Fr. Larry Richards
A gifted and captivating speaker, preacher, and retreat master, Fr. Larry Richards holds
the answer to some of life’s most profound questions. He speaks from experience as a
pastor of an inner city parish, a high school chaplain, a counselor, and evangelist. Fr.
Larry Richards has directed hundreds of retreats, parish missions and conferences for
young and old alike. His inspirational talks and presentations, always authentic and
enthusiastic, have changed the hearts, minds and lives of millions of listeners worldwide.
Father Larry Richards was born on March 26, 1960, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He
entered St. Mark High School Seminary, Erie, Pennsylvania, at the age of 17. After high
school he attended the college seminary at Gannon University and received his Bachelor
of Science degree in Mental Health Counseling in 1983.
Continuing his studies at the major seminary at St. Vincent in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Fr.
Larry Richards received his Masters of Divinity degree in 1987. He will soon conclude
his studies and be awarded a Master of Arts degree in Liturgy from the University of
Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana.
Ordained to the priesthood on April 21, 1989 for the Diocese of Erie, Fr. Larry Richards
has served as pastor of St. Joseph Church/Bread of Life Community in Erie since July 1,
2002. He continues the task of unifying two congregations into one community
dedicated to Jesus through love, prayer and service. In addition, he is the Spiritual
Director of the TEC (To Encounter Christ) Retreat Program for the Diocese of Erie.
Fr. Larry Richards has recorded many audio tapes on many aspects of the Catholic Faith
for individual and small-group instruction, all of which are available on The Reason for
our Hope website at www.TheReasonForOurHope.org. He has produced three widelyknown
tapes for the Mary Foundation: “Confession,” “The Mass Explained” and “The
Truth” which have been distributed worldwide, numbering over one million.
What they are saying about Fr. Larry;
Be A Man!
(comments by Paul from WI)
Fr. Larry, Thank you so much for your outstanding book “Be a Man”. Finally a book that talks to men with straightforward facts and without pulling punches!Men need direct no-nonsense talk that challenges them to become greater than themselves through courageously giving up their lives to Christ and their families. You’ve given me many new insights and challenged me to give more of myself to my family. You’ve called on us to drop the excuses and reclaim our faith. Thank you very much and God bless your ministry! We’ve got to get men excited about their faith and willing to stand up for Catholic values in our secular world.
Thanks again, Paul
Confession made me laugh and cry
(comments by A.S. in Maine)
Your Confession talk has encouraged me to make it to the confessional every month, rain, snow or shine. Two of my children have made this a habit, too. Now one of them is discerning a vocation to the priesthood. God’s mercy is almost too good to be true… but it’s real!
