Rev. Cleo Schmenk was ordained a priest at the Pontifical College Josephinum in 11953.  Fr. Cleo served as an associate pastor in two parishes and as pastor in four parishes before retiring in 1999.  While serving in parishes he taught in both grade and high school and later taught in several colleges (Mary Manse in Toledo, Lourdes College in Sylvania and Defiance College).  He was diocesan director of the lay ministry program and founded the diocesan program for the Permanent Diaconate, holding that post for twenty years.  He designed the program of education for these programs.   He has both a bachelors and masters degree in theology from the Pontifical College Josephinum  and a Doctorate from the United Theological Seminary.  He specialized in the motivation of people for learning. 

            Father Cleo was named teacher of the year in 1974 and was a member of the Bishop’s Education Council of the Diocese of Toledo.  He continues to teach both adults and children in his retirement.

Name:  Rev. Cleo S. Schmenk

Address:  4337 Mt. Carmel LN, Melbourne, FL   32901

Telephone:  321-729-4206

Email address: cschmenk@cfl.rr.com

Title:  Retired priest of the Diocese of Toledo; associate at St. Joseph Parish, Palm Bay, FL

            [Complete list of assignments since ordination on page 2]

Degrees:

A. B.  Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, Ohio, 1949

            M. Div. Pontifical College Josephinum, 1972

            D. Min. United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, 1983

Additional undergraduate study:

            Pius X School of Liturgical Music, summer session of 1947

Additional graduate study:

            University of Notre Dame, summer session of 1949

            University of Wisconsin, summer of 1952

            Commercial Pilot’s license, 1952

            Sacred Hearth Seminary, Shelby, Ohio, summer of 1972

            University of Toledo, two semesters, 1981-1982

            United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, 1980-1983

American College in Rome, winter of 1987

            Private studies in music 1989-1999

Publications:

            Retreat Program for Junior High School students

                        Three editions from 1968-1973

Programs of Education and curriculum for the Diocesan Ministry and Diaconate Formation of the Diocese of Toledo, Ohio 197201988

            Student Handbook and Teacher Manual for Lay Ministers, 1982

            Doctoral Thesis entitled, “Enabling Lay People to Facilitate a Program of Learning,”1983

            Text for Grade 2 Sacramental Preparation 2003

Teaching experience:

            Music 1 and 2 at the Pontifical College Josephinum High School, 1947-1953

            St. Wendelin High School, 1953-1961

            Lima Central Catholic High School, 1961-1965

            Mary Manse College extension, Lima, Ohio, 1965

            Cardinal Stritch High School, Oregon, Ohio, 1968-1969

            Lourdes College, Sylvania, Ohio, 1976-1984

            Diocesan Diaconate and Ministry Formation Program, 1970-1099

            Defiance College, Defiance, Ohio, 1989-1994

            Grade school classes in all parishes in which I served and at present, Grade 2

Fields of Specialization:

            Administration

            Theology

            Music

            Counseling

            Rite of Christian Initiation

Research Interests:

            Discovering and developing ways to facilitate learning for adults and children

Service Activities:

            Teaching (workshops, seminars, lectures)

            Chaplain of the Civil Air Patrol 1953-1960

            Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus

            Designing programs of education from 1967 to the present

            Designing and directing recreation programs, Fostoria and Lima, Ohio

            Served twice on the Priests’ Council

            Served on the Bishop’s Education Council

Executive secretary for the NADVD (National Association of Diocesan Vocation

Directors) 1967-1970

            Cofounder of the NAPD (national Association of Permanent Deacon Directors), 1976

            Secretary of the NAPD, 1977-1979

            Member of Priests’ Council, 1972-1073; 1996-1998

            Diocesan Personnel Director for deacons, 1973-1988

            Director of the “Keep Cecil Bright” project; obtaining and implementing a grant to

 revitalize a Village, 1990

Member of the MRDD School Board of Paulding, Ohio  1994 -1997 and president of the

board from 1995-1997

Bishop’s Education Council, 1996-1999

Awards:

            Diocesan Teacher of the Year, 1974

            Philbin Award, 1996 (An award for significant and unique contributions toward the

development Of the Permanent Diaconate in the United States

Diocesan assignments as a priest of the Diocese of Toledo, Ohio:

            Assistant pastor and high school teacher at St. Wendelin Parish, Fostoria, Ohio, 1953;

1954-1961

            Administrator pro-tem of St. Anthony Parish, Columbus Grove, Ohio, 1953-1954

            Assistant pastor of St. Charles Parish, Lima, Ohio 1961-1967

            Teacher at Lima Central Catholic High School, 1961-1965

            Administrator of St. Charles Parish, Lima, Ohio, 1967

            Vocation Director for the Diocese of Toledo, 1967-1973

            Assistant pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish, Toledo, Ohio 1967

            Teacher at Cardinal Stritch high School, Oregon, Ohio, 1967-1968

            Pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Providence, Ohio, 1968-1970

            Pastor of St. Michael Parish, Toledo, Ohio, 1970-1974

            Director of the Diocesan Lay Ministry and Diaconate Formation Program, 1972-1988

            Personnel Director of Deacons, 1973-1988

            Pastor of Regina Coeli Parish, Toledo, Ohio, 1975-1979

            Chaplain to the Sisters of St. Francis, Sylvania, Ohio, 1979-1988

            Pastor of St. Joseph, Parish, Paulding, Ohio, 1988-1999

            Retired from the Diocese in 1999