Richard Stephen Oswald

Monsignor Richard Stephen Oswald died on November 25, 2024, in Little Rock, Arkansas at Arkansas Hospice. He was the son of Oscar J. and Hilda M. Oswald. He is survived by his brothers Rev. John O. Oswald, his sister Johanna C. Oswald and Fred M. Oswald and wife Sarah Spencer, all of Little Rock; Mark A. Oswald and wife Ruth Williams of Santa Fe, New Mexico; sisters-in-law Judy Langham Oswald of Little Rock and Kim Johnson Oswald of Austin, Texas; nine nieces and nephews; and four great nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers Kenneth J. Oswald and George E. Oswald.

A native of Little Rock, he graduated from Little Rock Catholic High School in 1957. Following high school, Monsignor Oswald began his formation for the priesthood at Saint John’s Home Mission Seminary in Little Rock. On May 29, 1965, the Most Reverend Albert L. Fletcher ordained him to the priesthood for the Diocese of Little Rock. He earned a master of science degree from the University of Arkansas in 1970.

After ordination, Monsignor Oswald returned to his alma mater, Little Rock Catholic High, to teach while living in residence at Saint Mary’s Parish in North Little Rock, and at Saint Theresa’s and Our Lady of Good Counsel in Little Rock. He served as associate pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel. His first pastorate was of the parishes of Saint Mary in McGehee, Holy Child in Dumas and the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dermott in 1985.

In 1987, Monsignor Oswald became pastor of Saint Anne in North Little Rock. From 1988-2006, he served as pastor of Saint Vincent de Paul in Rogers during a time of rapid growth in the parish. During his tenure at Saint Vincent de Paul, he was the dean of the Northwest Deanery. In 2006, he served as pastor of Immaculate Conception in Fort Smith until health issues required him to step back from parish administration. His generosity manifested through his service as associate pastor at Christ the King in Little Rock, Saint Joseph in Conway, Saint Edward in Little Rock and Saint Rose of Lima in Carlisle while in residence at the House of Formation where he served as spiritual director.

In addition to parish ministry, Monsignor Oswald provided advice and counsel at the diocesan level. He was director of Family Life, Scripture Studies, Evangelization and Parish Renewal. From 2011-2015, he was diocesan liturgy director and assistant vocation director. Over the course of his ministry, Monsignor Oswald served on several diocesan boards.

Monsignor Richard also had an active life out in the world around him, sometimes in ways not typical for a priest. 

He was a lifetime fan of popular music, from blues and jazz to rock ‘n’ roll. In the 1950s, he was there when a young Elvis Presley performed at Little Rock’s Robinson Auditorium, a show that was broadcast on radio and, decades later, issued as a special addition to an Elvis CD box set. As both chaperone and fan, he accompanied younger brother Mark and his high school or college-age friends to 1970s rock shows in Memphis featuring the likes of The Band, Elton John, Grand Funk Railroad, Bruce Springsteen and even Led Zeppelin. He loved to go to Austin to visit his brother George and take in the music at the South by Southwest festival. Along the way, he accumulated a monumental collection of thousands of records and CDs that he eventually donated to public radio station KABF. He became deeply interested in classic country music – Hank Williams was a special favorite. As a teacher at Catholic High School, “Father Rick” once led a football pep rally in the school gym by getting the assembled students to chant “Rockets are ‘fast and bulbous,’” borrowing a phrase from outsider poet and musician Captain Beefheart. He may have been the only person in the world who could recite the discography of the British rock band The Kinks as well as the complete history of the statue of the Child Jesus known as the Infant of Prague. 

Monsignor Richard also was a voracious reader who subscribed to numerous magazines that were kept in stacks around his apartment, a lover of science fiction books and a film aficionado. He enjoyed a good conversation on just about any subject, ranging from lives of the saints to science and current events to the foibles of modern society. He was part of the Acme Hike Club, a group of family and friends who traveled to make treks through some of the continent’s most beautiful places, as well as the family’s Blue Velvet Sail Club, whose small sailboat plied the mighty waves of Lake Maumelle. The club also made its way to the Bahamas and other international ports. 

To his family, Monsignor Richard was the quirky brother or uncle who would bring a plastic gun to shoot salt at flies on the Fourth of July, decipher the colorful lyrics in a blues song for the uninitiated or argue about usage of the word “defenestration.” But when he was filling his priestly role, he was serious and profound. One example was his delivery of a wonderful sermon during a family trip to Slovenia as he and his brother John said Mass at the historic church where his grandparents had been baptized and married.

He will be greatly missed.

Vigil services will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2 at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 3 at the Cathedral of St. Andrew. Monsignor Oswald’s ashes will be interred at a later date at Calvary Cemetery in Little Rock.