Years ago, Kelly Marthaler traveled to New York City for a business trip and it was there, on a cold winter morning, his life forever changed.
While eating breakfast before a morning meeting, he noticed a man experiencing homelessness who was asleep on the street.
“I decided to make him a plate of food,” Deacon Marthaler said. “I went to him with the food, woke him up and he looked up at me with crystal blue eyes and said, ‘May God bless you.’”
After arriving home from the trip, he told his wife, Marlys, about the encounter and finished by saying, “I’m not doing enough.”
“Maybe I was comparing myself to my wife,” he said. “For years, I had witnessed all she had done in her career as a Catholic school teacher. She educated kids and prepared them for first reconciliation and first Communion. I felt like I needed to pick up the pace.”
Serving the Church was not new for him. He began as a server at Mass in second grade, has assisted in lawn maintenance for the parish and his family has been instrumental in the annual sausage supper in at St. Alexius in West Union, where he has been a lifelong member.
“Our family has cooked the brine with the recipe my great-grandparents brought from Germany for as long as I can remember,” Deacon Marthaler said. “Last year, we cooked about 80 quarts of brine for approximately 10,000 pounds of sausage.”
Because of his service to the Church, his pastor, Father Greg Paffel, asked him to give a talk about stewardship for an upcoming event. During the talk, he shared the story of his encounter with the man on the street in New York.
“After I shared this story with the parish, Father Paffel asked if I had thought about being a deacon and encouraged me to prayerfully consider it,” he said. “I thought maybe this was the way God was calling me to pick up the pace.”
His journey toward the diaconate has not been without challenge. At one point, he believed he had too much on his plate and would not be able to finish.
“There was a time when I came home from class and told my wife I had to step out of the program. I was feeling behind,” Marthaler said. “She reminded me how hard I had worked and that I could not walk away. The program forces you to realign your priorities.”
His attention to his prayer life increased throughout his formation.
“I have never prayed so much in my life,” Deacon Marthaler said. “It’s not a bad thing, it’s a good thing! I’ve started praying the Liturgy of the Hours, attended a prayer retreat and started working with a spiritual director.”
Along with additional prayer practices, he completed coursework at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary and served at nursing homes and hospitals through his practicum.
“I feel so blessed to study with men and women who come from throughout the world,” he said. “I get to see the beauty of the Universal Church alive. When I feel the world is messy, I know there are still people looking to forward God’s kingdom.”
Deacon Marthaler was ordained to the diaconate June 8. In addition to his service to the Parishes on the Prairie Area Catholic Community, a six-parish ACC in the center of the diocese, Deacon Marthaler works full-time at Nahan Printing in St. Cloud and is a father to three grown children and a grandfather. In all his work, he sees himself as a servant for Christ.
“There is a beautiful humanity to being a deacon,” he said. “Some people perceive this as a step up or an elevation in the Church, but it is about humbling yourself and being a servant to others.”
Just as he served the homeless man in New York City, he hopes his ministry will continue to lead him to those unseen.
“Sometimes when you encounter people and minister to them, you can see the eyes of Christ,” he said. “When that man looked at me, Christ was there.”
Deacon Marthaler wants everyone to experience serving as a disciple for Christ.
“I tell people not to hesitate to step outside of your comfort zone. This is different for everyone — maybe it’s providing a meal to someone homeless or boldly asking to pray for or with someone. Maybe it’s walking up to someone in need. Often, we think we are ministering to others, but we end up finding out they are ministering to us.”