‘Nothing but Gratitude’: Father Schlageter finds priestly vocation rewarding
July 28, 2024 at 7:00 a.m.
Fifty years since he took his first vows, Conventual Franciscan Father Robert Schlageter, pastor of St. Peter Parish, Point Pleasant Beach, looks back with fondness at the life to which he has been called.
“I have nothing but gratitude; I’ve been gifted with so many opportunities,” he said. “It would take a book to describe all the graces and blessings God has given me throughout my priesthood and religious life.”
Desire to Help
Father Schlageter believes his thoughts toward the priesthood began with his solitary reflections on the banks on Lake Erie, near his family’s cottage.
“I would sit by the lake by myself and felt a call to something more,” he said. “I think in my heart as a young man, I wanted to help people, I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. I had the idea of being a teacher like my father, or a guidance counselor or social worker.”
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., young Robert and his family were members of Infant of Prague Parish in nearby Cheektowaga; he and his brother attended Bishop Turner High School, Buffalo, where he encountered a Franciscan priest who visited the school as a vocations outreach.
“He invited me to come see their seminary in Massachusetts … there were 60 seminarians there at the time,” he said. “When I went, it was such a beautiful, fraternal, fun experience that I fell in love with that community. It was wonderful, life-changing.”
Father Schlageter attended St. Hyacinth College and Seminary in Granby, Mass. He entered the seminary in 1973 and professed his first vows as a Conventual Franciscan in 1974. He taught at Archbishop Curley High School, Baltimore, for a year, then proceeded to the Pontifical University of St. Bonaventure, Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood July 23, 1983, by Auxiliary Bishop Bernard McLaughlin of Buffalo.
Ministering to Young Adults
Most of his priesthood has been spent educating and guiding young adults, Father Schlageter said, adding it was something he enjoyed immensely.
“I love young adults – they are beautiful and funny; college is like a microwave of life – they enter teenagers and leave confident young adults,” he said.
His ministry has included teaching at St. Francis High School, Buffalo, and John Carroll High School, Fort Pierce, Fla.; campus minister for 22 years at Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, Conn., and at The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., 1998-2010. He was hired by Bishop [then-Father] David M. O’Connell, C.M., who was president of CUA at the time.
“Students from CUA go all over the country and do tremendous things,” Father Schlageter said, recalling the service trips to Africa that he made with several of them. “It was such a powerful, beautiful experience. The students were normal kids, facing all the same challenges, but in their toolbox, they had the gift of faith.”
From 2010 onward, he was pastor of three parishes, all with schools: St. Paul, Kensington, Conn.; St. Ann, Columbus, Ga.; and St. Peter, where he remains today.
“In my parishes, everywhere I’ve gone, the people have been very different; I have fallen in love with them and cried every time I’ve left,” Father Schlageter said. “New Jersey people are great – they’re affectionate, supportive, honest … I just enjoy them.”
Challenges and Triumphs
A more polarized society and a more secularized world have been trying factors in his priesthood, but not his dedication to the Church.
“No matter where the Church goes, no matter the prevailing winds, I love the Church and I will be faithful to it,” Father Schlageter said. “Christ calls us to find common ground for mutual respect for even those who disagree with us; the common good should be our priority – that’s the challenge.”
He has watched schools under his pastorship struggle and then begin to rebuild financially, including St. Peter’s, where this year “our kindergarten will have the highest enrollment in a decade. We give them the quality, faith-filled education that families want.” He also hopes to start a youth ministry in the parish based on LIFE Teen.
“Every human being needs to find something that makes their heart beat fast,” he said of contemplating a vocation. “If you feel that God is calling you, say ‘yes.’ … I invite people who have left the Church to come back. Don’t expect to find perfection – all we are is a bunch of sinners trying to find our way home.”
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Fifty years since he took his first vows, Conventual Franciscan Father Robert Schlageter, pastor of St. Peter Parish, Point Pleasant Beach, looks back with fondness at the life to which he has been called.
“I have nothing but gratitude; I’ve been gifted with so many opportunities,” he said. “It would take a book to describe all the graces and blessings God has given me throughout my priesthood and religious life.”
Desire to Help
Father Schlageter believes his thoughts toward the priesthood began with his solitary reflections on the banks on Lake Erie, near his family’s cottage.
“I would sit by the lake by myself and felt a call to something more,” he said. “I think in my heart as a young man, I wanted to help people, I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. I had the idea of being a teacher like my father, or a guidance counselor or social worker.”
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., young Robert and his family were members of Infant of Prague Parish in nearby Cheektowaga; he and his brother attended Bishop Turner High School, Buffalo, where he encountered a Franciscan priest who visited the school as a vocations outreach.
“He invited me to come see their seminary in Massachusetts … there were 60 seminarians there at the time,” he said. “When I went, it was such a beautiful, fraternal, fun experience that I fell in love with that community. It was wonderful, life-changing.”
Father Schlageter attended St. Hyacinth College and Seminary in Granby, Mass. He entered the seminary in 1973 and professed his first vows as a Conventual Franciscan in 1974. He taught at Archbishop Curley High School, Baltimore, for a year, then proceeded to the Pontifical University of St. Bonaventure, Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood July 23, 1983, by Auxiliary Bishop Bernard McLaughlin of Buffalo.
Ministering to Young Adults
Most of his priesthood has been spent educating and guiding young adults, Father Schlageter said, adding it was something he enjoyed immensely.
“I love young adults – they are beautiful and funny; college is like a microwave of life – they enter teenagers and leave confident young adults,” he said.
His ministry has included teaching at St. Francis High School, Buffalo, and John Carroll High School, Fort Pierce, Fla.; campus minister for 22 years at Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, Conn., and at The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., 1998-2010. He was hired by Bishop [then-Father] David M. O’Connell, C.M., who was president of CUA at the time.
“Students from CUA go all over the country and do tremendous things,” Father Schlageter said, recalling the service trips to Africa that he made with several of them. “It was such a powerful, beautiful experience. The students were normal kids, facing all the same challenges, but in their toolbox, they had the gift of faith.”
From 2010 onward, he was pastor of three parishes, all with schools: St. Paul, Kensington, Conn.; St. Ann, Columbus, Ga.; and St. Peter, where he remains today.
“In my parishes, everywhere I’ve gone, the people have been very different; I have fallen in love with them and cried every time I’ve left,” Father Schlageter said. “New Jersey people are great – they’re affectionate, supportive, honest … I just enjoy them.”
Challenges and Triumphs
A more polarized society and a more secularized world have been trying factors in his priesthood, but not his dedication to the Church.
“No matter where the Church goes, no matter the prevailing winds, I love the Church and I will be faithful to it,” Father Schlageter said. “Christ calls us to find common ground for mutual respect for even those who disagree with us; the common good should be our priority – that’s the challenge.”
He has watched schools under his pastorship struggle and then begin to rebuild financially, including St. Peter’s, where this year “our kindergarten will have the highest enrollment in a decade. We give them the quality, faith-filled education that families want.” He also hopes to start a youth ministry in the parish based on LIFE Teen.
“Every human being needs to find something that makes their heart beat fast,” he said of contemplating a vocation. “If you feel that God is calling you, say ‘yes.’ … I invite people who have left the Church to come back. Don’t expect to find perfection – all we are is a bunch of sinners trying to find our way home.”
The Church needs quality Catholic journalism now more than ever. Please consider supporting this work by signing up for a SUBSCRIPTION (click HERE) or making a DONATION to The Monitor (click HERE). Thank you for your support.