WARREN — Fr. Richard Welsh was a roll-up-his-sleeves-and-get-to-work kind of priest. Known his quiet demeanor, the priest looked to get as many people involved as possible, seeing himself as part of the flock, while also leading it.
Fr. Welsh died April 6. The cause of death has not been confirmed. He was 85.
Richard Welsh was born in Ferndale on Oct. 8, 1934, to Joseph and Ruth (Skinner) Welsh, one of six children. He graduated with a bachelor’s in philosophy from Sacred Heart Seminary in 1956 and a master’s in theology from St. John’s Provincial Seminary in Plymouth in 1960.
He was ordained by Cardinal John Dearden on June 4, 1960, going on to serve as an associate pastor at Our Lady Queen of Peace in Harper Woods (1960-65), St. Anthony in Belleville (1965-68) and St. Anne in Warren (1969-72).
During his time as an associate pastor, Fr. Welsh did post-theology graduate work from the University of Detroit and the Pius XII Religious Education Center in 1968.
From 1972 to 1979, he was a member of the formation team at St. Thomas More Parish in Troy, and was chaplain at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital in Clinton Township from 1978 to 1985.
After a brief stint as associate pastor of St. Kieran Parish in Shelby Township from 1985 to 1986, Fr. Welsh was appointed pastor of Holy Innocents Parish in Roseville from 1986 to 1998.
During his time at Holy Innocents, Fr. Welsh oversaw renovations to the church and school and encouraged members of the parish to take up leadership positions in parish life.
“Because of him, I became a lector in 1991,” said Jeannette Heinrich, a parishioner at Holy Innocents-St. Barnabas Parish, which merged in 2006. Heinrich described Fr. Welsh as a fellow “quiet soul” who encouraged her to come out of her shell and be more involved in parish life.
“I sat on the worship commission with him, and he suggested one day, ‘Have you ever considered being a lector?” Heinrich said. “My father was a lector, and I thought about it, but needed that extra push.”
Heinrich recalled Fr. Welsh, accompanied by his brother, Basil, who served as the parish handyman, always being around the parish taking care of the odds and ends of buildings and grounds.
Among Fr. Welsh’s biggest legacies is the installation of the stained-glass windows at Holy Innocents Church that were part of the parish’s renovations.
“Anyone who walks into our church, the stained-glass windows are beautiful, and that was all under his guidance,” Heinrich said. “I just remember him rolling up his sleeves, seeing something that had to be done, helping with it, but in a quiet way, never making a big deal of it.”
In 1998, Fr. Welsh was transferred to St. Dorothy Parish in Center Line, where he served as pastor until his retirement in June 2007.
Fr. Tom Puzio served as the associate pastor at St. Dorothy — the church is now part of St. Mary, Our Lady Queen of Families Parish in Warren — where he remembers Fr. Welsh as a “priest of the people” who was always involved with parish festivals and other events.
“We had to install new windows in the social hall, but instead of having the company do it, he got the men’s club to put the windows up, and he was out there working with them,” Fr. Puzio said. “He was very hands-on, very Irish. For his anniversary Mass, he cried like a baby as we applauded him for this 40th anniversary. He was very involved with his parish.”
Fr. Welsh is predeceased by his parents; his brother, Jack Welsh; and his sisters, Catherine Reimer and Patricia St. Denis. He is survived by his brothers, Basil (Judy) Welsh and Michael Welsh and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral arrangements for Fr. Welsh are to be determined, on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He was very always quiet in preaching, but he could, when facing the congregation, be very assuring,” Fr. Puzio said. “He was always running around without a spotlight shining on him. He wasn’t really communicative in a sense, sort of an introvert, but people knew he was there, that their pastor was with them.”
