*A more detailed story on Deacon Williams’ work as director of the Office for Black Catholics will be published in print and online in the next few days.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 823 Cathedral Place, Richmond, on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, at 11 a.m., for Deacon Charles Williams Jr. Deacon Williams passed away on Thursday, Jan. 27.
Public visitation will be held Thursday, Feb. 3, 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at St. Paul Catholic Church, 909 Rennie Ave., Richmond. There will be a Christian Vigil Service to follow at 7 p.m., while the deacon community will gather for evening prayer (Office for the Dead) at 5:30 p.m.
To accommodate those unable to attend in person, both the vigil and funeral Mass will be livestreamed. Please visit Deacon Williams’ obituary page at blileys.com for the links to both events.
Deacon Williams was proud to be a native Richmonder, was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jackson Ward and later St. Paul Catholic Church. He was educated at Van De Vyver and Benedictine Catholic Schools, Howard University and St. Leo University. He was a Cursillista since 2002. He was honored to serve on boards too numerous to mention, but most humbling and edifying to him.
Deacon Williams worked for Dominion Power in the Data Center for nearly 30 years. Upon retirement, he lived and worked at Richmond Hill, then Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot Catholic School, and Boaz & Ruth, followed by a fulfilling ministry for Bliley’s Funeral Homes. Throughout the years, Deacon Williams enjoyed working with Hope in the Cities and the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities.
Deacon Williams was grateful to be ordained a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Richmond on August 2, 2013, by Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo and has served at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. In diaconate ministry, he was in service to prison ministry, Bible study, RCIA, and social and racial justice.
In 2018, Bishop Barry C. Knestout granted Deacon Williams the honor and privilege of serving as director of the Office for Black Catholics, where he served until his death.
Deacon Williams was predeceased by his parents, Charles Sr. and Maggie, and his brother, Tony. His brother, David, survives him. In 1977, he married Gloria Iverson, and of that union was born a son, Charles III (Chuck), whose family now includes Lauren and Charles IV (Moose). Deacon Williams is also survived by his wife, Marie, and her children, Geneva and Olivia (Anna) Manion.
If you choose to contribute in Deacon Williams’ memory, please consider contributions of time, talent or treasure to St. Paul’s Youth Group Scholarship Fund, Richmond Hill, the Cathedral Preservation Fund, or offer yourself to jail ministry, the healing of Metropolitan Richmond, and the building up of the Kingdom of God on earth.