Valeria Zehr

- Jasper, Indiana

People of Wisdom

Name: John and Celine Schott

Parish: Members of St. Raphael, Dubois, for 30 years

Married, number of children, grandchildren: Married on Oct. 26, 1957 at St. Raphael’s; five children, 12 grandchildren.

Tell me three things about your spouse: Celine: John is a lover of nature, he is always helping others, and he’s a hard worker. John: She’s been a good mother to our children, she’s always around when I need help, and she keeps me on the ball in getting to church.

How did you meet? Celine: We met at a basketball game in Dubois. I went to high school at Ferdinand — the Academy of the Immaculate Conception — and he went to Dubois High School. After high school, John joined the Navy. When he got home from the service, we started dating after several phone calls from John!

What was your childhood like? Celine: We both grew up on farms in this area. I was the youngest of 10 children. One of my memories of childhood is getting home from school. We had a quarter-mile lane we walked down, and we would have homemade bread and jelly for a snack. I also remember sled riding with my two older brothers. One of my heroes was my mother. She did not have an easy life. She raised all those children, worked hard, and put a big garden out. I remember her faith and her attitude that everything would be all right. John: I had four sisters . . . I was the second oldest. We lived on a small farm and raised grain and had a few cattle and hogs. I looked up to my mother and father more than any body. They were always ready to help me.

What is your first memory of church? Celine: My earliest memories of church are going to Lenten services on Wednesday and Friday evenings, and a lot of times attending two Masses on Sunday. John: I grew up in the Lutheran Church. When I started taking instructions to join the Catholic Church before we were married, I was scared to death because the older priest at St. Raphael’s was very strict. People didn’t think we’d get along, but he and I got to fishing right away! 

What are your hobbies? Celine: I like to read, do crossword puzzles and play cards, and I like working in the yard. John: I love to fish and hunt.

Where was your first job? Celine: I worked as a secretary for a furniture company after high school, then at a bank for 22 years. John: I worked in a factory for three months before I enlisted in the Navy. After I got out of the Navy, I went to work as an electrician’s helper on the GI bill. I am a retired electrical contractor. I still help my son out with the business.

What are you or have you been involved with at your parish? Celine: I used to teach religion. We still help with the annual social. We are on a committee that fixes the roast beef, and on Sunday he helps with the chicken frying and I help in the kitchen. I also serve as a Eucharistic Minister, and we both serve as greeters. John: I have also helped with a lot of jobs around the parish like pouring concrete and redoing the underground drain lines. I also donated and installed new cabinets in the parish hall kitchen.

What do you like most about being Catholic? Celine: I like being able to go to Mass and receiving the Eucharist. John: It’s a good religion to raise a family in, and it makes you feel a lot better when you get to church every Sunday. 

What is your favorite religious item? Celine: The crucifixes that I have. John: The rosary.

Have you ever experienced a miracle or God’s intervention in your life? Celine: In 1969, when our daughter was 7 years old, we were told she had leukemia. Everybody in the county was praying for her. After they treated her at St. Jude’s, she went in remission, and she has stayed in remission. It was definitely a miracle. She now is married and has three children of her own. John: I can recall several things that have happened. Once, we were on the White River when it was really cold. There were not very many people on the water that day. Some guy turned his canoe over, and I suppose he wouldn’t have made it if we were not there to see him and pick him up. 

What’s the best advice you can give someone else? Celine: Keep the faith and never take yourself too seriously. John: Believe in God and know that whatever happens in life, He will see you through it.

People of Wisdom is sponsored by the Catholic Foundation of Southwestern Indiana, Inc. For more information, please call (800) 637-1731 or (812) 424-5536, or visit the website @ www.catholicfoundationswin.org.

This article is copyrighted and appeared in the March 4, 2005 issue of The Message and is reprinted here with the permission the Catholic Press of Evansville. For information about subscribing to The Message email them at message@evansville-diocese.org