Deacon Richard Ferreira

Richard Ferreira grew up with a deep appreciation for the role that deacons play in their church communities. As a child, Ferreira had a front row seat watching his father, Emeterio, serve as a deacon at St. Mary’s Church in Manhattan. “He planted the seeds of Catholic growth in me,” states Ferreira.
 

The Ferreiras worked hard to send their seven children to Catholic school in New York City, and when it was time for Richard to start thinking about what he wanted to do with his life, he knew helping others would be a focal point.
 

“I’ve always been drawn to helping those in need and working in underserved communities,” he states.
 

Ferreira earned a master’s degree from Columbia University School of Social Work and started working at non-profits. His work included helping individuals during the HIV pandemic, working at a foster care agency, and doing community development projects. Currently, Ferreira serves as the program director for Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton, where he runs the community services and food pantry programs for Burlington and Mercer counties. His programs serve nearly 1,800 people monthly.
 

Despite his busy day job, and a full homelife as a husband and father, Ferreira made time to answer the Lord’s call to become a deacon. Ferreira had been a parishioner at the Church of St. Matthew the Apostle in Edison for about eight years and served the parish in various ways, but Ferreira felt he could do more.
 

“I’ve always had a calling to serve the church and the community. When I moved to New Jersey and found St. Matthew’s, I sat down with my pastor, Father George Targonski, and said, ‘I need to give more to the parish and to the community. I’m here to serve. Where do you need me?’”
 

Father George encouraged him to consider becoming a deacon. “Though my father was a deacon, and I had been involved in the church for many years, I hadn’t thought about this before. Hearing it from my pastor, though, made me want to give it some deep thought,” states Ferreira.
 

Several months later, Ferreira heard from his pastor that a new Deaconate program was starting at Seaton Hall University, and he was encouraged to apply. The catch, however, was that the group would be studying in Spanish. While Ferreira’s parents are Spanish speakers, it was a second language to Ferreira, and his skills were mainly conversational at first.
 

“Doing the program was very challenging for me,” states Ferreira. “Here I was learning at a collegiate level in Spanish, contemplating the scriptures in Spanish, and re-learning the Spanish language at the same time…The first few months were very overwhelming to the point that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to finish the program.” What’s more, much of this was happening through virtual learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 

Ferreira was fearful of falling behind. He prayed for clarity, and heard a voice inside encourage him to keep going: “I felt Him say, ‘I know you can do it in English, but I need for you do it Spanish.”
 

So rather than give up, Ferreira worked twice as hard. He learned to listen to the teachings in Spanish, take notes in English, then translate everything to Spanish to prepare for tests and papers. He grew closer to colleagues in the program who encouraged and helped him, and slowly but surely, Ferreira saw his academic learnings grow and his Spanish language skills improve.

“I was blessed to finish the program,” says Ferreira.
 

Despite the challenges, Ferreira wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. “I have learned through prayer and the Lord to embrace my challenges to be a better servant to His mission,” he states.

Ferreira has “anxious job” about the road that lies ahead. “I can’t wait to see where I’m placed, to start working with the community, and to spread God’s love.”

Ferreira is married to his wife, Anna, and has two adult sons, Richard, Jr., and Emmanual.