The Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

The Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano was born in St. Louis, Missouri and raised Episcopalian, though his living and worshiping spaces have had a way of shifting ever since his educator parents moved their young family to Buenos Aires, Argentina for a fifteen-year adventure in South America. His school and social life included kids from forty countries around the world, with diversity informing his growing sense of wonder and curiosity; he became fluent in Spanish, traveled extensively, and received an education that was both multilingual and multinational, while his social life was challenged and fed by interaction with friends who were culturally and ethnically varied, and religiously Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and every kind of Christian imaginable.

Craig followed his love of reading to Yale College, majoring in Literature and Philosophy, and then on to Columbia University for a Master’s degree in English and Comparative Literature (with work in Spanish and French); he matriculated in the Ph.D. program, but decided instead to follow another love: that of singing. He spent several years on the Broadway stage, along with performing and recording his own concert evenings of story and song all over the country and then some. It was, like his childhood, a life on the move, and while he thrilled at experiencing whatever cultural and religious paths were indigenous to his travel destinations, he found that he lacked a spiritual home.

In a post-9/11 world of religious rupture, Craig felt drawn, more and more, to conversations that would bridge spiritual divides. At Princeton Theological Seminary he completed three degree programs: Master of Divinity, Master of Theology in Pastoral Care, and a Ph.D. in Pastoral Theology. Along the way, he immersed himself in the competencies required for Unitarian Universalist (UU) ministry, completed a two-year Intern Ministry at UUCMC, and found that it was particularly in UUism that he felt able to express fully as a minister the many sources of theological insight that had informed his own story. While his own religious affiliation is Christian at its core, life has taken him theologically well beyond anything he could have anticipated; he has the strong belief that what is Holy most palpably moves among us when we are in principled community, and he honors and delights in the many pathways to the All forged by diverse faith traditions. He has experienced the theological work of the UU movement to be uniquely affirming of all beings and creation, and so makes his ministerial home within its ongoing experiment in religious inclusivity.

At the UU Congregation of Princeton, NJ, Craig led the Youth Group, a Campus Ministry at the university, and ultimately, served as Interim Assistant Minister in charge of Faith Development programming for Children and Youth. In 2018, Princeton UU’s members ordained him to leadership in the church universal, that his ministry might participate in the ongoing vital communal work of transformation in the world. Craig cares deeply about the sustaining power of working together, and has always prioritized engaging in shared ministry—whether in the sanctuary, the classroom, or the office.

In July, 2019, Craig entered into co-ministry at UUCMC, a call to participate in the interconnectivity he holds sacred in this world, and to be in relationship with the life stories of a community dear to his heart. Following the Rev. Jarocha-Ernst’s retirement in July, 2021, he assumed the position of full-time solo minister. Though solo in his titled ministry, Craig understands that true ministry is always shared; he is grateful for a truly committed and flexible staff team at UUCMC.

Craig lives on a rural mountaintop north of Princeton, where he enjoys walking, working outdoors, tending to pet Nigerian dwarf goats, and spending quality time with his parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nieces.

Contact Rev. Craig:

Office: (732) 741-6111
Email:
craig@uucmc.org