Meet Chad Marthaler: Finding Home For Family And Faith At St. Alexius

What a gift it is, to marry and raise a family at the same church in which you were raised, and to have your children baptized at the same church in which you were baptized.

Chad Marthaler is living that dream with his wife, Darla, and their children — Jaxson, 4; and August (Gus), 2.

While Chad had been in the Twin Cities area for about 12 years, he has spent most of his life at St. Alexius, receiving many of his sacraments there. He and Darla were married at St. Alexius in 2015.

“I enjoy being involved with our church because it gives our family a sense of being involved and belonging to a community that looks after one another,” Chad says.

Chad contributes to the continuing vitality of St. Alexius through his work on the Finance Council, on which he has served for four years. Darla also gives of her time by serving as a Eucharistic Minister. She was also on the Pastoral Council. Chad also helps with any maintenance needs that come up around the building.

For Chad, serving on the Finance Council has come with both joys and challenges. The parish house fire in 2017 presented a challenge, coming at the same time that the parking lot restoration project was getting underway. Another challenge came this autumn, as the annual Sausage Supper — the main fundraiser for St. Alexius — had to be reformatted due to COVID-19 precautions. The event is one that the Marthalers hold dear, as both Chad and Darla have volunteered for the supper for many years.

What’s more, Chad and Darla truly appreciate the sense of community and friendships that have been forged at St. Alexius and have enjoyed getting to know fellow parishioners.

The couple, along with Jaxson and Gus, lives on the farm site where Chad grew up, near West Union. It was a dairy farm when he was a kid, and now it is mostly used for grain crops. Chad does carpentry work, and Darla is a licensed practical nurse.

Faith is important to Chad. He knows keeping God at the center of his life will help him in all of life’s challenges. His hope is that his children will always keep God at the center, too. He knows practicing the sacraments will also help him — and through his example, his children — stay close to the Lord.

“Wherever Darla and myself or my children end up in life, we will always have a sense of belonging and sacramental ties to the church,” Chad says.