With sadness, we announce that our brother, Rev. Richard W. Chilson, C.S.P., has entered eternal life.

He died on Friday morning, March 20, 2026, in the rectory of Old St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco. He was 82 years old.

A part of the Paulist community for almost 60 years and a priest for almost 54 years, Fr. Chilson served as a Catholic campus minister, parish priest, hospital chaplain, and author.

Richard William Chilson was born April 20, 1943, the son of Julius Wells Chilson and Jean Bell Chilson. His family lived in the Detroit, MI, area.

He earned his undergraduate degree from Wayne State University in Detroit.

It was during his years at Wayne State that he became a Catholic and met the Paulist Fathers who served the campus ministry there. 

“In college, I started to explore religion. I was attracted to the Catholic Church primarily though the art. Art is my real way to God, especially music,” Fr. Chilson recalled during a 2022 interview.

He entered the Paulist novitiate in 1966; made his First Promises in 1967; and made his Final Promises in 1970. He was ordained a priest on April 29, 1972.

Fr. Chilson’s first priestly assignment was as a Catholic campus minister at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT.

“I was there for four years. During that time, I was very interested in conversion, and helping people convert to Catholicism,” he remembered.

In 1976, he moved to the University of California at Berkeley, where he would spend 20 years, first as campus minister and then in studies and on special assignment.

From 1997 to 2001, Fr. Chilson was based at St. Philip Neri Church in Portland, OR, as an associate pastor through 1999 and then as part of the preaching apostolate.

He then moved to St. Lawrence University Parish in Minneapolis, MN. He was a hospital chaplain in Minneapolis from 2003 to 2010.

“That was a wonderful time for me because you were with people at the most sacred moments of their life: at their birth, at their sickness, and at their death. It was a very powerful experience for me,” he said.

In 2010, he entered senior ministry based at Old St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco.

Fr. Chilson was the author of some 20 books on spiritual topics, including “Catholic Christianity: A Guide to the Way, The Truth, and The Life,” “The Hour is Now: Praying with the Gospel of John,” and “Evangelization Homily Hints: A Resource for Catholic Preachers.”

“He touched the lives of many people over the years as a Paulist and priest. He seemed drawn to the part of Paulist life where we brought people into the Church. This was very Hecker-like: to find in his conversion the desire to invite others,” said Rev. Frank DeSiano, C.S.P., who was ordained alongside Fr. Chilson in 1972.

“Dick Chilson was one of the most brilliant priests I ever knew. He made a positive difference in my life. I told him so,” said Rev. Frank Sabatté, C.S.P.

In addition to his parents, Fr. Chilson was predeceased by his step-sisters, Cathy and Mary. 

He is survived by his brother Paulists; his step-brothers, Peter and Dennis Sprecher; his step-sister, Sharon Leclear; many nephews and nieces; and the many people he impacted through his years of ministry.

Our prayer for our brother, Richard:

May the angels lead you into paradise,
may the martyrs come to welcome you,
and take you to the holy city,
the new and eternal Jerusalem.

A Mass of Christian Burial for Rev. Richard W. Chilson, C.S.P., will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Pacific on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Old St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco.

The principal celebrant of the Mass will be Rev. John Ardis, C.S.P. The homily will be shared by Rev. Michael Evernden, C.S.P.

The Mass will be broadcast live on the parish’s YouTube channel.

A reception at Old St. Mary’s Cathedral will follow the Mass.

Details on the burial of Fr. Chilson’s remains are pending.