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Schlater set on the Priesthood

Posted: 04/25/2011 - by Charlie Narmi

It's a great week to be a Falcon or a Sainte! Afterall, we have a new school President, the Soccer Teams will be playing at one of the best soccer stadiums in the country this week - Creighton's Morrison Stadium, and the St. Albert Auction celebrates 30 years this weekend with a Kentucky Derby theme! During this exciting Easter week we'd also like to celebrate and congratulate 2001 St. Albert Graduate, Skyler Schlater, who has decided to become a Priest!

We believe Schlater is just the 5th St. Albert Graduate to make his way towards the Priesthood. The 1st being 1976 St. Albert Graduate, Father Bud Grant, who is now a Professor and Assistant Soccer Coach at St. Ambrose University. Father Grant received his BA in Philosophy and History from St. Ambrose. He has a Masters of Christian Spirituality from Creighton University and recently completed his Ph.D. in Environmental Ethics at the University of Iowa.

The 2nd being Father Chris Barak who is a 1977 St. Albert Graduate. Father Barak currently serves in the Lincoln Diocese in Nebraska.

The 3rd being 1978 St. Albert Graduate, Father Mike Berner who is now the Pastor at St. Anne's in Logan, IA and St. Patrick's in Missouri Valley. Father Berner is a Graduate of Creighton University with a degree in Theology, Notre Dame University with a Masters in Divinity and is a graduate of Moreau Seminary. He infamously won the Publisher's Clearing House $1,000,000 prize in 1998 and subsequently made numerous national television appearances, including the David Letterman show.

Also, so far as we can tell, St. Albert has produced one nun as well, Angel Bernemann, who is now known as Sister Faustina Marie Bernemann. Sister is a 1993 Graduate of St. Albert and resides at Our Lady of the Angels in Hanceville, Alabama.

We recently reached out to Skyler and he was kind enough to give us the following response:

You heard correctly, I am in the St. Paul Seminary, in St. Paul, MN studying for the Des Moines diocese and I am a member of Queen of Apostles parish. Currently I am finishing up my philosophy studies and plan on starting the theological studies come fall 2011. God willing I will be ordained in the spring of 2015. I grew up in Council Bluffs, attended St. Albert from pre-k through 12th grade and graduated high school in 2001. During high school I wrestled and played soccer all 4 years. After high school I went to Iowa State University for two years taking some basic and business classes. After two years there I transferred to the University of Nebraska Omaha where in 2005 I graduated with my BA in Psychology. After graduating, I entered the seminary and started my philosophy studies at Conception Seminary, in Conception Missouri for two years. After I completed their program I discerned that I wanted to take some time before starting major seminary and the study of theology. I moved out to northern New Hampshire, where I was employed with Eckerd Youth Alternatives working with at risk youth in an outdoor camp. From there I moved back to Council Bluffs, and worked for two and a half years with at risk youth at Children's square in the Academic Center. It was during the last year at Children's Square that I felt it was time to return to the seminary with the intention of becoming a priest. From last October through January while waiting to start this spring at St. Paul, I was working with Fr. David at St. Patricks here in Council Bluffs, while continuing to work at Children's Square. I never received a supernatural call to study for the priesthood, and through high school and the first years of college it wasn't even on my mind. When I was young I had thought of it, and then the last years of college it came to my mind again. It stemmed primarily from my called to be a Christian man. The supernatural and wonderful part of the call, would come from the fact that God wouldn't allow me to put it out of my mind as much as I was trying to focus on what I thought I wanted to do throughout these last ten years.

I hope this is what you were looking for.

Take care,

God Bless

Skyler Schlater

Again, congratulations and THANK YOU Skyler! Also thanks to Andy Biller and Dave Nielsen for making me aware of Skyler's discernment and putting me in touch with him and thanks to Matt O'Neill for some of the background information on some of our Alums in the religious life.

Charlie Narmi

St. Albert Alumni President

Schlater set on the Priesthood

Posted: 04/25/2011 - by Charlie Narmi

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