Deacon Bob Schnell, 75, is a grandfather and a retired attorney who serves at St. Patrick in Edina. As his 20th anniversary of diaconate ministry nears, he looked back on his spiritual journey.
Q) You went to Harvard Law School and then spent 44 years at the Minneapolis firm Faegre & Benson, working with talented colleagues of all stripes. Not everyone has to agree with you.
A) It’s better not to! I’m happy to be challenged. I spent so much time doing litigation — that’s the nature of the beast, working with folks who don’t agree with you and trying to come to a resolution. You learn quickly how to have a cordial relationship with parties on the other side.
In the Church it’s the same thing: How do we find common ground? How do we stay cordial even if we disagree?
It’s concerning how siloed we are. I read The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal — two very different publications. Both have a lot of truth in them and then some stuff where I think, “Hmm, I’m not so sure…” It helps to keep your mind engaged with the possibility that there are two different points of view and to evaluate them.
Q) Yes!
A) One of the best teachers I ever had was at Blake (The Blake School with campuses in Hopkins and Minneapolis). His mantra was: “An ounce of brain power is worth a ton of graphite,” meaning pencil. His point was: When you get a question (on a test), don’t just start scribbling stuff. Think about it.
That stuck with me. They give you law school exams and your whole year came down to a four-hour exam, and you’d maybe have four questions — one hour per question. It was always a mistake to start writing too soon. You sat with the question, you read the question again, you made some notes, you had an outline, you read the question again before you wrote.
Q) That’s kind of a way of living.
A) Particularly in these days of texts and emails. For goodness’ sake — think before you hit send. And sometimes you have to pick up the phone and call them. Business is about relationships. It’s about trusting other people and connecting with them. There’s no substitute for putting the time in.
Q) Your journey to becoming a deacon began with your wife joining a Bible study. You later joined and got a lot out of it, but when you were asked to become a leader, you weren’t able to continue because it was a Protestant program.
A) I was looking around for something else, and I was at the office one day when one of my partners said: “Why don’t you become a deacon?” I had no idea where deacons came from! I did some looking and it turned out they were accepting applications for the next class about then. I met with the folks at the diaconate formation program, got accepted and then one thing led to another.
It wasn’t like Paul on the road to Damascus and I got knocked to the ground. It was like: We’ll see if this is a fit. Is this working in my life?
Q) And it was?
A) My first year in the diaconate formation program, we had a class every Monday night. The rule was pretty strict: You had to be there. Some judges order you to be in court on Tuesday morning, and I traveled all over, so I’d have my online flight reservation and be prepared each Monday night to miss class.
But the darnedest thing is the phone would ring, and it’s the judge’s clerk: “Sorry, the hearing has been canceled.” Or, “Sorry, the case is settled so we don’t need you to come.” “Sorry, the witness is sick so no deposition tomorrow.”
It happened every time. It was a sign that I was doing the right thing.
Q) How did being a lawyer prepare you to be a deacon?
A) Having been a lawyer informs what I do in the church — particularly because I’m used to being able to formulate arguments. I think of a homily as a kind of closing argument. It’s assembling evidence, which tends to be Scriptures and then life experience, and presenting it in a logical way. It’s oral — people have to be able to hear it, it’s not written.
Q) Your faith inspired you to do pro bono work representing a client on death row, and you’ve led Bible studies at a number of jails.
A) Every other Wednesday I go to the Hennepin County Jail, and we do a Bible study. We read the upcoming readings and talk about them. It’s fascinating. You get folks with all kinds of perspectives.
One time a guy showed up and didn’t say anything, just sat there, listening. Finally, about halfway through, he raised his hand and asked: “OK, I have a question. How do you get faith?”
I’m sitting here, thinking, and all the other guys in the room start to talk, sharing what helped them — “think about this and that.” Wow! Stuff like that happens, and you experience the Holy Spirit, and you just sit back and watch it play out.
Q) Wisdom doesn’t belong to just one set of people.
A) Absolutely. Nobody’s got a corner on the market for wisdom. We all have our human experiences that we can draw from.
Q) You learn from others and stay young at heart.
A) I like to stay involved, and I like to have something to do. I’m not the kind of person who sits around and watches TV all day. I kept hearing about the need for substitute teachers, so I got my license and I’m subbing in Bloomington. I decided it would be a good thing to stay connected. You hear so much about all the problems in the schools, but the kids are decent, good kids.
Q) What do you know for sure?
A) I know for sure that family really matters, and staying connected with the people you love is the best way to spend your time.
