Meet the new priests to be ordained by Cardinal Tobin on May 25 (Ordination 2024)
The three men to be ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Newark this year hail from as near as New Jersey and as far as Italy. They range from 25 to 35 and have very different life experiences. But while they may have traveled diverse paths to the priesthood, they all share the same calling to live out their deep love for God by serving others.
On Saturday, May 25, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, will ordain Matteo Matarazzo of Perugia in Italy, Joseph A. Pavone of Nutley, and Andrew M. Rubinich of Fairfield in Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. One man entered the seminary right after high school, while others pursued university degrees in culinary arts, and classical languages, and one even sought out a military life.
All three men said they were inspired by the example of their parish priests, and a supportive church and family. An urgent need to evangelize, the joys and the depth that priestly ministry offers, and wanting to serve those facing challenges, were cited as the primary motivations for entering the Catholic priesthood.
Read on to learn more about these men and what inspired them to become priests.
Deacon Matteo Matarazzo, 31
Deacon Matarazzo once gave up his faith. But after hearing the Neocatechumenal Way’s catechesis, he felt God’s love in his life and knew he wanted to become a priest.
“It was the first time in a while that I felt really loved, forgiven, and accepted,” Deacon Matarazzo said.
It was that experience that led him to answer the call to priesthood.
He is originally from Perugia, Italy, where he attended the parish of Holy Family. When he moved to New Jersey, he became a member of Holy Redeemer in West New York.
In Italy, Deacon Matarazzo went to business school, culinary school, and informatic/technology school. He worked as a server and cook in restaurants. He also applied to the Italian Navy. Just before entering the seminary, the Navy asked him to join its officer’s program, but that is when he found his faith.
“I told them God already enlisted me for a different kind of service,” he said.
Deacon Matarazzo went on to study philosophy in the seminary at Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University. He then continued his studies in theology at Seton Hall University in South Orange.
He said he wanted to become a priest because, in these challenging times, he believes people are starving for spirituality now more than ever.
Deacon Matarazzo is currently a transitional deacon at Holy Family Church in Nutley.
What is your home parish in the Archdiocese?
Holy Redeemer Church in West New York
What inspired you to become a priest?
I left the faith and the Church for a period of time. One evening I went to listen to the catechesis of the Neocatechumenal Way (NCW). There I was told God loved me and He was not ashamed of me. It was the first time in a while I felt really loved, forgiven, and accepted. Being in the NCW and having experienced the love of God in my life made me see my calling to become a priest.
Was there a defining moment that confirmed your decision to enter the seminary?
One of the moments was when my life was spared after I had a car accident. Another moment was to see the patience and love of God through my formators who, despite my initial rebellion, kept believing in my vocation and helped me in many ways to accept it.
Despite these challenging times, why do you still want to be a priest?
If I am going forward in my vocation, it is not despite these times, but because of them. People today are starving spiritually. There is an urgent need to evangelize. I want to be able to bring God’s love to these people in a very personal way.
Deacon Joseph A. Pavone, 35
Deacon Pavone did not take a linear path to the priesthood. After being ordained a transitional deacon 10 years ago, he decided to leave Church ministry and pursue a search for self-fulfillment.
He said his call to the priesthood was more of a slow and steady revelation over time “whereby the Lord used the ordinary events of my daily life to reveal Himself to me.”
Deacon Joseph A. Pavone, of Nutley, was raised in a family where faith was at its center. He was also surrounded by supportive priests at a young age, he said.
He attended St. Peter’s Preparatory High School in Jersey City and Seton Hall University. As an undergraduate, he studied primarily philosophy and classical languages. As a postgraduate, he studied systematic theology as well as Ecclesiastical history, an area of study in which he is most interested. In 2014, he was ordained as a transitional deacon for the Archdiocese of Newark but left Church ministry soon after.
Over the next 10 years, Deacon Pavone said he encountered many people of a varied array of backgrounds and got involved in several different lines of work. This all caused him to rethink his life and realize the priesthood has always been his calling.
“What this circuitous journey has taught me was a level of understanding, compassion, and maturity that I had previously been lacking,” Deacon Pavone said. “I know that God has allowed all that He has not only for my own personal growth, but also more importantly, so that I may better serve His people.”
He is currently a transitional deacon at St. Anastasia Church in Teaneck.
What is your home parish, including the town, state, and (if not in the U.S.) country.
Holy Family Church in Nutley
What inspired you to become a priest?
I grew up in a family where faith was a central component of our daily lives in one capacity or another. I believe it was this lived witness that first drew me into not only the faith, but also to my attraction to priestly ministry. Additionally, I was fortunate enough as well to be exposed to the example of many good and holy priests as a young man. These men showed me by their own example the joys and the depth priestly ministry offered.
Was there a defining moment that confirmed your decision to enter the seminary?
Interestingly, there was not one singular moment or event that confirmed my decision to enter the seminary. Rather than one dramatic moment, I believe it was more of a slow and steady revelation over time whereby the Lord used the ordinary events of my daily life to reveal Himself to me. I will mention briefly that when I was a young boy, Pope John Paul II made an Apostolic visit to the Archdiocese of Newark, as many will recall. I remember well watching this on television and being quite moved by his presence. I believe this was the first seed God planted in my mind.
Despite these challenging times, why do you still want to be a priest?
I have been asked this question a number of times by those I have encountered in ministry. I believe it is specifically because of these challenging times the Church all the more needs men who are willing to boldly and unreservedly announce the faith to a world that is so desperately in need of God’s love. I pray God will give me the grace to do just that.
Deacon Andrew M. Rubinich, 25
Although he attended public school, Deacon Andrew M. Rubinich spent the rest of his time at Fairfield’s St. Thomas More Church, going from altar server and youth ministry participant to catechetics teacher and vacation Bible school leader. Through these experiences, he felt a call to the priesthood.
“As I experienced the parish as a home and got a sense of parish life and priestly ministry in it, and after feeling the stirrings of Jesus’ voice in my heart calling me to the priesthood, I felt inspired to keep discerning Jesus’ call,” he said. “I entered the college seminary, and later the major seminary, and have spent now eight years in seminary formation.”
During his seminary years, Deacon Rubinich has had “awesome experiences of ministry” such as Saint Joseph’s Senior Home in Totowa run by the Little Sisters of the Poor, Saint John’s Soup Kitchen in Newark, CCD at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament in Roseland, Hospital Ministry at Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson, and Saint Paul Parish in Ramsey.
“They have affirmed in me my vocation and served as integral components of my seminary formation,” he said.
Deacon Rubinich attended Seton Hall University and received his B.A. in Catholic theology and M.A. in moral theology.
He is currently serving as a transitional deacon at Saint Paul the Apostle Church in the Greenville section of Jersey City.
What is your home parish in the Archdiocese?
St. Thomas More Church in Fairfield
What inspired you to become a priest?
I was inspired to become a priest because of the great joy and strength that comes from knowing Jesus in the family of faith, especially in my parish family. My home parish, Saint Thomas More in Fairfield, was a home for me; through altar serving, youth ministry, teaching CCD, helping lead vacation Bible school, and music ministry, I felt I belonged. As I grew in my relationship with Jesus through prayer, knew His tender love and mercy, and fell in love with the Church the Body of Christ–I came to hear Jesus’ call. His call was a still, small voice that resounded in my heart and invited me to be His priest and a man who lives for others. The witness of other holy and zealous priests in my life and the encouragement of so many faithful people inspired me, as well.
Was there a defining moment that confirmed your decision to enter the seminary?
I never told anyone about the call I was hearing in my heart. As I was discerning it, people started to tell me I should consider becoming a priest. When those whom I loved and respected affirmed me in this way, the stirrings of my heart were really being corroborated. The power of others inviting me moved my heart and echoed Jesus, so I surrendered to His will and ultimately entered the seminary to further discern and be formed.
Despite these challenging times, why do you still want to be a priest?
Despite these challenging times, I still want to be a priest because everyone is still seeking. As St. Augustine would say, God has made us for Himself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Him. I am so encouraged and hopeful about the times we find ourselves in, since I’ve been blessed to come to know the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I desire to seek Him more and more with others and bring His hope to the world.
To learn more about the call to the priesthood, visit the Office of Priestly Vocations of the Archdiocese of Newark.
