FARGO, ND – Father Brendon Schneibel, ENS, USNR, a candidate for United States Military chaplaincy, was ordained a priest on Saturday, June 6, in his home Diocese of Fargo, ND. The new priest is on track eventually to serve as a Catholic chaplain in the U.S. Navy, providing pastoral care to Catholic sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and their families with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS).
“There are many priests who have inspired me in my discernment of the priesthood and the chaplaincy,” Father Schneibel said. “Not least of all were my childhood pastors. Two, in particular, from the Diocese of Fargo come to mind: those who instructed me in the sacraments and showed me the richness and goodness of our faith. I’ve also been truly inspired and encouraged by several chaplains whom I have met. Father David Hammond, CHC, LTC, USN, in particular, has been probably my greatest advocate in my process of becoming a Navy chaplain, and he has been a true mentor and role model for the priestly life.”
Father Schneibel received the sacrament of holy orders from Bishop John T. Folda through the laying of hands and the prayer of consecration invoking the Holy Spirit. His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, Archbishop for the Military Services, concelebrated the 10:00 a.m. ordination Mass at Saints Anne and Joachim Catholic Church.
Among those proudly watching from the pews were the new priest’s parents, Kevin and Mary Kaye Schneibel, his siblings, and their families: sister Casey Barclay with her husband, Justin, and their four children, Kinsley, Peyton, Lydia, and Cooper; brother Thomas Schneibel with his wife Tyra and son Sebastian; sister Jennifer, and brother Gabriel. Many others of his extended family also participated in the ordination Mass, including aunts, uncles, and cousins, including his uncle Kenneth Cossette, a U.S. Marine no longer in active service, and many friends.
Father Schneibel, 26, was born in Grand Forks in northeastern North Dakota. He grew up mainly in Lakota, about an hour’s drive to the west. When he was 12 years old his family moved to Alaska for three years before returning to the Peace Garden State where they settled in Manvel, ND. Father Schneibel was homeschooled from Kindergarten through high school before graduating in 2018. He went on to St. Gregory the Great College Seminary where he graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree in Philosophy. This spring he completed his priestly formation at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD, where he earned a Master of Divinity (MDiv) Degree.
“The thing I’m most looking forward to in priestly ministry,” Father Schneibel says, “is praying the Mass. The union of the priest with Christ is most clearly seen there, and it is that union with Christ which is the goal of my formation and indeed my whole life. To be united with Christ, the Priest and the Victim, will be the greatest gift and privilege I’ll ever have.”
Under his co-sponsored seminarian agreement with the AMS, Father Schneibel will serve in his home Diocese of Fargo for three years, honing his pastoral skills with hands-on experience in ministry, before going on active duty in the Navy.
The eventual service of Father Schneibel and other Catholic chaplain candidates is greatly anticipated by the Navy, which, like all other branches of the U.S. Military, continues to suffer a chronic shortage of Catholic chaplains. Currently, the Navy has only 55 priests on active duty, and 16 in the Reserve, serving a Catholic population of more than 130,000 Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen spread worldwide, not to mention their families whom Navy chaplains also serve.
Young men interested in discerning a priestly vocation, and the vocation within a vocation to serve those who serve in the U.S. military, can find more information at milarch.org/vocations, or may contact AMS Vocations Director Father Paul-Anthony Halladay at vocations@milarch.org or (202) 719-3600.
Gifts in support of AMS Vocations are gratefully accepted at milarch.org/donate.