From Metuchen Diocese Catholic Spirit Newspaper – May 2, 2019

Deacon Joseph D. Ragucci 
25th Anniversary of Ordination

Deacon Joseph D. Ragucci has served at St. John Vianney Parish, Colonia, for the. past 25 years. Reflecting on his vocation, he said his path to the diaconate began at st. Joseph Parish, Carteret, where he and his wife, Rose, worshipped for the first 15 years of their marriage.

At St. Joseph, Deacon Ragucci came to know the Servite priests and Servants of Mary religious, better known as Servites, too. He said, “The faith education pro- vided there, and the service opportunities led to my call to become a deacon. When Father Damian Kobus, the chief liturgist for the Servite order, was appointed pas- tor, our faith and service to God’s people came alive. We became really close to him and the staff of priests and religious sisters that he brought together at the parish.

“As Father Kobus encouraged me to use the gifts God gave to me to serve the parish 1 began to lead many parish activities. When my wife and 1 moved out of Carteret and later joined St. John Vianney Parish, we still remained active at St. Joseph Parish because, as Father Kobus used to say, ‘God’s presence could be found there. ‘”

Deacon Ragucci earned a certificate of diaconal ministry at the College of St. Elizabeth, Morristown. Bishop Ed- ward T. Hughes ordained him to the diaconate May 21, 1994, at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen.

At St. John Vianney Parish, Deacon Ragucci’s ministry experience includes serving as parish coordinator for adult education together with his wife, working with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, Pre-Cana, adult confirmation, liturgical minister scheduling, and master of ceremonies for many liturgies. In addition, he is a member of the liturgy committee, finance committee, pastoral council, designer and webmaster for St. John Vianney’s parish and school websites and served on the Diaconate Personnel Board, 2005- 2008.

Emphasizing how important his spouse has been in sup- porting him during his ministry, Deacon Ragucci stated, “I am fortunate to have a wife, Rose, who is committed to the faith as much-as 1 am. We are a powerful team in bringing the message of God’s love to the people of our parish. We work together and complement each other in doing God’s work in our parish.”

Born in Rahway to the late Dominic and Rose Nardi, Deacon Ragucci attended public schools in Woodbridge Township, before earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Newark College of Engineering and a master’s degree in electrical engineering.

He was employed for 31 years at AT&T/Lucent Technology and Bell Laboratories. Later, he worked as a senior test engineer for Tollgrade Communications, Bridgewater, until his retirement in 2009. This experience has served him well as he uses his computer engineering skills as the primary technical support person for the parish and school networks and software systems.

Deacon Ragucci and his wife live in Edison. They have a daughter, Rosalie Cook, son-in-law John Cook, and a grand- son Benjamin Cook.

For men considering the diaconate he said, “My advice is to always stay close to your family since they are your strength as you serve the people of God.” “Being a deacon has been a truly blessed and rewarding ministry since it has opened up many opportunities to serve the people of God,” said Deacon Ragucci.

“After 25 years I’ve been able to follow many families from weddings, to baptisms, to other sacraments. Together with my wife, we have been able to offer the parish over the years so many bible study and faith education classes for both adults and children preparing for confirmation. Seeing people come to realize the truth and beauty of our faith in Jesus and thirst for more is something to behold and a real gift from God.”