In the ways of interviews these days, we sat, facing each other on screens across the country- me in the frozen lands of New Jersey (where the snow refuses to melt this year), and Jeannine and BJ Agugliaro in their matching pickleball shirts, still warm from the game they just finished in sunny Florida. 

Having asked how they met, Jeannine began to tell the story, “Well, actually, we met on a blind date. My sister and her boyfriend set something up for BJ and me to meet.” Catching BJ’s eye, she continued, “Well, we both have a little bit of a different version of the story.”

Smiling, BJ added, “It was only half blind for me. I had spotted her and asked my friend and his girlfriend—unbeknownst to me it was Jeannine’s sister—to set up the two of us on a date.”

Jeannine continued, “My sister, along with her boyfriend, didn’t really know how to set up a blind date, so she simply said, ‘we’re going out for dinner.’  The next thing I know, we’re an hour from our house.  When I asked where we were going, she said, ‘oh, by the way, you’re on a blind date.’ Seven months later, BJ and I were engaged.”

BJ said, “and eleven months after that, we were married!”

And 31+ years later, still happily married, they are the parents of four grown children and long-time members of Regnum Christi, having joined the movement in 2006.

What is their secret?  A shared conviction: Marriage and Family life matter deeply and are worth fighting for.

A Conviction That Shaped a Mission

That conviction has shaped much of their apostolic life. BJ and Jeannine have been active for years in helping marriages, beginning as Pre-Cana facilitators at their New Jersey parish and more recently as co-leaders of a ministry called Wine and Wisdom.

“We identified thirty couples for our inaugural Wine and Wisdom program,” Jeannine recalls. “In addition to an opportunity to bond as couples, we watch a series of marriage-related videos together, break out into smaller discussion groups and share a meal together. Those groups have stayed together, walked with one another, and become friends. Seeing couples hug goodbye and plan dinner together—that’s when you know community is forming.”

Seeing the Bigger Picture: Marriage and Family Commission

Their passion for marriage ministries like Wine and Wisdom eventually opened the door to a broader mission. BJ and Jeannine were asked by the Territorial Directive College to lead a Marriage and Family Commission, tasked with studying marriage and family ministries across the North American Territory. They work with laypeople, Legionary priests, and consecrated women to catalog programs, understand their goals, and identify ways to leverage them across multiple localities.

“Some programs are large and well established, like Three to Get Married,” BJ explains, “but others are grassroots initiatives created by Regnum Christi members who saw a need in their own communities.”

Jeannine adds, “Our hope is to create a virtual library so these ministries can be replicated or adapted anywhere—so couples and families don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”

The goal of the Commission was not to create something new, but to understand what already exists—and to make it accessible. The hope is that localities can draw from the experiences, resources, and wisdom already present within the movement.

As they shared this with me, I began to see the movement of God. He doesn’t send the Holy Spirit to just one person with a mission and if that person doesn’t do it, the mission goes poof.  No, he sends the Holy Spirit to call on many to the same mission work. Evidence clearly shows from the many programs already created and operating in this ministry that this mission is not just on a small few. 

“This mission doesn’t belong to just one couple or one program,” they reflected. “It belongs to all of us who believe marriage and family life is a gift worth protecting—and a vocation worth supporting.”

Marriage Symposium

“Did you know about the Marriage and Family Symposium in May?” BJ asked. He was excited to explain how this event is going to feature leaders in the marriage ministry, and inviting people being called to work in this area. 

“There is still plenty of space!  We are praying with the Holy Spirit that He will send whoever is meant to be there,” they added. 

Click the image below to learn more!

 

What the Mission Taught Them About Marriage

 

For this couple, the Commission work has been both humbling and deeply encouraging. “We met people across the territory who are doing incredible things,” they reflected. “So much good is happening—often quietly, faithfully, and without much recognition.”

Perhaps most striking, however, is what this mission has taught them about their own marriage. Working side by side in ministry has reinforced how differently God has gifted each of them. Over time, they have learned to recognize those gifts and trust one another to lead in different ways. “We’ve learned to rely on our unique gifts,” Jeannine says.

 “We don’t try to do everything ourselves, and we elevate each other’s strengths to glorify God. It becomes a kind of dance. Not a perfect one—we step on each other’s toes from time to time—but one that works when we trust how God is using each of us.”

BJ adds, “Communication, prayer and listening—these programs remind us to live what we teach. Actions speak louder than words.”

As they look ahead, their hope is simple: that more couples will feel encouraged to say yes—to their marriages, to their families, and to the call to serve others. In a world where marriage and family life are increasingly fragile, they believe that authentic community, rooted in faith, can make a real difference.

Their journey began with an awkward, whirlwind blind date, but today, BJ and Jeannine radiate joy, teamwork, and a love for building strong families, naturally attracting others to want what they have.  Including me. 

Especially if it means we can play pickleball in Florida!