Butler native to be ordained by Bishop Zubik Saturday
Bishop David Zubik of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh will ordain a Butler Township man Saturday morning.
Deacon David Schmidt Jr., a 2009 Butler High School graduate who attended Butler Catholic School, will be ordained a Catholic priest at 10 a.m. at St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh.
“I am in awe and wonder of what God has in store for me in the priesthood ... in this beautiful ministry of the church,” Schmidt said. “I ask your prayers for me in my ordination, and please know I am praying for you.”
Schmidt said he grew up in the Catholic church with his parents and four siblings, but when he dug deeper into the faith, he discovered the beauty of the church.
“If you really dig down deep into (the Catholic faith) and let it transform your life, you’ll see that it’s the most beautiful thing you could ever imagine,” he said.
After being ordained by Zubik on Saturday morning, Schmidt will celebrate his first Mass Sunday at his home church, St. Conrad Roman Catholic Church, in the Meridian section of Butler Township.
“It’ll be great,” Schmidt said. “Butler has a special place in my heart, so my first Mass there will be very special.”
He said his inaugural homily will focus on the gift of priesthood.
Schmidt’s mother, Kimberly, said the family is thrilled that David will be ordained on Saturday and pursue a career in the priesthood.
“Just watching him go through the journey and seeing him grow in his faith and grow in his love for the Catholic Church, we’re all very, very excited,” Kimberly said.
She said her son’s qualities of being a good listener, natural compassion for people, knowledge of and love for the church, and ability to show people how to incorporate the Catholic faith into their daily lives will make him a great priest.
“He has the ability to guide people,” Kimberly said.
David Schmidt, the son of David and Kimberly of Butler Township, graduated from California University of Pennsylvania in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science degree in sports management.
In 2014, he received a Master’s degree in sports management from Old Dominion University.
Schmidt entered the priestly formation program at St. Paul Seminary and Duquesne University in the fall of 2015, and completed two years of pre-theology studies there.
He was assigned in 2017 to theological college at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, to begin theological studies.
In summer 2018, Schmidt participated in the seminarian program at the Institute for Priestly Formation at the University of Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska.
Following his second year of theology, he was assigned to the parishes of St. Frances Cabrini, St. John the Baptist, Our Lady of Fatima, and St. Titus — all in Beaver County — for his pastoral year assignment. Those churches are now the combined Mary, Queen of Saints Parish.
Schmidt was ordained a transitional deacon on June 12, 2021, and assigned again to Mary, Queen of Saints Parish on July 1, 2021.
In fall 2021, he returned to theological college to begin his final year of theological studies.
“I’m excited for everything the Lord has in store and excited to see what he has in store in the priesthood,” Schmidt said.
