From the October 2009 NC Catholics - "Meet Six New Seminarians"

Robert L. Schmid Jr. thanks the people of the Diocese of Raleigh “for their spiritual welcome and prayerful support.” A Virginia native, Rob attended Christendom College in Front Royal, VA, and has recently served a summer assignment at St. James Parish in Henderson, NC. He mentions two priests who have been especially influential in his life:

“The first was my priest as I was growing up: Fr. Damian Abbaticchio.  His spirit of priestly sacrifice inspired my interest in the priesthood at an early age.  God called Fr. Damian to his reward in 2006 after more than 60 years of priestly service. The second was Fr. Kevin Willis, who inspired me to reconsider a priestly vocation at a time when it was the furthest thing from my mind.” Another model for Robert is Saint Lorenzo Ruiz of the Philippines: “He was the first canonized Filipino martyr. He left his homeland to witness to Christ in Japan during a time of persecution, and chose to endure torture and death rather than deny Christ. That example of love and fidelity in the face of death shows me what it means to me to be a disciple of Jesus.”

As he continues to discern God’s call, Rob begins the Liturgy of the Hours every morning with Psalm 95:7: "Today, listen to the voice of the Lord."