At a recent award award ceremony in St. Joseph Parish Hall, Pastor James Brown presented this year’s recipients of the August Schaefer Scholarships for continued education. They were Austin Bell, Kory Berhent, Gillian Borgio, Kaden Conrad, Kory Conrad, Anne Cook, Ryan Gwin, Emily Reineck, Paige Reineck, Alexzander Savona, Dylan Savona and Natalie Twarek.

A dozen deserving young women and men were awarded college scholarships thanks to The Rev. August Schaefer Endowment Fund at St. Joseph Parish in Marblehead. It was the 22nd year of awarding scholarships in the name of legendary Pastor August Schaefer, who was instrumental in reopening and running St. Joseph Catholic School after it closed during the Depression.

At a recent award award ceremony in St. Joseph Parish Hall, Pastor James Brown presented this year’s recipients of the August Schaefer Scholarship for continued education. They were Austin Bell, Kory Berhent, Gillian Borgio, Kaden Conrad, Kory Conrad, Anne Cook, Ryan Gwin, Emily Reineck, Paige Reineck, Alexzander Savona, Dylan Savona and Natalie Twarek.

Rev. Schaefer was born in Germany in 1888 and came to the U.S. in 1910. He was ordained in Baltimore the next year, and began serving the Diocese of Toledo in 1922. Rev. Schaefer became pastor of St. Joseph Church in Marblehead in 1930, retiring in 1955.

Beloved by parishioners and non-parishioners, he ministered to their spiritual and physical needs and also operated a successful charter fishing business. Rev. Schaefer also used his earnings to provide groceries and medical and emergency aid for the needy living on the Marblehead Peninsula.

After retirement, Rev. Schaefer remained on the Marblehead Peninsula until his death in 1968 at the age of 80.