Coupled Students, Servants of Christ

Tobia, “Tobi,” and Anne Ippolito, graduate students at Seton Hall’s Immaculate Conception Seminary School of (ICSST), have each followed a path guided by prayer, discernment and a desire to grow more deeply in their faith. In May 2026, that journey will mark an important moment, when Tobi and Anne receive their master's degrees in Theology.

During Tobi’s time at ICSST, he has been in formation for the permanent diaconate. His call to serve as a deacon came when he was an active parishioner at Holy Family Church in Florham Park, New Jersey. His pastor, Father Thomas Rekiel, saw in him the potential for something more. The invitation to consider deeper service was not immediately accepted. Tobi’s first response was hesitation. “Who, me? Being a deacon? … I don’t think that I am worthy to serve,” he recalled. The timing did not seem right, especially given his responsibilities to his family. At the time, Tobi and Anne’s three children were in high school.

Fortunately, his initial reluctance did not close the door permanently. With Father Tom’s continued encouragement — and through prayer and ongoing conversations with Anne — Tobi began to reconsider. Over time, the idea of the diaconate became less distant and more possible. When he eventually submitted his application to the Diocese of Paterson, it was with a quiet trust that, if accepted, he would step forward in faith. Anne, reflecting on that period, recalls: “The spirit of service has long been a part of who Tobi is, both in the Church and in his medical profession.”

During the early phase of formation, Tobi and Anne attended workshops designed for incoming candidates and their wives. It was during one of these sessions that Anne learned, through a conversation she had with Deacon Peter Cistaro, then director of the Permanent Diaconate for the Diocese of Paterson, that wives could participate in the program by auditing theology courses. Rather than setting her apart from the formation experience her husband was having, this opened up a new possibility. Anne began to consider what it might look like to pursue theological studies herself.

After taking time to reflect and pray, and with Tobi’s encouragement, she applied and was accepted to Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology. What followed was something neither of Tobi or Ann anticipated: the chance to study alongside one another and share a sense of purpose that they both value deeply.

In many ways, it reminded them of their earlier years at St. Peter’s University, where they first met as undergraduate students studying the sciences. The rigors of academic life: the discussions, the questions, even the occasional frustrations, felt familiar. As Tobi put it, “some things have not changed all that much.”

What has changed, however, is the depth of their shared faith. Both speak of how this time of formation has drawn them closer to Christ and, in turn, closer to one another. That growth has been felt in their family life as well. They described the importance of small, consistent practices: attending Mass together, praying before meals and simply being more intentional about living their faith day to day. Their children, now young adults, have taken notice. When they see a deacon serving at Mass, they will sometimes lean over and say quietly to their father, “Soon, that will be you.”

Looking back, Tobi and Anne express their gratitude for what they have received during these years of study and formation. There have been challenges, certainly — Tobi acknowledged that the demands of formation were not insignificant, but there is also a clear sense, he says, that they have been accompanied by grace throughout. As Tobi looks ahead to ordination in May, he does so with both humility and readiness.

Anne, meanwhile, has already begun to step into the work for which she has been well prepared. Prior to graduating, she accepted a position as a Theology teacher at Pope John XXIII Regional High School, where she has the opportunity to share both her knowledge and her faith with her students.

Together, Tobi and Anne Ippolito offer a quiet but powerful example of what a shared vocation may look like within marriage. Their journey has not unfolded all at once, but gradually, through discernment, support and a willingness to say “yes” when the time was right. In the years ahead, the Holy Family parish and the Florham Park community will come to know that witness more fully through their service, as they continue their work in the life of the Church.

Categories: Faith and Service