During the ordination, Father Schmolt’s mother, Jeanine, was presented with her son’s maniturgium — a cloth used to wipe his hands with holy oil. His father, Paul, was given another cloth that Father Schmolt wore when he heard his first confession.
"It’s an honor. God has blessed us. The most powerful thing is when you go to Mass and say, ‘That’s my son,’" Jeanine Schmolt said of her oldest of three children. "He was always interested in the church. I said, ‘God is using you for something.’"
Last summer Father Schmolt returned home to celebrate one of his first Masses at Immaculate Heart of Mary. It was a chance for Father Schmolt’s family members who were unable to attend his ordination in Erie to celebrate with him locally.
"His grandmothers would be so proud," Jeanine Schmolt said.
Father Jan Schmidt, pastor of St. Margaret of York in Loveland, was a longtime pastor at Immaculate Heart of Mary and met Father Schmolt when he returned home for Christmas, Easter and on break from the seminary.
"He’s very likable and very helpful," Father Schmidt said. "He’s been involved in liturgy. He’ll make a fine priest. I’m glad and joyful, but I wish he was a priest for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati."
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Father Schmolt said he was never against becoming a priest and enjoys the rewards and challenges it brings. "The priesthood means being full of God and prayer. I get to talk to people who are in trouble. That’s the best part of what you do," he said.
Father Schmolt also leads various staff meetings to "move the organization forward" and "balances the (parish’s) checkbook."
"The whole business component may not have been in the priesthood 50 years ago. I’m very satisfied," he said.