Cathedral Faces: Kurt Schmidt, Director of Christian Formation

As part of our Cathedral Faces series, we are sharing biographies of our staff members and clergy. These dedicated individuals contribute a lot to our community, in ways seen and unseen, and we are thankful for their work.

Born in Illinois but raised in Littleton, Colorado, Kurt Schmidt has lived in Fredericton since 2006.  He holds a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College (1997—major in Mathematics, minor in African Studies) and an MEd from the Institute for Humane Education in Surry, Maine (2011).

Kurt considers himself an educator at heart, and has spent the last 15 years working as a teacher in diverse contexts and at various levels.  Kurt’s own spiritual journey includes formative periods among his Jesuit teachers and mentors in high school, with monastic friends during university, and alongside members of L’Arche communities in both Canada and the United States.

A lover of music, dogs, poetry and soccer (the real football!), Kurt lives in downtown Fredericton with his wife Catherine (an occupational therapist) and daughter Rachel.

Kurt says he is honoured and blessed to be part of the Staff Team as Director of Christian Formation, serving God and the dynamic Cathedral congregation.

When Kurt was chosen for the position in 2017, we posted an article which described the role as "a turning point for the Cathedral congregation. Kurt’s title is not 'youth leader,' 'teacher,' or 'Sunday School Superintendent.' First and foremost Kurt’s role will be to facilitate, using an intergenerational approach to ministry, opportunities for us to learn from one another. Together, we will help to form, shape, mould and conform one another in Christian faith. Kurt’s job is to help make that happen in our midst."

To learn more about what brought Kurt to Fredericton and the Anglican Church, read Gisele McKnight's article, Kurt Schmidt: My Journey Here, originally published in the NB Anglican. It's an interesting story, which begins, "Had it not been for a conversation with a nun from Chicago, Kurt Schmidt might never had ended up in Fredericton"...