Catholic Bishop Stanley Schlarman, Dies at 91
Bishop Stanley Girard Schlarman (Photo provided by Karen Wobbe)
By Zachary Daum
[email protected]
Bishop Stanley Schlarman, a longtime priest and bishop who served the Diocese of Belleville and later the Diocese of Dodge City, Kansas, passed away on April 28, 2025. He was 91 years old.
Born on July 27, 1933, in Belleville, Illinois, Schlarman was one of four children raised by Cletus and Dorothy Schlarman in a home on Mascoutah Avenue, across from Walnut Hill Cemetery. His siblings, Sr. Pat of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ and Cathy of northern Illinois, survive him.
Ordained a priest for the Diocese of Belleville on July 13, 1958, Schlarman spent the early part of his ministry in education, serving as a teacher, guidance counselor, and principal at Mater Dei Catholic High School in Breese. In 1973, he introduced the Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) movement to the Belleville Diocese. Since then, TEC has touched the lives of more than 7,000 teenagers across the region.
In 1979, Schlarman was appointed auxiliary bishop of Belleville. Four years later, Pope John Paul II named him bishop of Dodge City, Kansas, where he served until his retirement in 1998.
On Monday, Bishop Michael McGovern of the Diocese of Belleville issued the following statement regarding Bishop Schlarman’s passing:
MONDAY, APRIL 28, 2025
Today, Bishop Stanley Schlarman passed away at the age of 91. For many years, he generously served the Lord as a priest of the Diocese of Belleville, then as a bishop both here and in Dodge City, KS. Throughout his life, Bishop Schlarman said “yes” to God’s call and allowed himself to be led by the Lord.
Today we pray to God expressing our gratitude for the life, ministry and service of Bishop Schlarman. He was always a generous, kind and caring priest and bishop. He served the Lord with love and devotion since his ordination to the Priesthood in 1958. His warmth and good sense of humor always put people at ease. His passing in the Easter Season seems fitting because he looked forward to meeting the Lord whenever his life on earth would conclude.
We will miss him, but we are consoled by the thought of the Lord granting Bishop Schlarman a place in His Heavenly Kingdom.
Many remembered Bishop Schlarman for his warmth, good humor, and strong devotion to his faith. His episcopal motto, “Who is a rock but our God,” reflected the steadfastness that defined his decades of ministry.
Karen Wobbe, who met Bishop Schlarman while preparing for a TEC retreat in 2007, said, “He simply won the hearts of others by each action.” She added that even into his later years, “you could find him walking the halls saying the rosary as he held his rosary in his hands clinched behind his back.”
He often held mass in Mascoutah at Holy Childhood Church after the passing of Father Hartlein in 2013. Even as his health declined and memory faded in recent years, Bishop Schlarman continued to celebrate Mass at Brightly Senior Living Center in Mascoutah, where he lived. Wobbe recalled that just days before his passing, he warmly offered prayers for her family. “I screamed ‘Hi Bishop Stan.’ He took a few steps back and I said, ‘Hey, I’m going through a hard time, could you say a decade of the rosary for me.’ He pointed at me with his heartwarming smile and said, ‘For you, I’ll say a whole rosary.’”
The visitation will be held on Thursday, May 1 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM and Friday, May 2 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Cathedral of St. Peter, Belleville, IL. A mass of Christian Burial will be held at 12:00 PM on Friday, May 2 at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Belleveille, IL with Bishop Michael McGovern Presiding. Burial will be at Green Mount Catholic Cemetery in Belleville.
Thank you for your kindness, patience and forgiveness, Bishop Stan. Rest gently in the Light.
I worked with this wonderful Bishop in Dodge City. Bishop Stan was a family friend. I will forever remember our conversations and all the laughs we shared. Grateful for having had him in my life. May he rest in peace.
When I was a senior in H.S. at Mater Dei, then Fr. Stan drove 3 of us to Kansas City to visit Rockhurst College. He further convinced my parents that sending me there was a good idea. Years later, when he was in Dodge City, and I lived in Wichita, I visited him in Western Kansas. What a great human being was Fr., Bishop Stan. RIP!
what a great man
Bishop Stan was my pastor at Saint Patrick’s in Cairo from 1975 to 1979. He is the one that brought me into the Roman Catholic Church for which I was most thankful he was an effective evangelist and lived out the faith that he taught to others. May he rest in peace, David Strong.
Bishop Schlarman had been the rector of the Don Bosco Latin School, a branch of St Henry’s Seminary, from 1963 to 1965. He fostered seminary life and taught 10 high school seminarians in an old convent building in Aviston Ill. His daily life was an example of discipline and love for his students. In those days he was known to us seminarians as ” the good father”, who drove us to Mater Dei for classes and basketball games, and assured we followed the seminary life of prayer and Christian community living. The “good father” changed our lives for which we are eternally grateful.
Where to start…this man of God was like a father figure to me when mine passed. Always with a call, a quick visit,, and yes even a letter or card.
I can’t help but wonder how many people were impacted by his service. Dear Lord, you have one of the very best, welcome him into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Had him for a teacher and counselor at Mater Dei Catholic High school back in the early 70’s. He was one of the best! R.I.P. Father Stan
In my 65 years, I can count the number of truly holy men I’ve had the honor of knowing on 1 hand. Bishop Stan was 1! Rest easy sir. You’ve earned it!