From the Archives

Father Herman Joseph Schafers was named after his uncle, a priest, who was the pastor of the Catholic Church in Cushing at the time of his birth. The younger Schafers was born in Stillwater when his father moved the family to be near Father Schafers.

Young Herman came from a deeply religious Catholic family, as made evident by three of his sisters becoming Franciscan nuns. No doubt his uncle’s influence, who was pastor for 18 years in Cushing, played a significant role in the discernment of his vocation to the priesthood. Applying to the then Diocese of Oklahoma City and Tulsa, he studied at Saint Gregory’s in Shawnee and Saint John’s in Little Rock. Bishop Reed ordained him on May 24, 1958, in Tulsa.

His first assignment sent him to Saints Peter and Paul in Tulsa as a parochial vicar. His first pastorate came in 1967 with his transfer to Hobart.

As a veteran inducted into the Army Air Force shortly after the Second World War ended, he was enthralled with the possibility of flying his own airplane. His dream came true as he earned his private pilot’s license in 1965. Father Herman was one of three priests in the diocese to become a private pilot. He was not instrument rated, however, and that lack of that expertise would unfortunately contribute to his demise.

On Nov. 30, 1967, Father Schafers and his aunt Mary Ann Spellman departed from San Antonio with the destination being Ponca City. Struggling with a low cloud deck and a rapidly diminished fuel supply, the priest radioed Enid for assistance. Vance Air Force Base dispatched a Cessna U-3 in the area to assist Father Schafers in landing his Piper Comanche under these difficult conditions. The pilot of the U-3 flew with him and instructed the him to follow him through the clouds, informing him that even if they lost sight of each other to continue since he was on the path to land. Throughout the ordeal, it was stated that Father Schafers showed no sign of panic and was extremely calm.

As the U-3 pilot broke through the clouds at 800 feet, he saw no sight of the plane he was attempting to shepherd. Sadly, Father Schafers did not make it to the field, and it was theorized that he had exhausted his fuel and the aircraft went into a spin making a safe landing impossible. Both were killed instantly.

A profound sense of loss was palpable with the clergy and his parishioners whom he had only begun to serve. At age 43, Father Herman Schafers left this life leaving others asking the question, “What if?” Bishop Reed was so distraught that he forbade his priests to seek a pilot’s license.