News

Father Schuster to go to St. Michaels church

By Scott Wagar

07/15/2014

Father Paul Schuster of St. Marks Catholic Church will leave Bottineau this week to serve a new church in the central part of North Dakota. As Schuster goes to his next spiritual journey, he leaves Bottineau County with fond memories.

“The communities have been great to me,” Schuster said. “I think of the different groups that I have been in, and not just the parish, but working with the other pastors and doing theater. It has been just been outstanding.”

Schuster’s new home will be the parish of St. Michael in St. Michael, N.D. The church is located on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation in what is called the Mission District and it is located about 10 miles south of Devils Lake.

As Schuster leaves Bottineau, he said that it will be hard to leave the parish members of his churches, and all the residents of the local communities.  

“I will miss the people and families the most,” Schuster said. “And, I will definitely miss giving the kids high fives after Mass.”

Schuster has served in Bottineau County for the past 12 years, and during that time has served St. Marks Catholic Church in Bottineau, St. Andrews Catholic Church in Westhope and conducted Mass in a number of places throughout the county.

He has also participated in a number of events in a religious capacity with local organizations and public schools in the county, and he is especially known as a dedicated member of the Bottineau Community Theater Group where he performed in a number of plays and musicals.

Schuster stated that during his time in the county, he has been given the opportunity to learn from the people he has lived amongst.

“This is the longest that I have been in one place and I’ve learned on how to be a pastor,” he said. “I don’t know if I can give more detail than that because there so much that goes into being a pastor, but I have learned to be a pastor from the people.”

Schuster is known in the area as a dedicated priest in his service to Christ, which shows today (Tuesday) because before he leaves for St. Michael, his last duty in the county will be to give Mass at St. Andrew’s Health Center at 2 p.m. After Mass, Schuster will leave for the mission district on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation.

Father Michael Hickin will be the new priest in Bottineau County. He comes to Bottineau from Rome, Italy, where he served as a spiritual director for the North American College.

Prior to going abroad, Hickin served the Catholic church in Harvey, N.D.