Deacon Peter Rusciolelli: ‘I was always encouraged to pursue God's will for my life’
Home parish: St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte
Birthplace: Charlotte, N.C.
Birthday: Aug. 21, 1997
Raised in: Waxhaw, N.C.
Family: Parents - William and Deborah Rusciolelli; siblings - Sister Therese Marie (formerly Molly), Nathanael, Abigail, William, John Paul, Noah, Bridget, Celeste
College: St. Joseph College Seminary
Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Belmont Abbey College
Theology: Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Cincinnati, Ohio
Summer assignments in the diocese: St. Mark Church in Huntersville; St. Jude Mission in Sapphire Valley and Our Lady of the Mountains Church in Highlands; St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon, St. Ann Church in Charlotte.
CNH: What are some of your interests/hobbies?
Deacon Rusciolelli: I enjoy playing sports, outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, hunting, camping etc., fixing and building things, reading and studying philosophy, theology and liberal arts.
CNH: Any comments to the people of the Diocese of Charlotte about becoming a transitional deacon here?
Deacon Rusciolelli: Having been born and raised in the Diocese of Charlotte, I am very excited to be ordained and to begin to serve within this diocese. During my time as a transitional deacon and future ministry as a priest, I look forward giving back to the faithful who have given me so much.
CNH: When did you first hear the call to a vocation to the priesthood?
Deacon Rusciolelli: It was gradual, in the sense that there was no one moment. I began discerning God’s will for my life when I was about 15 and by the time I was 18 I had made the decision to enter seminary.
CNH: Who did you first talk to about your vocation, and what advice did you get from them?
Deacon Rusciolelli: I spoke with my spiritual director and a friend. I was always encouraged to pursue God’s will for my life and to continue praying, particularly praying the breviary (Liturgy of the Hours).
CNH: How did you go about discerning where you felt called to explore your possible vocation?
Deacon Rusciolelli: I continued praying about my vocation, stopping at Adoration for time before the Blessed Sacrament, prayed the rosary and the breviary, talked about my concerns with my spiritual director, etc.
CNH: How and when did you reach out to the Vocations Office at the diocese?
Deacon Rusciolelli: I reached out to the Vocations Office at the diocese around Christmas time in the year of 2015. I emailed Father Christopher Gober (diocesan vocations director) and then had a subsequent meeting with him.
CNH: Tell us about what you have been doing as part of your discernment process.
Deacon Rusciolelli: I have continued my prayers and built upon them. I have meditated on the priesthood, studied it, and continued to talk about it with spiritual directors and formation advisers. I have read books on it and lived the life, as best as one is able, that a diocesan priest might be called to live.
CNH: What advice do you have for a young man discerning a call to the priesthood?
Deacon Rusciolelli: I would advise prayer and spiritual direction. One must discern God’s vocation for their life by having self-knowledge and remaining open to the will of God. Meditative prayer is necessary for this and a spiritual director can help one understand what God is saying in prayer. Also, talking with priests and seminarians about their experience, reading books on the topic, living the life and discerning whether this lifestyle brings peace and joy and the other fruits of the Holy Spirit – these are all helpful ways to discern a vocation. One must also pray for and work on obtaining a trust in God to make a decision without knowing or controlling all the outcomes.
CNH: What do you think has helped you the most to discern God’s will for your vocation?
Deacon Rusciolelli: Faithfulness and consistency in prayer.
GREENSBORO — Churches across the Diocese of Charlotte will take up a special collection Sept. 24-25 to support the diocese’s retired priests including Father Robert “Bob” Ferris – who at 84 is still on the road most weekends saying Mass and providing pastoral support at Catholic churches across western North Carolina.
Known affectionately as “Padre Dad,” because he became a priest late in life after having a family, Father Ferris traverses the diocese, stepping in for busy priests called away or in need of time off. He regularly celebrates Mass at Our Lady of Grace Church near his home in Greensboro.
Like many retired priests, Father Ferris fills his days providing spiritual direction, leading mini retreats at parishes, speaking to groups, and assisting at Cursillo retreats. He also makes house calls to hear confessions and bring homebound parishioners Holy Communion. Occasionally, he celebrates Mass at the Pennybyrn retirement community in High Point.
“I don’t want to stop until God calls me home!” Father Ferris says.
The diocese needs to raise $1.7 million in this year’s collection for retired priests, to stay on track to provide future pension income and supplemental retiree health insurance for the 125 priests serving the Church in western North Carolina. Parishioner gifts are the primary source of funding and the annual amount needed is calculated by actuaries factoring in inflation and growth of the diocese’s pension and health trusts. The funds also help support the diocese’s 36 retired priests.
Serving as a priest for 22 years, Father Ferris was ordained in 2001, many years after his beloved wife Mary Kay passed away. He has six grown children, 10 grandchildren and a great-grandchild due in February.
The former pastor of St. Aloysius Parish in Hickory, Father Ferris officially retired in 2014 but finds himself regularly assisting at parishes throughout the Triad and across western North Carolina.
“When I was at St. Aloysius Parish, I got tired, as I was up early and out late a lot,” Father Ferris says. “But I never wanted to stop administrating the sacraments upon retirement.”
Over the past eight years since he retired, he has been able to set more of his own schedule and get a bit more rest. He also spends more quality time with his family.
“My grandkids know me now,” he says. “I can celebrate Mass with them, attend birthday parties and family celebrations.”
Still, Father Ferris wants to continue serving the diocese as long as God allows. “I tell Him, ‘Lord, you give me the good health and the people, and I’ll work for you.’”
In a letter to the faithful, Bishop Peter Jugis urges parishioners to support the annual Priests’ Retirement Benefits Collection, noting that retired priests like Father Ferris, “remain ‘In Service to All,’ and now we can respond with gratitude.”
— SueAnn Howell
Priests’ Retirement Benefits Collection facts
- The Priests’ Retirement Benefits Collection provides for the future pension income and retiree health benefits of the 125 priests serving the Church in western North Carolina, as well as 36 retired priests.
- The 2022 goal is $1.7 million.
- Contributions will help fund the diocese’s Priests Pension Trust and Retired Priests Health Plan Trust, as well as retirement programs of religious orders and other dioceses that are providing priests to serve in parishes of the Diocese of Charlotte.
- For parishioners unable to attend Mass the weekend of Sept. 24-25, a gift can be made by mail or online. Please mail checks to Priests’ Retirement Fund, Diocese of Charlotte, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C., 28203. Online, please go to your parish website if it offers online giving or visit www.charlottediocese.org/donate, then click “Priests’ Retirement & Benefits Collection.” Your gift will be credited to your parish.