Feb 8 -

"Sharing and living the life of Christ is always a challenge, but it is more so in the confines of jail and prison. If you know of any jurisdiction which discriminates or does not allow Catholic inmates to practice their faith (i.e. celebrating the Sacraments, meatless meals during Lent, or forbidding rosaries and prayerbooks, etc)…PLEASE CONTACT US ASAP." See the rest of the message from ACCCA President Paul Rogers, as well as a list of speakers for the summer conference, here.

Feb 8 - Registration for Summer 2010 Conference available here.

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RIP Rev. Mark Schmieder

Rev. Schmieder, 69, 'conscience of the city'

SHARONVILLE - One of the last phone calls Rev. Mark Schmieder made before he died was to a recovering alcoholic. He told the man to stay on his path, to keep working at life.

The next day, on Christmas Eve, the man many people called "the conscience of the city" died of pancreatic cancer at age 69.

Rev. Schmieder leaves a void that will never be filled and an entire community reeling from the loss, said Karl Fields, house manager of St. Francis-St. Joseph Catholic Worker House in Over-the-Rhine.

"Whenever there was an injustice, that's where Father Mark was. The man walked on water. He was special," Fields said. "All we can do is keep his dream alive and continue to run the house."

Since Rev. Schmieder co-founded and later became board member of the house, the success rate of homeless ex-convicts and addicts who went on to get jobs and homes jumped from 24 to 36 percent. A roast for Schmieder in November raised $27,000 for the house.

Even during his final days, he ran meetings, made phone calls and attended events.

"Here he was on chemotherapy and he never rested," said Carl Schmieder, his brother.

Rev. Schmieder was a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for 43 years and served as chaplain of the Lebanon Correctional Institution and the Hamilton County Justice Center. He was recognized as a "priest of integrity" by Cincinnati's Voice of the Faithful.

The local Survivor's Network of those Abused by Priests mourned his death Wednesday, calling him "an exemplary and rare priest" who worked tirelessly for the "disenfranchised and downtrodden in our Cincinnati community."

Born in Minster, Ohio, Rev. Schmieder decided to become a priest at the age of 13. He eventually went on to get his masters' degree and learned seven languages.

Rev. Schmieder attended St. Gregory Seminary and Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West in Mount Washington. He lived in Sharonville but died in Richland, WA, where he was getting cancer treatment.

When working as a prison chaplain, he started the Kairos Prison Ministry, which has spread to more than a dozen prisons in the state. He ministered to students at Wittenberg College and taught at several high schools including St. Ursula Academy in Cincinnati. He was the former president of the American Catholic Correctional Chaplains Association.

When the Pope Benedict XVI came to visit George H. W. Bush in 2008, he personally requested Schmieder as a guest to the receiving party at the White House.

"He worked with a lot of people at very high levels but he was always for the poor, the homeless and people that were living without hope," Carl Schmieder said.

On his last days, he made a round of calls to those he knew needed his encouraging words the most. He was a man people wanted to be around. He never got upset and never griped.

Rev. Schmieder was a friend "you wanted to have with you all the time, although you'd have to share him," his brother said.

On his better days, when he took his beloved pontoon boat, Marco Polo, out on the river, captains blew their horns and waved at him. Almost everyone who knew him has a story about the boat that won the Mayor's Award at Tall Stacks eight years ago.

"It was his baby," Carl Schmieder said.

But whether he was on the water or working tirelessly to help others, he did it all with a smile.

One of the biggest legacies he leaves is how to persevere, even when the times are hard, his brother said.

"I'll do that now, through his passing," he said. "Mark is in heaven and he's looking down. If anybody needs anything spiritually, I'm sure he's going to intercede and get it done. He won't leave it alone."

In addition to his brother Carl, of Milford, Rev. Schmieder leaves two other brothers, Luke, of Colorado, and LeRoy of Missouri; and two sisters, Mary Darlene Dieringer, of Arizona, and Lisa Ann Kostuch, of Dayton.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday at noon at St. Francis Seraph Church, 1615 Vine Street. Remembrances can be made to St. Francis-St. Joseph Catholic Worker House, PO Box 14274, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0274.

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December 29, 2009
Dear Father and Deacon:

Reverend Mark C. Schmieder died of cancer on Thursday, December 24, 2009 in Washington State.  He was born on August 3, 1940 in Lima, Ohio. He did his preparatory studies at St. Gregory Seminary and studied theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West in Norwood. He was ordained on May 28, 1966 at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral in Cincinnati by Archbishop Karl J. Alter. Later, he received a Masters degree in Religious Education from Loyola University.

Father Schmieder began his first assignment on June 17, 1966 as Assistant Pastor at Resurrection Parish in Dayton and as a teacher at Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering. In June 1969, he was assigned to Assistant Pastor at St. Raphael Parish, the faculty at Central Catholic High School, to Newman ministry at Wittenberg College, and the Community Center, all in Springfield.  In June 1970, he was assigned Assistant Pastor at St. Teresa Parish in Springfield while continuing at Central Catholic High School and in Newman ministry at Wittenberg College.   In August 1973, he was appointed Associate Pastor to St. Saviour Parish in Cincinnati.  In August 1974, he was appointed Associate Pastor to St. Margaret Mary Parish in Cincinnati, and to the faculty of St. Ursula Academy.  In June 1978, he began as Associate Pastor to St. Joseph Parish in Cincinnati.  From September 1980 to December 2002, Father Schmieder served as Chaplain of the Lebanon Correctional Institution with residence much of that time at All Saints Parish, Cincinnati.  In March 1996, he was appointed Associate Pastor to Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Monroe.  In December 2002, Father Schmieder was appointed Chaplain of the Hamilton County Justice Center in Cincinnati where he served until his death. 

Reception of the Body: Saturday, January 2, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. at St. Francis Seraph Church, Over-the-Rhine, 1615 Vine Street (the corner of Liberty and Vine) Cincinnati, OH 45210; 513-535-2719.

Mass of Christian Burial: Saturday, January 2, 2010 at noon at St. Francis Seraph Church. Celebrant and homilist:  Reverend William R. Stockelman.

Burial: In Minster, Ohio at a later time.

Associates of the Marian Pact are asked to offer, as soon as possible, one Mass for the repose of the soul of Father Schmieder, and when convenient, to provide for the celebration of two other Masses.

In June 2009, Father Schmieder wrote “…Most of all, what I owe my thanks to is God.  It is prayer that is the final line as I have seen the results of prayer so often in my own life and in the ministry.  I look at this pancreatic cancer as just another phase in my life and also as a gift: to get my priorities in order.  So often we are concerned and worry about the wrong things in life...”  Father Schmieder tried to live his life serving the poor and the imprisoned.  May he rest in peace.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Reverend Joseph R. Binzer
Chancellor

News - ACCCA signatory to Second Chance Act funding request.

Newly elected (Aug 09) ACCCA officers with our Episcopal Moderator
Paul Rogers (president), Christine Shimrock (secretary), Bishop Barry C. Knestout,
Teodoro Rael (treasurer), Fr. Michael Koncik (vice president)

The American Catholic Correctional Chaplains Association is the official Catholic organization which supports and certifies correctional chaplains and is committed to promoting and securing Restorative Justice for victims, offenders, and the community.

The ACCCA is a national Catholic organization committed to promoting the principles of restorative justice for all involved with, or affected by, the criminal justice system. Restorative Justice is bible based and views crime as affecting victims, offenders, their families and the community at large.

The ACCCA is a community of women and men involved in the specialized ministry to the incarcerated, bringing together the best resources and personnel to the task of healing and restoration.

The ACCCA members network and collaborate with other professionals and volunteers in the field of criminal justice.

The ACCCA is identified with two "parent" groups. The first is the Catholic community in the United States through the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops). The second is the ACCA (American Correctional Chaplains Association).

As Catholics involved in correctional or detention ministry, ACCCA members have their voices and concerns heard through participation in the ACCA, which in turn is an affiliate of the ACA (American Correctional Association).

ACCCA members receive their support locally through their diocese and professed religious communities. An increasing number of dioceses have established offices of prison/detention ministry, coordinating and supporting services in their local area. ACCCA strongly supports these efforts.

The ACCCA is associated with the International Commission of Catholic Prison Pastoral Care (ICCPPC) which is headquartered in the Netherlands.

Contact Information

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