Schumacher studied with the Marist Fathers[4] and was ordained a priest in 1953.[3] In 1957, he joined the trappists and entered the Abbey of the Notre-Dame de Timadeuc.[3] At the request of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Algiers, Schumacher was sent in 1964 to Tibhirine, Algeria[4] alongside three other monks from Timadeuc.[3]