Rev. Chester Moczydlowski

Msgr. Chet Moczydlowski died at his home in Summerville on July 17, 2025. He was 78 years old. Chester Michael Moczydlowski was born in 1946 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to Chester S. and Sophie R. Dragan Moczydlowski. He attended college at Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ, and seminary at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland. He was ordained a priest in May 1973 by Bishop Lawrence B. Casey for the Diocese of Paterson, NJ. Between 1973 and 1991, Msgr. Chet served various assignments in New Jersey in Parsippany, Madison, Wayne, Hawthorne and Convent Station. He also served in diocesan leadership roles with the Priests’ Senate, Liturgical Commission, Vocations Board and Youth Council. He was incardinated into the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina, in September 1994. From 1991 to 2016, Msgr. Chet served in the following South Carolina parishes: Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston; St. James the Younger in Conway and Church of the Resurrection in Loris; Prince of Peace in Taylors; St. Andrew in Myrtle Beach; St. Benedict in Mt. Pleasant; and St. John the Beloved in Summerville. For the Diocese of Charleston, Msgr. Chet served in various roles as dean of the Pee Dee and Piedmont Deaneries, member of the Presbyteral Council and Diocesan Personnel Committee, President of the Priests’ Association, At-Large Representative for the Presbytery, and from 2010 to 2018, he was the Diocesan Representative to the National Federation of Priests’ Councils. Msgr. Chet spearheaded many projects, including the school, rectory, parish center and church at St. James in Conway, the parish and parish center at Church of the Resurrection in Loris, S.C., activities center/gymnasium and church renovation at Prince of Peace in Taylors, the Family Life Center at St. Andrews in Myrtle Beach, and a new church for St. Benedict in Mount Pleasant. He retired from active ministry in December 2016. Msgr. Chet celebrated his golden anniversary of ordination to the priesthood at St. John the Beloved in May 2023. Visitation and Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. John the Beloved Catholic Church, 28 Sumter Ave., Summerville, SC 29483. Visitation will be on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 from 6-8 pm with a Vigil Service at 7:00 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, July 24, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. Inurnment at St. Benedict Catholic Church, Mt. Pleasant, SC, will occur at a later date. Msgr. Moczydlowski is survived by his sister, Susan Hanson, together with her son Mark and his wife and daughter. Messages of condolence may be made to Susan Hanson, 122 Hoven Dr., Cicero, IN 46034. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Summerville Orchestra, 100 S. Main St., Ste K; Charleston Symphony, 480 East Bay St., Ste F, Charleston, SC 29403 or St. Mary’s Seminary, 5400 Roland Ave, Baltimore, MD 21210.

Rev. Chester Moczydlowski

August 13, 1946 - July 17, 2025