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February 18, 2025Fr. Richard Knappik was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Emil and Louise Knappik on February 17, 1932. He was baptized at St. Peter the Apostle Church in Philadelphia, where his vocation to the Redemptorists was nourished. He wrote in July 1953, the month before he professed his vows, "Jesus and Mary led me to grow familiar with a couple of the Fathers, so that I admired them all the more. . . . I had not a doubt that I wanted to be a son of St. Alphonsus." He was professed as a Redemptorist on August 2, 1953 and ordained to the priesthood on June 22, 1958.
He served in various parishes over the years: St. Mary's (Annapolis, MD), St. Wenceslaus (Baltimore, MD), Puerta de Tierra (Puerto Rico) and for 17 years at his home parish of St. Peter the Apostle. Fr. Knappik suffered from poor health his whole adult life and spent his remaining years at the St. John Neumann Residence (Saratoga Springs, NY), St. Clement Mission House (Ephrata, PA), and the St. John Neumann Residence (Timonium, MD).
He wrote in his note of 1953: "God showered many graces upon me, not the least of which was a desire for fraternal charity and dogged perseverance no matter how great the battle." Fr. Richard received and responded to that grace throughout his Redemptorist life. In 2005, then provincial Fr. Pat Woods wrote to Fr. Knappik: "I want to thank you for your prayerful presence in the community at St. John Neumann Residence. In spite of your health limitations, you are so very faithful to the community prayer and Mass. You are a good Redemptorist, and our Province is blessed by your fidelity to your vocation." Fr. Richard died on February 16, 2025, one day shy of his 93rd birthday. May Fr. Richard rest in peace.
Funeral Arrangements:
Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church, Ephrata, PA
Thursday, February 20, 2025
Visitation: 6:00 - 7:00 PM
Wake Service: 7:00 PM
Friday, February 21, 2025
Visitation: 10:30 AM
Funeral Mass: 11:00 AM
Burial to follow at St. Clement's Mission House Cemetery
