Subiaco Academy will always be part of grad's life

Austin Schluterman forever bound to alma mater by faith, generations of his family

Published: June 2, 2014

By Aprille Hanson
Little Rock Correspondent

Austin Schluterman, posing here with Abbot Jerome Kodell, OSB, has grown up with Subiaco Academy in his life.

Austin Schluterman, posing here with Abbot Jerome Kodell, OSB, has grown up with Subiaco Academy in his life.

Growing up in the shadow of Subiaco Academy, Austin Schluterman’s life has been focused on God, which is why it’s understandable that the 18-year-old’s first question when choosing what college was a little different than most — “Where’s the Catholic church?”

“One of the first things for me before I picked the college was how close was the church and what are the times of the Masses and what things do they do,” Schluterman said, who will be attending Arkansas Tech University in Russellville in the fall. “I wanted to make sure there was a church nearby.”

Schluterman, son of Gerald and Shawn Schluterman and brother of Mason Schluterman, was chosen by Subiaco Academy administrators as Outstanding Graduate to be featured in Arkansas Catholic for his 3.95 grade point average, his extracurricular activities and for his devotion to the Church.

Schluterman has carried on his family’s tradition of graduating from the academy — his father, uncles and cousins attended the all-boys school.

“The best thing to me about Subiaco is how they strive for your faith and education more than anything,” Schluterman said. “They bring kids in from different faiths, they don’t jam the Christian faith down their throats; they respect everyone’s faith.”

The “brotherhood,” as Schluterman referred to it, consists of his friends who stuck by him no matter what, an experience that is unlike what he found while in public elementary schools.

“I grew up with these guys and it means a lot to me,” Schluterman said. “It’s hard to explain. It’s just amazing.”

Growing up around the monks at St. Benedict Church, Schluterman developed a commitment to the Church, particularly as an altar server for the past 10 years.

“It made me feel closer to God,” Schluterman said, adding he is also an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist. “In the Church’s eyes, the pastor or priest is our way to God. So being an altar server means you’re helping your priest, which in turn means you’re helping God.”

However, his desire to serve God doesn’t stop at the church doors. Schluterman shares his faith in the community by helping raise money for the Court Appointed Special Advocates program, officiating at baseball games while the rest of his family volunteers at the concession stand and volunteering in his CYM at St. Benedict. He has done everything from bringing Christmas goodies and needed items like socks and jackets to local nursing homes to helping feed the homeless.

“We’ve gone down to the bridge in Fort Smith and fed the homeless out there,” Schluterman said. “We brought clothes and cooked dinner for them. I got to sit down with some of the men, really nice gentlemen. They shared some real good stories with me. Some of them were veterans and shared their stories about the war … You just can’t judge a book by its cover.”

This year, he was an offensive guard and defensive end for the Trojans football team and an outfielder in baseball.

“Subiaco is not really known for their baseball team. My dad told me when he was there 27 years ago, they didn’t even have baseball. Baseball was brought back 19 years ago,” Schluterman said. “This was the first year we had a winning season and a win at district.”

Going forward, Schluterman said he plans on studying to be a nurse anesthetist.

“I’ve always liked helping people out and that’s basically what a nurse would do,” he said. “Ever since I was a kid I wanted to go into the medical field.”

But, no matter what, Schluterman said faith will always lead him home.

“It’s not going to change at all,” Schluterman said of his devotion to the academy and St. Benedict. “I was born and raised looking at the academy out of my window. I don’t think there’s a single monk who doesn’t know me up there. I’m always going to go back.”

Click for the Graduation 2014 index