Diocese of Covington - Messenger at 402 E. 21st Street, Covington, KY 41015 US - Deacon prays to courageously proclaim Christ to the world

Anyone who has ever met Deacon Daniel Schomaker would surely agree that he is a man of boundless energy and quick thought. When in his presence you can literally see the wheels of his mind spinning, always thinking ahead, seeming to notice minor problems and offering a quick fix before anyone else notices. In a 2005 Messenger article (Oct. 14) Deacon Schomaker admitted that his Mundelein basketball team would send him into the game “to wear people down.” It is somewhat surprising, then, that with all of the knowledge he has acquired and the acquaintances he has made during his six years in the seminary, what he has learned to cherish is the “silence where God is found.”

“As human beings, we grow and develop physically in silence, as does all of creation, really. This is all the more true when it comes to the spiritual life. It is in those silent moments, hours, days, that we encounter God, that we meet him who formed us in our mother’s womb. I think back to the First Book of Kings (chapter 19) where God was not found in the earthquake or the great fire or wind, but was found in the silent silence, often described as a tiny whispering breeze. The seminary has given me that,” wrote Deacon Schomaker in an e-mail interview May 3–4, the weekend of his graduation from St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, Mundelein, Illinois. “I have learned to embrace the silence, to desire to enter into silence so that I can meet God — even though at times it can be quite difficult and I find my mind wandering.”

Much of Deacon Schomaker’s energy can be attributed to youthfulness — he is 28 years old and will be the Diocese of Covington’s youngest priest following his ordination, May 16, at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption. (Deacon Martin Pitstick will be ordained in the same ceremony.) In addition to silence, as he reflects on his recent trip to Yonkers, New York, to hear Pope Benedict XVI and his approaching ordination to the priesthood, two other words come to his mind — prayer and courage.

“It is in the silence that I have learned to pray. It is through prayer that one moves beyond a mere encounter and grows in a relationship with the Lord,” said Deacon Schomaker. “The Holy Father, in one of his addresses in the United States, encouraged the bishops and their priests to teach the people of God how to pray — if we want to be holy, we must pray. And all of us priests, religious and laity are all called to holiness! The world, however, can be very hostile towards those who desire to enter into silence and pray — the devil certainly wants no one to grow in holiness.

“And so I keep another phrase close to my heart that was spoken by the pope during his apostolic visit to our country, ‘Have Courage!’ In the eyes of the world, studying to be a priest is absurd — and many mock those of us who have answered the Lord’s call to be his priests. Yet I keep before my eyes the teachings of the Lord Jesus, who reminds us that we will be hated and despised because of his name. I know this and yet I also know that the Lord has sent us his Holy Spirit to strengthen us so that we can have courage, so that we can stand up and proclaim his Gospel — to speak the truth with love. And I know that in doing this, I am never alone for Jesus said, ‘I am with you always until the end of the age.’(Matt 28:20)”

Deacon Schomaker is a 1998 graduate of Covington Catholic High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in marketing at the University of Kentucky in 2002 and baccalaureate in sacred theology from St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He said that Bishop Roger Foys has asked him to return to the seminary next year to complete his licentiate in sacred theology with a focus on sacramental theology and liturgy.

Many throughout the diocese are familiar with Deacon Schomaker. As a seminarian he has served in the local parishes of St. Thomas, Ft. Thomas and St. Benedict, Covington.

“As I approach the sacred priesthood of Jesus Christ, my hope is that I will be a good and holy priest who is dedicated to the service of the Lord God and his people; a priest who embraces silence, so as to be a true man of prayer. And finally, with the strength provided by the Holy Spirit, to be a priest who courageously proclaims Jesus Christ to the world, at least in our corner of it,” he said.

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