ryan. We believe that Ryan is God’s choice for this role and that, working collaboratively with staff and lay leaders, he will lead our Parish to new heights of service to God and community.

Please join us in welcoming Ryan and Dan!