[4] He studied at St. Mary's Seminary in Perryville, Missouri and earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1946.

[3] Richardson became a priest in 1949 and received his Doctor of Sacred Theology from the Dominican Angelicum University in 1951.

[3] Richardson began his career with DePaul University in 1954, when he served as the dean of the Graduate School.

[1][8] His administration also oversaw the university's first satellite campus in Oak Brook, Illinois as better education access for adult and commuter students.

[3] Richardson is the author of the memoir The Playful Hand of God (2011),[5] as well as Readings in Catholic Social Teaching (2015), a collection of lectures and documents from his work at Christ the King Seminary.