By EMMALEE ITALIA
Contributing Editor
In his new role as associate director of Marriage Ministries and Natural Family Planning for the Diocese of Trenton, Nicholas Petrillo hopes to bring his varied Catholic experience to bear, noting in particular that “married life is the best life I’ve lived!”
“I look forward to engaging with couples, sharing the joys of a sacramental marriage, and seeing those fruits lived out,” he said. “God is so good, and he cannot be outdone in generosity.”
Petrillo was born in Howell and was baptized in St. William the Abbot Parish. The family moved to Oceanport shortly after, and Petrillo remained there until 2017. He is a member of St. Aloysius Parish, Jackson, where he has been primary facilitator for Order of Christian Initiation of Adults and assists with religious education and youth and young adult ministries.
Finding his Vocation
Petrillo worked for three years with NET Ministries before entering St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore, as a seminarian for the Trenton Diocese, earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. Although he discerned out of the seminary in 2015, he earned a master’s in theology in from St. Mary’s remotely in 2019. Petrillo went on to serve at Mater Dei Prep, Middletown, and St. Rose High School, Belmar, as a religion teacher and campus minister.
His multi-faceted experience with Catholic ministry coincided with an eventual call to married life.
“My wife and I started dating in 2015 and married two years later,” he said. “One of the highlights of our wedding was having 10 priests on the altar! This past May, we welcomed our first child, our son Declan James.”
Marriage ministry, Petrillo said, helps married couples “to be a witness to the world – especially their families – of the goodness of God and the reality of His existence. … It is important to support couples in their vocation and help foster their relationship, not only as spouses, but as children of God.”
Diocesan Duties
As associate director, Petrillo will oversee the Diocese’s Pre-Cana programs, which help prepare couples for marriage; NFP education, and coordination of the annual Bishop’s Anniversary Blessing Masses.
“These programs are the flagships of the ministry,” he said. “Throughout the Scriptures, marriage (or a wedding) is the image to describe God’s love for His people. Marriage is a unique Sacrament in how it makes manifest that love, a love capable of producing life.
“Marriage is to be free (not coerced or impeded), total (a gift of the whole self), faithful (until death), and fruitful (open to life),” he continued. “NFP helps a couple implement these aspects in a way that upholds the dignity of their spouse and the conjugal act – to be unitive and procreative.”
Petrillo said he is excited to implement new initiatives, including having couples gather to “share a delicious meal that feeds the stomach and conversation that fuels the heart and soul.”
He also plans to provide “opportunities for couples to pray together throughout the year in an intentional way. It is essential for spouses to pray together … In marriage we share each other’s crosses, and I look forward to offering opportunities for couples to pray the Stations together.”