Brother Roger J. Chingas, FSC, a De La Salle Christian Brother whose life of service spanned nearly six decades and whose gifts as an educator and musician touched generations of students, parishioners, colleagues, and friends, died on August 21, 2026, in East Providence, Rhode Island. He was 75.

Born Roger Joseph Chingas on April 16, 1951, in Jamaica, New York, Brother Roger was the son of the late Charles C. Chingas and Argina M. (Miskinis) Chingas.

Brother Roger entered the Novitiate of the De La Salle Christian Brothers in Narragansett, Rhode Island, on June 29, 1968. He received the Religious Habit on September 1 of that year and pronounced his first vows on September 1, 1969. He made his Perpetual Vows in Oakdale, New York, on December 10, 1977, committing his life to the Lasallian mission of faith, service, and education.

Brother Roger was a graduate of Bishop Loughlin High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Rhode Island College in 1974. He later earned a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1987.

Education and music became the great hallmarks of Brother Roger's ministry.

Following his years of formation in Washington, D.C., and East Providence, Rhode Island, Brother Roger began a decade of ministry at La Salle Military Academy in Oakdale, New York, in 1974. There, he served as both a teacher and in music ministry, sharing with young people not only his knowledge, but the enthusiasm, creativity, and care that would characterize his many years as an educator.

In 1984, he returned to Rhode Island to serve at Saint Raphael Academy in Pawtucket, where he continued his ministry as a teacher. From 1988 to 1995, Brother Roger served at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, bringing his experience as an educator to students at the college level.

In 1995, Brother Roger began a new chapter of service, devoting his musical talents more fully to parish ministry.

From 1995 until 2014, he served as the Director of Music Ministry at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. He continued that ministry at Blessed Sacrament Church in Providence from 2014 to 2023 and, most recently, at Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus Church in Pawtucket. At these churches he conducted adult choirs, children's choirs, handbell choirs, and trained cantors for their liturgical roles.

For Brother Roger, music was far more than accompaniment to worship. It was a way of helping others pray. Through hymns played and sung, liturgies prayerfully prepared, and countless celebrations of faith, he helped others rejoice, grieve, remember, and encounter God. His talent enriched the worship of the communities he served, but it was his generous sharing of that talent that made his ministry so meaningful.

Brother Roger is survived by his brother, Gerard Chingas, and his sisters, Cynthia Muszala and Marilyn Cox, as well as his confreres in the De La Salle Christian Brothers and the many students, parishioners, colleagues, and friends whose lives were enriched by his teaching, his music, his faith, and his friendship.

Visitation will be held on Friday, September 4, 2026, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Christian Brothers Center, Our Lady of the Star Chapel, 635 Ocean Road, Narragansett, Rhode Island.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, September 5, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of the Star Chapel at the Christian Brothers Center.

Interment will follow in the Christian Brothers Center Cemetery, Narragansett.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Br. Roger's memory can be made to Christian Brothers Center, 635 Ocean Road, Narragansett, RI 02882