The Rev. Hannah Lovaglio: Pastor

The Rev. Hannah Lovaglio has the fondest memories of growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. As a child, Hannah learned to trust in God and God's love at work in the world, made known in the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and unfolding still today by the power of the Holy Spirit. At church, Hannah always knew that she belonged, that she was free to make mistakes, to try again, to voice her faith and her doubts, to love and be loved, and to challenge others to do the same.

After graduating from Davidson College in Davidson, NC with a degree in Religious Studies, Hannah moved to South Africa to attend Stellenbosch University in Stellenbosch, SA where she earned her first Masters of Divinity. Hannah would then work for Broad Street Ministry in Philadelphia, PA before earning her second Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. She and her husband Michael and their puppy Tiberius moved to Cranbury in 2015, where she served as our Associate Pastor from January 2016 to March 2021. At that time, in God's funny way with things, she was joyfully called, received, and installed as our Senior Pastor.

Michael, who holds her hand and her heart, is called to ministry in his own right working for Catholic Charities in Trenton and as our part time Director of Youth Ministry. Since moving to Cranbury, their family has grown to include two sons, a cat, a bunny, and a much older though not better Tiberius, all of whom love calling Cranbury home.

On her sense of call, Hannah reflects, “Home is a huge part of my sense of call. Clergy wear different marks of the office: a collar, a robe, a stole. The one I identify most with is the stole, because it comes from the tradition of an apron. It is what you wipe your hands off on when they get dirty from doing the work of loving and serving both God and neighbor. I am a pastor, and a homemaker. I want to be a part of creating a church home where everyone knows themselves welcomed and belonging. A place with open doors and open arms, free of pretense and full of joy. When I imagine the kingdom of God, I imagine the best of what a home has to offer: love, promise, foundation, relationship, freedom, and so much more.”