Fr. Joseph Ricchini, OFM, 94, passes away in Cincinnati

Fr. Joseph Ricchini, OFM, 94, passed away on July 30, 2026, in Cincinnati, after a brief illness. After 70 years of Franciscan life marked by compassionate accompaniment and a gift for meeting people where they were, Fr. Joe is remembered as a counselor, formator, spiritual director and friend. He dedicated his ministry to helping others recognize God's presence amid the joys and challenges of everyday life.  

Visitation for Fr. Joe will begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5, at St. Clement Catholic Church, 4536 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH 45217, followed by the Funeral Mass at 10 a.m.  

Born on Jan. 12, 1932, in Philadelphia to Joseph and Mary (née Russo) Rucchini, Fr. Joe attended Southeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia. He then entered the U.S. Air Force and worked as a radar mechanic from 1951 to 1954. He served at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, and on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and received the National Defense Service Medal. 

He entered the Order of Friars Minor on Aug. 15, 1955, and professed first vows on Aug. 16, 1956, and solemn vows on Aug. 15, 1959. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Duns Scotus College in Southfield, Michigan, the following year and, after completing his theological studies at St. Leonard College in Centerville, Ohio, he was ordained to the priesthood on June 5, 1964. 

Fr. Joe’s first assignments were at St. Bonafice Church in Louisville, Kentucky (1964 to 1969) and St. Bonaventure Church in Cincinnati (1969 to 1971). After seven years in parish ministry, he earned a master’s degree in pastoral counseling from the University of Detroit and became a counselor and instructor at St. Leonard College, the theological school of the legacy St. John the Baptist Province. In 1981, he earned a master’s degree in spiritual studies from Loyola University Chicago.  

Fr. Joe then served as St. John the Baptist’s director of post-novitiate formation at Our Lady of the Americas Friary in Cincinnati and St. Mary Magdelene Friary in Chicago. After six years as a formator, he began 20 years of conducting retreats, offering spiritual direction and counseling, and accompanying countless people as they sought to deepen their relationship with God, while living in Chicago and Cincinnati.  

After his retirement in 2008, he moved to St. Anthony Friary in Cincinnati, where he remained active, offering Mass and spiritual direction. 

Fr. Joe was known as a person-to-person teacher whose style was better suited to interactive learning than lecture halls. Easy to befriend, he took a pastoral approach to ministry, moving with compassion and concern for everyone he encountered. Throughout his years of retreat ministry and spiritual direction, he encouraged people to trust in God’s unconditional love and to recognize God’s presence in their lives even amid struggle and uncertainty. 

The ministry that would shape much of Fr. Joe’s life began unexpectedly. While serving on the faculty at St. Leonard College, he reluctantly agreed to lead a day of recollection, convinced he was unsuited for retreat work. The experience led to additional invitations and ultimately to decades of retreat ministry, spiritual direction and preaching.  

Fr. Joe enjoyed watching movies and sports and was an avid walker. Beloved for his gentle humor and wit, he loved to cook and was especially proud of his gnocchi, a reflection of his pride in his Italian heritage. 

Please keep Fr. Joe’s family and his brother friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe in your prayers.