Brother Dennis Snyder celebrates his 50th anniversary working in education this year. He started teaching in 1976.
“It was the (nation’s) bicentennial year,” said Snyder. “I’ll always remember that.”
Snyder started his career in education teaching seventh and eighth graders, before moving into a fourth-grade teaching role.
“I always liked elementary,” said Snyder, “because that’s what I was trained for.”
Snyder spent 10 years working full-time in education before deciding to join the Franciscan Third Order Regular (TOR).
“I was 28 years old,” said Snyder. “They considered me a ‘delayed vocation’ because everyone else entering with me was out of high school.”
Snyder said the idea to join the TORs began to take shape after he met someone during his teaching journey.
“I was attending a meeting at Bishop Egan High School and the principal of the school was Brother Mark, a Franciscan.”
Snyder befriended Brother Mark and kept in contact with him for three years before deciding to apply to become a Franciscan.
“The first year you join, you’re a postulant,” said Snyder. “Your second year, you become a novice. After that year, you take what they call simple vows – or temporary vows – and they last three years. They are poverty, chastity and obedience.”
Following that three-year period, one petitions to renew his vows and then continues for another three years, unless or until he feels that he does not fit within the Order.
“Following that second three-year period, you petition for your solemn vows, which are final,” said Snyder, “You’re voted on, and if approved by the community, you take those solemn vows.”
After joining the TORs, Snyder moved around quite a bit.
“When I became a Franciscan, they sent me to Toronto, Canada. They wanted me to get a master’s degree in religious education there.”
Snyder said that before he could complete his master’s degree, the Order asked him to move to St. Francis Preparatory School in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania.
“They told me that I was going to teach high school there. I said ‘I’ve never taught high school.’
“I taught four classes of religion and one class of business law,” said Snyder. “I never taught business law in my life.”
Snyder recalls asking Father Peter, headmaster of St. Francis Prep at the time, why he had him teaching business law.
“He said, ‘I knew to put you in there because you would make it work.’ And I did – I had 18 young men learning business law from someone who never took a business course in his life.”
SFU students who have taken a class with Brother Dennis know him as “Bro D.” Snyder said that the nickname dates back to his time teaching at McCorristin Catholic High School in Trenton, New Jersey.
“I used to walk the halls and the kids would say, ‘Hey Bro D’ or ‘What’s up Bro D?’ or ‘Bro D, what’s good?’”
Snyder has been teaching education courses at SFU for more than a decade. He also teaches courses in the University’s Core Curriculum Program.
“He’s informative and passionate regarding his classes,” said senior Marketing major Patty Cabrera.
When asked about his future in teaching, Bro D reflected for a moment.
“In January, I’ll be 72 years old,” said Snyder. “My family asks me, ‘When are you going to just relax and let someone else do it?’
“But I don’t seem ready yet. My mobility isn’t as good as it used to be, but I still have my mind and my wits, and I still like coming to class.
“God only knows. I signed up to teach in the spring. We’ll see what happens from there.”
