Charles Dault, Richard Kliemann Jr. and Michael Merlo will be ordained for the Archdiocese of Detroit on Saturday, Oct. 2, at cathedral
DETROIT — Service at the altar of God as a permanent deacon is a special calling in the 21st century Church, and three men of the Archdiocese of Detroit are set to take up that calling Oct. 2.
On that day, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron will ordain Charles Dault, 60, Richard Kliemann Jr., 61, and Michael Merlo, 64, during a Mass at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
The three men — each of whom is married and has adult children — have spent the past several years studying, praying and discerning at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in preparation for service as deacons in parishes and ministries in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
While God has called each in different ways, all three men share a desire for service and will devote themselves to caring for Christ’s faithful in the years ahead. Here’s a little more about the 2021 permanent diaconate candidates:
Charles G. Dault
Charles Dault, 60, of Van Buren Township, is a parishioner of St. Anthony Parish in Belleville. He is married to Deborah (Childress) and has two adult children: Anthony, 28, and Mary, 24.
Dault was born in Alpena and attended high school in the northern Michigan city. Having earned business degrees from the University of Phoenix (2002) and Davenport University (2005), Dault is employed as an aviation safety inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He enjoys motorcycling and arts and crafts in his spare time.
Dault’s journey to the diaconate has taken a winding path.
“There is so much wisdom we can learn from (the elderly), and they hunger to give it away but are thwarted by a society that has pushed them aside, treated them as a burden, liability or inconvenience. Many elderly Catholics carry their cross with a catechesis of ‘pay, pray and obey,’ but have not experienced the love found in a personal relationship with our Lord, Jesus.”
“In my 20s, I felt a call to do more in service of the Church. I thought it might be a call to the priesthood but after meeting my wife, Deb, I concluded it was something else,” Dault said. “The call continued, and I soon learned the Church had deacons. Being a cradle Catholic, it was interesting to me that I had never heard they had been reinstituted (after the Second Vatican Council) nor had I ever met one.”
After a first attempt to learn about the diaconate ended in discouragement, Dault returned to the thought later in life, but his spiritual advisors again decided the timing wasn’t right.
“Years later, I was urged to apply again. After much discernment I did re-apply and was accepted as an aspirant,” Dault said. “They say good things come in threes, and I can attest that what I’ve been called to is truly good.”
Dault has served in various ministry roles, including hospital and homebound ministry, prison ministry, substance abuse counseling and as a volunteer in soup kitchens, food pantries and in religious education and Bible study programs.
He’s also assisted at Mass as an altar server and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. His pastoral internship was completed at St. Thomas a’Becket Parish in Canton.
Dault has a special heart for the elderly, he said, whom he views as too often neglected, mistreated or taken advantage of.
“There is so much wisdom we can learn from them, and they hunger to give it away but are thwarted by a society that has pushed them aside, treated them as a burden, liability or inconvenience,” Dault said. “Many elderly Catholics carry their cross with a catechesis of ‘pay, pray and obey,’ but have not experienced the love found in a personal relationship with our Lord, Jesus.
“Finding an inner peace as they await the move to an eternal glory is wearisome and sometimes depressing,” Dault added. “I feel a call to change that and help them deepen their relationship with our Lord by having them experience the love, concern and mercy of his Church.”
Richard Kliemann Jr.
Richard Kliemann Jr., of Marysville, is a parishioner of St. Christopher Parish in that St. Clair County city. He is married to Carol Annette (Cummings) and has three adult children: Christopher, 39, Matthew, 37, and Stacie (Ferres), 33.
Kliemann was born in Port Huron and attended St. Clair High School, graduating in 1978. He attended St. Clair County Community College and today is retired from his occupation as a power plant operator for DTE Energy.
In his spare time, Kliemann enjoys building and flying radio-controlled airplanes, practicing Tae Kwon Do — in which he’s earned his black belt — running, camping and biking.
“In the years of formation I have come to see the importance of reaching out to the poor and marginalized, to share not only my faith with them, but to bring the people we encounter in our outreach ministries and their prayers and suffering and to offer them at the sacrifice of the Mass. Most of the people we encounter may not come to the Mass, so we can bring what they share with us to the Mass in service for them.”
Kliemann’s interest in the diaconate began when he was invited to a weekend men’s retreat, “Christ Renews His Parish,” he said.
“During the weekend, I listened to several men share their personal faith witness and how their experiences changed them. From their experiences, they grew in their faith and began to share Jesus Christ and became more devoted to prayer and ministry,” Kliemann said. “This brought me closer to Jesus, which led to my own experience of faith sharing, which was a beginning of this journey to the diaconate.”
A member of Knights of Columbus Council 9526 in Marysville, Kliemann has a passion for ministry to those suffering from substance abuse and mental health disorders, serving as a volunteer at Sacred Heart Rehabilitation in Port Huron, Clearview Recovery and Recovery House of Port Huron. He’s also served with McLaren Hospice Ministry.
“In the years of formation I have come to see the importance of reaching out to the poor and marginalized,” said Kliemann, who completed his pastoral internship at Holy Trinity Parish in Port Huron, “to share not only my faith with them, but to bring the people we encounter in our outreach ministries and their prayers and suffering and to offer them at the sacrifice of the Mass. Most of the people we encounter may not come to the Mass, so we can bring what they share with us to the Mass in service for them.”
Kliemann’s wife, Carol, also is active in their church community, having taught religious education and serving as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, as well as serving on the parish pastoral council. The couple also help lead a Small Church Community group at St. Christopher in Marysville, which meets regularly to share and reflect upon the Gospel.
Michael J. Merlo
Michael Merlo, of Rochester Hills, is a parishioner of Sacred Heart Parish in Auburn Hills. He is married to Mary Alice (Gall), and has five children: Matthew, 37, Joshua, 28, Michaella, 22, the late Jerimiah, and the late Anthony (stillborn).
Merlo was born in Pontiac and attended Rochester High School, graduating in 1975. He earned a degree in mathematics from Lake Superior State University (1979) and in geography from the University of Michigan (1981). Today, Merlo is retired from his career as a program and business manager for the U.S. Department of Defense. He enjoys fishing, gardening and strategic games in his spare time.
Merlo’s interest in the diaconate began when he was studying the writings of St. Paul, who urged people to be “imitators of Christ.”
“The goal of my ministry is bring Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, to all situations and opportunities the Lord places me in. For example if working at a soup kitchen, or helping a St. Vincent de Paul client, or praying with those in a hospital or nursing home, my goal is to bring the Lord to the situation by showing compassion, mercy and caring for the needs of those around me.”
“I asked the Lord, ‘How does this apply to my life?’” Merlo said. “One of several answers I received was to become a deacon and share the joy, love and mercy of Jesus and the grace of the Holy Spirit with all I minister to and with. I questioned the Lord, ‘Why a deacon?’ and his response was ‘Trust me.’”
Merlo said the Lord validated this initial prompting with “signs” in his life that pointed the way toward his becoming “all in” on the permanent diaconate program.
Merlo completed his pastoral internship at St. Mary of the Hills Parish in Rochester Hills, and has field experience as a volunteer with St. Paul Street Evangelization, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Gleaner’s Food Bank, Mary’s Mantle and in spiritual care at Beaumont Hospital in Troy.
At the parish level, Merlo has served as a pastoral associate, marriage prep coach, religious education director and teacher, and on the Christian service commission and adult education commission. He’s also coordinated efforts to bring the Eucharist to homebound and nursing home residents.
“The goal of my ministry is bring Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, to all situations and opportunities the Lord places me in,” Merlo said. “For example if working at a soup kitchen, or helping a St. Vincent de Paul client, or praying with those in a hospital or nursing home, my goal is to bring the Lord to the situation by showing compassion, mercy and caring for the needs of those around me.”
Merlo’s wife, Mary Alice, also is involved in parish volunteer activities as a member of the St. Vincent de Paul council and Christian service commissions, as well as in various pro-life, marriage and NFP ministries.
Merlo said he hopes his future parish ministry can “bring hope and love to all I serve through my trust in the Lord.”
“Within my assigned parish, the goal is to create opportunities for parishioners to become evangelical partners in charity,” Merlo said. “To provide them opportunities to serve those in need and then learn to share the why — the kerygma — in what they are doing. To help families discover their mission of being a domestic Church.”
Watch the ordination live
The diaconal ordination Mass will be livestreamed on the Archdiocese of Detroit's Facebook page at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, from the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
To learn more about becoming a permanent deacon, or to inquire about discernment events, contact Deacon Christopher Beltowski, associate director for permanent deacons, at [email protected].
