October 2, 2017 at 4:00 p.m.
Newly ordained Rhinelander native plans to be Navy chaplain
Newly ordained Rhinelander native plans to be Navy chaplain
By Kayla Thomason-
According to a press release, Father Samuel Schneider, the new Catholic priest, was ordained at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior by the Most Reverend James Patrick Powers, Bishop of Superior.
The Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, concelebrated the mass.
In an interview with The River News, Schneider said he felt blessed to have family and friends at his ordination, including his parents David and Paula Schneider of Rhinelander, his brother Donald Schneider and his wife, Mariah; nephew Axel Schneider of Rhinelander; his brother Petty Officer Third Class William Schneider of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.; his sister Mary (Schneider) Bartos and her husband, Erich, of Milwaukee; his paternal grandparents, Ferd and Marcia Schneider of Rhinelander; his maternal grandmother Marie Barfknecht of Rhinelander; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
"It's wonderful, this pleases me so much that he has answered God's call for his life," said Schneider's mother, Paula, adding that her oldest brother and uncle are benedictine priests.
"It's not unusual in our family but it certainly is wonderful, especially because it is more unusual today," she said.
Samuel Schneider likes that he has relatives that are priests as he can learn from them and continue the tradition.
He also hopes to serve active duty in the U.S. Navy, with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services (AMS).
He will go into active duty once he has completed three years of pastoral services in the Diocese of Superior, he said.
Both of his brothers have served in the Navy, and his youngest sister is in the Army reserve.
"It's in the family, and we do know how few chaplains there are with our oldest boys being enlisted and so often they couldn't have even gotten to Mass even if they had wanted to because there weren't any chaplains," Paula Schneider said. "So we think it's wonderful that he's willing to serve those who really often have no access to the sacraments."
Father Schneider is anxious to one day serve in the military.
"Right now Rice Lake is a great community and (there is) a lot of need here but the military, I think for me I look at it and there's so much potential, so much need there and just a great demographic to work with, with people who are really looking for God, I think, as well as dealing with a lot of really hard questions about life," he said.
Schneider is one of two priests in Rice Lake, covering four parishes: Rice Lake - St. Joseph's Church, Haugen - Holy Trinity Parish, Dobie - Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, and Birchwood - St. John's the Evangelist Catholic Church.
Schneider led his first Mass on June 5 at the Cathedral of Christ the King.
"I think he did a great job, he seemed very comfortable," Paula Schneider said.
The first Mass he led in Rhinelander was one he'll never forget.
"The first Mass in Rhinelander was a week after I got ordained. It went well, it was great but it was that crazy day where the storm came through, it was dark and eerie, quite a few people weren't able to come because of the storm so it was kind of a strange start but it went well,"
High school graduation also fell the same time as his Mass, he noted.
Schneider grew up in Rhinelander since the age of 6 and graduated from Rhinelander High School in 2009.
Six years ago he was studying quantitative economics at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., when he transferred to the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., where he studied philosophy at St. John Vanney College Seminary.
In 2013 he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, then went to St. Paul Seminary where he earned a Master of Divinity Degree before being ordained.
While he has had to give up many things to become a Catholic priest, he feels overjoyed and blessed to begin this journey.
"The work is so necessary and so blessed, and so beautiful to be invited into so many families in a way that I never would have otherwise had," he said. "So instead of having one family I have so many families here at the parish that bless my life so much. God says 'whatever sacrifices you give up you shall be repaid one hundredfold' and I definitely experience that with family and here giving up a family to be a priest but yet I've received one hundredfold and it's a great blessing to be here."
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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