Congratulations to Father Joseph Rudjak, as he celebrates 25 years in the priesthood! Father Rudjak retired from active ministry in 2023, from his position as pastor at Holy Apostles (now part of St. Columba Cathedral Parish) in Youngstown.
Father Rudjak grew up as a parishioner at St. Casimir Church in the Briar Hill neighborhood. He and his parents, Sadie and Joseph, and his four sisters attended the parish school and were very involved in parish life.
Father’s Rudjak’s studies were at the Atheneum of Ohio: Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Xavier University, Catholic University in Lublin (Poland), Kent State University and Youngstown State University. He has traveled to Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, both Ephesus and Istanbul in Turkey, the Holy Land and 15 countries in Europe and has returned to Poland 14 times to study, teach and guide tours. Father Rudjak has worked with immigrants and ethnic communities through the International Institute of Youngstown and he has also taught at Kent State and Youngstown State Universities in courses such as Ethnic Politics, General Catholic Church History, American Catholic Church History, Communications, Philosophy and Comparative Religions.
Yet Father Rudjak mostly identifies with his role as pastor, enjoying the creativity that comes from working with people in ministry. He was ordained a deacon in 1970 and worked as a deacon at Mother of Sorrows (now Our Lady of Peace Parish) in Ashtabula, St. Bernard and Mother of Christ Mission in Cincinnati, St. James (now part of St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish) in Warren, St. Luke (now part of St. Catherine of Siena Parish) in Boardman, Youngstown State Newman Center, Kent State Newman Center, St. Rose Parish in Girard and Sacred Heart Parish (now St. Angela Merici Parish) in Youngstown. At St. Rose, Sacred Heart and Kent State Newman Center “Deacon Joe” strove to identify—by geographic districts and gifts of service—small Christian communities within each parish.
Ordained a priest in 2000, Father Rudjak was associate pastor at St. Paul Parish in North Canton and was pastor at Saints Peter and Paul Croatian (2003), Our Lady of Hungary (2005) and St. Stephen of Hungary (2011)—all of which are now part of St. Columba Cathedral Parish in Youngstown.
Father Rudjak loves God, the Church, extended family, ethnic heritage, Polish history, philosophy, sociology and motorcycling.
Send your congratulations to Father Rudjak at: P.O. Box 3223, Youngstown, Ohio, 44512,
