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The Diocese of Orange is pleased to welcome Mike Schabert as associate superintendent of Catholic schools for marketing and enrollment. Schabert joins the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange and Orange Catholic Schools from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, where he served as principal of St. Anthony High School in Long Beach.  

“The addition of Mr. Schabert is critically important to the continued development of our Catholic schools,” said Dr. Erin Barisano, superintendent of Catholic Schools. “The investment in this new position is another vital move forward to accomplish the key initiatives outlined in the school sustainability task force. Our overriding goal is to expand our outreach and engagement with our Catholic youth in a faith-filled, rigorous academic setting.” 

Bishop Nguyen, who supports Dr. Barisano in school oversight, said “Mr. Schabert is truly dedicated to Catholic education and approaches his job with energy and enthusiasm, truly modeling the life of Christ as a disciple of our faith.” 

Schabert’s career began in faith formation in 1995 when he served as director of Youth Ministry at St. John Vianney Parish in Hacienda Heights. In 1996, he started teaching part time as a religion teacher at St. Paul High School. From 1997 to 2005 he served as director of Youth Ministry at Padre Serra Parish in Camarillo. From 2004 to 2008 he served at Santa Clara High School in Oxnard. In his various roles he served as athletic director, advancement director, assistant principal, religious department chair (Campus Ministry), full-time teacher, and admissions director in which he oversaw rapid growth, doubling enrollment in four years. 

At St. Anthony High School, the school’s enrollment tripled under Schabert’s leadership. Schabert has a proven track record of success in turning around schools by engaging with the community to maximize results. Additionally, he successfully led the school through two 6-year accreditation terms and 4-year college acceptance has grown from 45 percent to more than 80 percent. 

Schabert earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of San Francisco in 1995 and a master’s degree in systematic theology in 2001 from St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo. He is bilingual (Spanish). His family resides in Lakewood and they are active parishioners at St. John Vianney Parish in Hacienda Heights.