January 25, 2024 // Local

Surprise 75th Birthday Party for Monsignor Robert Schulte

Bethany Beebe

On Thursday, January 4, the students, faculty, and staff at St. Jude Catholic School in Fort Wayne threw a surprise birthday party to celebrate Monsignor Robert Schulte’s 75th birthday. “I thought I was going into a little skit presented by the first graders,” said Monsignor Schulte, Pastor of St. Jude. The celebration, attended by the entire school, was a surprise that had been in the works for a couple of months. Mike Obergfell, Principal at St. Jude, said Monsignor Schulte’s “great pastoral leadership” and homilies make him a blessing to the community. “The priesthood is a public vocation,” Monsignor Shulte said, “so it was appropriate to share it with the schoolchildren and parishioners.” Three students presented gifts to Monsignor Schulte, who also got to blow out the candles on a birthday cake and received a giant card with well-wishes from the whole school. – Photos by Bethany Beebe