LATROBE, PENNSYLVANIA – Two new members have joined the Saint Vincent Seminary Board of Regents, along with another member who returns to the board after a seven-year absence.
They are Most Rev. Bernard W. Schmitt, Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia; Mark F. Garcea of Virginia Beach, Va., president and owner of M & G Electronics Corp. and owner of three professional sports teams; and Msgr. Paul A. Lenz, who serves as executive director of the Black and Indian Mission Office, Washington, D.C. Msgr. Lenz previously served on the board from 1984 to 1992.
Bishop Schmitt attended St. Charles College in Catonville, Md., St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Md., and Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, where he did post-graduate studies in guidance and counseling. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Thomas J. McDonnell in Wheeling on May 28, 1955. He served as associate pastor of St. Joseph Cathedral in Wheeling and master of ceremonies to the bishop (1955-1963); Diocesan Director of Vocations, Director of Propagation of the Faith and Director of CCD (1963-1966); Rector of St. Joseph Preparatory Seminary (1966-1972); pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church, St. Albans, West Virginia (1972-1982); pastor of St. Michael Church, Wheeling (1982-1989). He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston on May 31, 1988 and ordained on August 1, 1988. During his tenure as Auxiliary Bishop he was named Diocesan Director of Vocations on October 26, 1988, and was appointed Diocesan Administrator on February 17, 1989. He was appointed Seventh Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston on March 30, 1989 and installed on May 17, 1989. Bishop Schmitt’s national appointments include serving on the Bishops’ Committee on Priestly Life and Ministry (1988-1991); the National Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Marriage and Family (1990-1996) and the Campaign for Human Development Committee (1996-1999).
Mr. Garcea is a member of the Board of Directors of St. Gregory the Great School in Virginia Beach and was a major supporter of the building of St. Gregory the Great Church, which is staffed by Saint Vincent Archabbey Benedictines. In addition to founding M & G Electronics Corp., which now employs over 600 people, Mr. Garcea is president and owner of the Hampton Roads Admirals, an American Hockey League franchise that will be affiliated with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2000-2001. He is also the largest stockholder of the Norfolk Tides Baseball Club and president/owner of the Hampton Roads Mariners, a professional soccer team. He is also president and owner of Harmony Investments, Inc.
Msgr. Lenz earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Saint Vincent College in 1946, a Certificate for Language School Completion from Maryknoll Instituto, Cochabamba, Bolivia; a Certificate for Excellence in Advanced Spanish from Penn State University. He received a Doctor of Divinity Degree from Saint Vincent Seminary in 1995. He was ordained a priest April 2, 1949, in the Cathedral of Blessed Sacrament, Altoona, by the late Bishop Richard T. Guilfoyle. He was named a Papal Chamberlain on Dec. 16, 1960 and a Prelate of Honor on Dec. 10, 1982.
Msgr. Lenz has served as Director for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith for the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese, assistant editor of the diocesan paper, The Catholic Register, and curator and archivist of the Prince Gallitzin Chapel, Loretto (1953-1970); instructor in the Theology Department and Department Head at Mount Aloysius College (1956-1962); theology instructor at St. Francis College, Loretto (1962-1970). From 1949 to 1970 he served the following parishes: St. Patrick Church, Newry; St. Monica Church, Chest Springs; St. Joseph Church, Coupon, Pa. and St. Michael Church, Loretto. From 1970 to 1974 he was a missionary with the Prelature of Coronel Oviedo, Paraguay, South America, with the Guarani Indians. From 1974 to 1976 he was pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish, Bellefonte. In 1976 he was appointed by John Cardinal Krol as the Sixth Director of what is known today as the National Black and Indian Home Mission Office. He has also served on numerous boards in Washington D.C. and Louisiana.
