Stanley Girard Schlarman - Early Life and Ministry

Early Life and Ministry

Stanley Schlarman was born in Belleville, Illinois, to Cletus and Dorothy (née Lindow) Schlarman. His great-uncle, Joseph H. Schlarman, served as Bishop of Peoria from 1930 to 1951. He attended St. Henry Preparatory Seminary before furthering his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Luigi Traglia on July 13, 1958. Upon his return to the United States, Schlarman served as a teacher, guidance counselor, and principal at Mater Dei High School in Breese. During his tenure at the high school, he was also a part-time associate pastor, director of the Don Bosco Latin School for prospective seminarians, and pastor of a small parish.

Schlarman obtained his Master's degree in Education, with a concentration on counseling and guidance, from St. Louis University. He also attended Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. After serving as chaplain to a local Catholic hospital, he became a pastor in St. Rose Township and later in Cairo.

While still at Mater Dei, Schlarman did catechetical work and ministered to mentally and physically challenged children at the Murray Center in Centralia. He was the founding director of the Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) program in the Diocese of Belleville, a member of the diocesan mediation board, the Priests Personnel Board, and the Senate of Priests.