Locals react to the passing of Father Walter J. Riley, known for deep faith and sincerity

By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press

Whether it was a confirmation class game or an unexpected sick call, Father Walter J. Riley was there for people, those who knew him recalled.
Father Riley, 63, was pastor of St. Anne Parish in Shrewsbury when he died suddenly on Feb. 9. He was pastor of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Westborough in 2021 and 2022, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Worcester from 2010 to 2021, and associate pastor of Christ the King Parish in Worcester after his ordination on June 3, 2006. He was also chaplain of the Worcester Fire Department from 2007 until 2021 and diocesan director of priest personnel from 2014 through 2020. In 2018, Father Riley recieved the Gospel of Life award from the diocese.
He was born in Worcester on July 15, 1960, the son of Richard F. Riley Sr. and Marie (Fiore) Riley. 
He graduated in 1978 from St. Peter-Marian Central Catholic High School, attended Quinsigamond Community College and, in 1984, received his bachelor’s degree from Assumption College. He studied for the priesthood at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, earning a master’s of divinity degree.
 “We are heartbroken ... at the loss of our beloved pastor,” Eleanor “Ellie” Smith, St. Anne’s pastoral assistant and finance secretary, wrote on the parish Facebook page. “He was a wonderful pastor, a wonderful friend and truly a blessing for our parish.”
She told The Catholic Free Press she loves her job, in good part because of Father Riley, a quiet person with a great sense of humor. 
“You could be around him and feel the presence of God,” she said.
 One of the last things Father Riley wrote to his flock at St. Anne’s was his Feb. 4 letter “From the Pastor.”
“So, what will it be like to stand before God at the moment of our death?” Father Riley’s Feb. 4 letter begins. “If I had any idea what this upcoming experience is like ... I would not hold back on you. ... God ... has chosen the life of every person to come to him, for better or for worse, in eternal life. As Catholics, we pray for the better for all people. This is our solemn responsibility.”
Father Riley noted that the brilliant theologian St. Thomas Aquinas had a “mystical experience of God” that left him viewing his own writings as “straw” in comparison. This shows how “what Christ has prepared for us ... is far beyond our comprehension,” Father Riley concluded. “Which, in the end, is a beautiful thing.” 
Father Riley always talked about how you never know when the Lord will call you home, and you need to be prepared and go to confession, said Stephen Sycks, finance chairman and a religious education teacher at Immaculate Conception in Worcester. 
“To me, he was French bread – crusty on the outside, but just soft ... on the inside,” Mr. Sycks said. “He would keep you accountable to your mission. He was such a good shepherd.”
He said Father Riley experienced a “eucharistic miracle” at the Worcester home of Audrey Santo, where several hosts have been said to “bleed.” The pastor told Mr. Sycks’ confirmation students: “If you don’t believe, believe me; it happened to me.” 
Said Mr. Sycks, “He was so good with the kids; he connected with them.”
For “stump the priest” games, “the kids studied all week long,” trying to find a serious, theological question Father Riley couldn’t answer on the spot, Mr. Sycks said. “The class went wild” the one time a student did stump Father Riley, and got the $5 reward.
“He was a real guy, with real-world experiences,” who could relate to people, Mr. Sycks said of this priest, who worked for UPS for some time before entering seminary. “His faith – oh, it was deep. He was a holy, holy man.”
 “His whole being is the definition of what a priest is” - a holy man, who loves God’s people - said Father Enoch K. Kyeremateng. 
As chaplain of the diocese’s African Ministry, Father Kyeremateng did not have his own rectory until being assigned to St. Joan of Arc Parish in Worcester recently. For more than eight years, he joined Father Riley in his parishes’ rectories.
“We became like brothers; we were there for each other,” Father Kyeremateng said. “I learned a lot from him – his prayer life, his commitment to the service of God, the Mass, his devotion to ... Mary, his love for the Word of God.”
 “Father Walter had a great respect and love for the character of the priesthood and the Church,” said Father Adam Reid, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Webster, who was in seminary with him.
He recalled with fondness their pilgrimage to France last November.
“I will always – especially now – cherish those Masses we said together,” especially at the cathedral in Chartres and the St. Therese Basilica in Lisieux, he said.
Father Reid also relished their conversations, which included his interest in World War II and Father Riley’s interest in the Civil War.
 “Father Walter Riley ... was not only one of my best friends, but he was also my pastor at Immaculate Conception,” commented Joanne Ciociolo-Callahan. She said he spent hours on his homilies, she asked why he didn’t recycle old ones and he said parishioners deserved better.
She said he changed personal plans for funerals and anointing of the sick, and that he said his job was to get parishioners into heaven.
"As a priest, he dropped everything to meet any request, any need,” said Sister of St. Joseph Janet Provost, who met him at Christ the King and also knew him at Immaculate Conception, both parishes she’s involved in.
“I know him as a kind, generous, humble, gentle person,” she said. “He was very passionate about his faith, and sharing it. I just cherished him, as a friend and a priest. He’s going to be missed very, very much.”
She said she expected the whole city is in shock, noting his fire department ministry. 
“Father Riley exemplified kindness and compassion as our fire department chaplain, providing invaluable support during some of our department's most challenging moments,” commented Worcester Fire Chief Martin Dyer.  
“Father Riley was always transparent and genuine in word and deed,” said Father James S. Mazzone, pastor of St. John, Guardian of Our Lady Parish in Clinton. “He spoke the truth of the Gospel, but always with love. His priesthood was a great gift to God’s Church.”
A wake service will be held on Feb. 16 from 3-7 p.m. at St. Bernard Church, 228 Lincoln St., Worcester, followed by a vigil service beginning at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Feb. 17 at 11 a.m. also at St. Bernard Church. Burial will be at St. John Cemetery, 260 Cambridge St. Worcester. Mercadante Funeral Home is conducting arrangements.


– The original notice of Father Riley's passing was published online, Feb. 9.