Biography

Kenneth W. Schmidt was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude from Sacred Heart Seminary College in Detroit. He continued his studies, receiving a Master of Arts degree in Religious Studies from the University of Detroit, and Master of Divinity degree (a professional degree for ministry) from Saint John Provincial Seminary in Plymouth, Michigan. He was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood in 1981. He served his pastoral internship at Saint Mary Parish, Paw Paw, and continued there as an Parochial Vicar (associate pastor). From 1982 to 1988, he was Parochial Vicar at Saint Philip Parish in Battle Creek. Among other things, he was responsible for the elementary school, Christian services programs, and the program which prepares adults to enter the Catholic Church. He has been a member of the Board of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Southcentral Michigan; the Ecumenical Senior Center; the Emmaus Center (a place for spiritual direction and growth); the Presbyteral Council of the Diocese of Kalamazoo; and was co-founder of a support group in the Battle Creek area for people whose relatives and friends have died from suicide. He currently serves as a Board member for Catholic Family Services and for Common Ministry in Kalamazoo. In 1985, he was awarded a Kellogg National Fellowship from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. After the Kellogg Fellowship, he entered a graduate program in Canon Law in 1988. He also followed a graduate program in spirituality at Loyola University of Chicago. He completed his PhD in canon law at the University of Ottawa (Ontario, Canada) in October 1993. He returned to the Diocese of Kalamazoo, where he serves as Judge for the Tribunal. In June of 1995 he was appointed Pastor of St. Thomas More Student Parish which serves the communities of Kalamazoo College and Western Michigan University. In 2008 the parish moved into new and renovated facilities, with the expectation that the mortgage will be paid off in 2017. In 2003 he earned a master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Western Michigan University, and thereafter became a Licensed Professional Counselor (Michigan) and a National Certified Counselor. He is a cofounder of the Trauma Recovery Program in the Diocese of Kalamazoo, and cofounder and Executive Director of Trauma Recovery Associates. TRA educates and fosters the development of organizational leaders, human service providers, and trauma survivors themselves to respond more effectively to the impact of childhood trauma. His work as a trainer of mental health professionals and spiritual caregivers has taken him across the country, and to Ireland, Wales, and England, Palestine, Rwanda, and Kenya. He currently has two small books “in press.”