Fisher Alumnus Ordained to the Permanent Diaconate

Jonathan Schott ’02, assistant director of campus ministry, was ordained a permanent deacon by Bishop Salvatore R. Matano during a ceremony held at Sacred Heart Cathedral on Saturday, May 25. The following day, at the Hermance Family Chapel of St. Basil the Great, the Fisher alumnus served and preached during his first Mass as deacon.

According to the Diocese of Rochester, deacons are “called from and by the community” and “address the particular spiritual and social needs of a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse community.” They serve in parish ministries, charitable agencies, campus ministries, hospitals, jails and prisons, and assisted living facilities in addition to their role at worship and liturgy.

“St. John Fisher College and the Basilian Fathers are so very much a part of my calling to the diaconate. It is here where I found myself, began to encounter God working in my life, met my future spouse, and began my vocational journey,” Schott said. “I am so grateful to this entire community every day and it is a joy to continue to serve here.”

For Schott, the diaconal ministry will be a ministry of service to the College. He will also continue his work with the Office of Campus Ministry at Fisher, where he creates programming that supports the mission of providing opportunities for spiritual growth to people of all faiths and those without religious traditions.

Schott joined the staff in 2017, and has helped revitalize the Office’s impact, including planning spring break service trips to Texas and Florida and hosting innovative talks and activities on campus, in addition to developing and animating campus ministry’s student leadership teams.

In addition to his service on campus, Schott, and his wife Jodi, a member of Fisher’s Class of 2004, are members of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Parish.