From the desk of Father John

The Lord be with you! It brings me great joy to be your new pastor. I will admit that leaving Garfield Heights saddened me - I made many great friends there and will miss them. God has consoled me with the knowledge that I am doing His Will in coming to St. Thomas More.

Here is a brief autobiography. I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to James and Mary Schneider; I was the first of six children. If you think that is a large family consider this: I have fifty six cousins! Anyways, my family eventually moved to Avon Lake, but I can still remember going to the Memphis Kiddie Park and Big Creek.

I attended St. Vincent de Paul in Cleveland for grade school before going to St Ignatius High School. Afterwards I attended the University of Notre Dame on a full academic scholarship majoring in Latin and Philosophy. I had discerned my vocation to the priesthood while in high school, but my pastor encouraged me to delay going to the seminary. Once I had graduated college, however, I went straight into First Theology at our local seminary, St. Mary's. Five years later I was ordained a priest in 2011.

My first assignment as a priest of Cleveland was at Holy Family Parish in Parma where I served under Fr. Richard Evans. I learned a great deal at Holy Family and still have friends from that parish. In 2015 I left that parish to become a parochial vicar at St. John Vianney's in Mentor under Fr. Tom Johns. That assignment lasted a whole three months before I was promoted. In September 2015 I became the administrator of Immaculate Conception in Madison, Ohio. Bishop Lennon asked me to take on that assignment since I would be filling in for my uncle, Fr. Sean Donnelly, who had to go on medical leave. Fortunately, my uncle recovered from his illness and resumed his duties as pastor in February 2016.

I thought that I would get a little respite, but three weeks after my uncle came back I was given Ss. Peter & Paul in Garfield Heights. Six months later I was made their pastor *and* pastor of St. Therese on October 1, 2016. For eight years I had those two small parishes, and we had a lot of fun.

It came as a complete shock to me two months ago when the bishop asked me to come to St. Thomas More. I took his request to prayer, and God gave me a very clear answer: do what the bishop asks. I was not the first priest asked, but I was the first to say "yes."

Now starts a period of adjustment for all of us so let us pray for one another. As we get to know each other, I am sure that we will learn to rejoice in our gifts and God's grace. God be with you.

In His Sacred Heart,

Fr. John