By SUSAN ANDERSON
As a friar, teacher, and biological researcher, Fr. Peter Schneible, O.F.M., sees relationship between geography and spirituality. He often hikes mountain trails or bikes to the point the pavement ends on the West Branch Road near St. Bonaventure University’s campus, where he has taught biology for nearly 37 years.
“To be out in nature is something I love,” Fr. Peter said. “The beauty of it inspires me.”
From the hushed whiteness of the winter woods to the summer months when wildlife is on the move, he says that the valley cradling campus and the mountains that surround it have shaped his life.
He first visited campus back in 1958, when he was just 7 years old. It was Parents Weekend and his only sibling, Richard, 10 years older, had just begun his freshman year as a physics major.
Fr. Peter remembers the peaceful feeling he found here, which he now realizes was the Franciscan spirit that permeates campus.
“St. Bonaventure sets up an environment for people to interact with each other,” he said. “The Franciscan spirit is definitely carried by a lot of people on this campus. Whether they’re people of faith or not, they sense something here.”
Professed as a friar in 1984, Fr. Peter holds a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Vermont and a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from St. Bonaventure. He is proud to share that six members of his family have graduated from Bona’s with degrees in physics, making Schneible the most often seen name on the list of physics graduates.
Once a student here, Fr. Peter quickly learned to appreciate the goodwill and understanding of more than a few of the friars.
“Fr. Conrad Harkins was a great homilist and Fr. Hugh Eller was so very kind,” he said. These friars and others helped him feel at home, paving the way to the deeper dialogue he needed as a young man.
The Path to the Friars and Teaching
It wasn’t until he attended graduate school years later that he felt a calling to become a friar. The death of an ex-girlfriend who died as the result of an automobile accident at the age of 26 forced him to realize the fragility of life. Around the same time, he attended the 25th ordination celebration of the pastor of his home parish in Rome, New York.
“All of that got me thinking about the friars,” he said, “and about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.”
Digging out an old pamphlet he’d found as a senior at St. Bonaventure, Fr. Peter began the multi-step process of becoming a friar. Following postdoctoral work and his profession of final vows, he was assigned by Holy Name Province to St. Bonaventure.
Fr. Peter christens Aidan Peter Deyell, his namesake and son of alums Kathy and Dan Deyell. Aidan’s older brothers Tim and Kieran, who were also baptized by Fr. Peter, watch attentively.
From his earliest days here, in addition to carrying a full teaching load, he served as a minister-in-residence, fostering spiritual growth and offering guidance to students as well as partnering with student RAs. Today he lives in Shay Hall, always available to talk, listen or lend a helping hand.
Teaching has been one of Fr. Peter’s great joys. He figures he has instructed roughly 2,200 Bona students through the years and has influenced the lives of countless others through his work as an academic adviser and minister-in-residence.
It has been in the lab where a lot of discussion takes place. “You get to know the students very well because with scientific methodologies, you’ll be busy, busy, busy, but then you’ll have to wait for some process to occur. You get a chance to talk with students,” he said.
Always Ready to Serve
It is those types of conversations that have formed strong bonds through the decades. He’s been the officiant at numerous Bonnie weddings, baptisms and burials. And every Reunion Weekend, former students seek him out, eager to share their news and catch up with the friar who was once their mentor and has since become a good friend.
“He’s been such an important part of our lives,” said Kathy (McGuinness) Deyell, ’90 (MA, ’94), of Tonawanda, New York.
She and her husband, Dan Deyell, ’92, met Fr. Peter during his first years on campus when he was known as Br. Peter. He played guitar, was a member of music ministry and oversaw Alpha Phi Omega, a coed service fraternity. Saturday evenings spent with a group eating ice cream at Friendly’s after music rehearsal eventually became regular meals together at the Hickey and a lifetime of staying in touch.
“He is always there, ready to serve,” said Dan Deyell.
Kathy and Dan were married by Fr. Peter, who christened all five of their sons and officiated at the funeral for their stillborn daughter.
“He was a wonderful friend to come help us grieve,” said Kathy Deyell. “He is so giving of his time and is willing to do anything for you. Even as a student, you always knew he was genuinely interested in you as a person, an individual.”
Committed to Friends & Faith
For Br. Joe Kotula, O.F.M., a friar living at Mt. Irenaeus, Fr. Peter has been a 40-year friend. The two entered the period of formation together and have been spiritual brothers ever since.
Fr. Peter and Br. Joe are pictured during their pre-novitiate year (1982-1983) at Holy Cross in the Bronx, along with their formation directors, Br. Alan Thomas, O.F.M., and Fr. Brennan Connelly, O.F.M., and others who began the process of joining the Franciscans that year.
Br. Joe likes to joke that Fr. Peter is the reason for his gray hair. But the truth is, he greatly admires Fr. Peter’s strong commitment to his faith and to life.
“He is truly a holy man,” Br. Joe said, emotion tightening his voice.
The two share a love of hiking and have faced some challenging routes together. They trekked for eight days through the vastness of Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve, sharing the trails with caribou, mountain sheep and a few grizzly bears. In the Colorado Rockies, they took on six miles of steep terrain to reach the solitude and beauty of Lawn Lake. It wasn’t until they hiked Wildcat Mountain, a demanding part of the Appalachian Trail, that they didn’t finish a hike together.
“Wildcat is a ski mountain. Up or down, it’s tough,” Br. Joe said. “That day, Peter opted for the ski lift because of the difficulty. He offered to take on the burden of my pack so that I could hike the full trail, which meant a lot to me. That’s just the kind of guy he is.”
Whether in the classroom, the lab or hiking a woodland trail, Fr. Peter keeps his focus on the present moment and what it means to share it with others.
He begins each class and lab with a moment of silence. He takes that time to pray for his students and for their interaction together, and he invites them to do the same or to just enjoy the quiet.
“It’s important to me that there is a deeper level to our interactions,” Fr. Peter said. “Community is a very important aspect of Franciscan life and it’s very important for the ethos of our campus. I want to honor that with the silence and with my presence.”
Given the number of alumni Fr. Peter has positively influenced through the decades, the power of his presence and his prayers clearly matter.
(Susan Anderson is director of fundraising communications at St. Bonaventure.)
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