In this file photo, Father Richard Villano blesses a new stone cross for the church exterior in 2016 to replace one struck by lightning during a 2015 storm. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Father Richard Villano, once a teacher while with the Crosiers, carried his enthusiasm for Catholic schools through years of ministry, 43 of them at St. Helena in Minneapolis. He died Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, at 89. 

Gary Wilmer, himself an example of longevity with more than five decades of service in Catholic education, admired the dedication of a priest he first met in the early 1970s, while Father Villano was serving at St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony and Wilmer was hired as the school principal. 

“He just loved his vocation,” said Wilmer, who was principal at St. Charles for 37 years and forged a lifelong friendship with Father Villano. “And, that’s why he continued rather than retire. He felt his health was good.” 

When Father Villano became pastor of St. Helena in 1981, after three years of being an associate, the school was consolidated with another parish school, Holy Name in south Minneapolis, under the name South Park Regional Catholic School. It was part of a then-recent consolidation trend among Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. But Father Villano wanted to dissolve the consolidation and restore St. Helena School, which had existed from 1926 to 1971. 

According to John Sondag, who worked with and for Father Villano for 39 years as director of religious education, “the school would not be in existence today had not Father Villano been pastor.” A panel of women religious whose communities had been staffing schools throughout the archdiocese was making recommendations about school consolidations to the superintendent at the time. Father Villano stood firmly in advocating for the return of St. Helena School, Sondag said. 

The priest succeeded “through his dogged persistence,” Sondag said. St. Helena School returned for the 1982-83 school year, and continues to this day as a K-8 school, with a current enrollment of 114. 

Jane Hileman came on board as a teacher at St. Helena School in the fall of 1984, after teaching for a year and a half at St. Charles. She then was hired to lead the school in 1998. On Aug. 10, her daughter’s birthday, she had just a brief interview with Father Villano about the job. 

He got right to the point, she recalled, and said to her, “I want you to be the principal.” Hileman served in that role for 20 years before retiring in 2018. Then, in September, she came back as interim principal. 

“He’s a good Italian, and so am I; we enjoyed our heritage together a lot,” said Hileman, whose three daughters all went to St. Helena School. “He was a true supporter of the school, especially at a time when a lot of priests his age didn’t really want schools because they’re a drag on your finances.” 

Father Villano’s staunch support of both the school and parish won the admiration of many, with Hileman noting that on Dec. 1, a school alumnus gave a $1,500 donation in honor of Father Villano. It was one of many donations and tributes to the beloved pastor. Although he could come across as a little gruff and stern sometimes, people like Sondag clearly saw an underlying compassion that led to many acts of kindness toward both staff and parishioners. 

“He was a great man to work with and work for,” Sondag said. “He was a man that cared about (others). He had a very compassionate heart. I was told early on Italians have a great sense of compassion. And, he had that. He could be very firm, but he would be very compassionate for people when they were going through suffering.” 

Father Villano, who retired from St. Helena July 1 and continued living at the rectory and concelebrating Masses, grew up in St. Paul and was ordained a priest for the Crosiers in 1958. He served in that community, including as a teacher, until 1970, when he was assigned at St. Charles. In 1981, he was incardinated into the archdiocese. Sondag described him as “a terrific administrator” whose attitude about any project or task was “this is going to get done.” 

One of the most unusual — and dramatic — jobs came in 2015 when lightning hit the church and knocked down a stone cross from atop the highest point of the building. Father Villano worked meticulously with a Wisconsin masonry company to match the stone of the original cross, Sondag said, and finally received the delivery of a new one in June 2016. Father Villano did a blessing ceremony in the church parking lot right before the installation. 

As hard as Father Villano worked, Sondag said the priest also enjoyed laughter. There were times when Sondag would come to his office “and he’d be howling” over a funny story. “He had a wonderful sense of humor,” Sondag noted, adding that there was a great sense of generosity to go with it, as shown by the many big parties Father Villano threw for parish and school staff. In short, he treated people who worked for him very well. 

“He had great respect for us as his employees and cared about our whole (person) as an individual,” said Virginia Tschida, director of pastoral care who has been an employee for the last 10 years, and more recently also served as a caregiver for Father Villano. “I was blessed to have him as a boss, mentor and friend. He brought me closer to Jesus.” 

She also noted that one of Father Villano’s classic lines, which he said often in the hallways of the parish offices across the street from the church, was “pray for the old priest.” 

A prayer vigil for Father Villano will be 5 p.m. Dec. 2 at St. Helena, with Evening Prayer at 5:30 and Night Prayer at 8:30, followed by an all-night vigil until 9 a.m. Dec. 3. The funeral Mass will be 10 a.m. Dec. 3 with a visitation one hour before Mass. Interment will be at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights.