By Amy White 
The Texas Catholic 

When Deacon Henry Vault Jr. joined the permanent diaconate over four decades ago, he did so for a simple reason: He wanted to help people.  

By heading religious education at his parish, training altar servers, ministering to the homeless, the Holy Cross Catholic Church deacon certainly found ways to help people in his community. But what really set him apart was not what he did but how he did it, his daughter, Kimly Vault, said. 

“The beatitudes were really big,” Kimly recalled about her father. “Do good to others, be kind, and serve.”   

Born to Henry and Roberta Vault in 1933, Deacon Vault grew up in Dallas in a tightknit and loving family. His family was Baptist, but he began considering Catholicism during his teenage years as a student at Lincoln High School. After graduating, he served in the Air Force for four years before attending Prairie View A&M University, where he met his wife Berda, who was also raised Baptist. The two married in Temple, Texas, in August 1961. On Feb. 28, 1965, the couple joined the Catholic Church at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Dallas. They attended St. Anthony before becoming members of Holy Cross. 

Kimly recalled her childhood with her parents as one steeped in faith. Both she and her older brother, Michael, attended St. Anthony Catholic School and Bishop Dunne Catholic School at the behest of their father. Deacon Vault said he wanted his children to attend Catholic schools to “learn as much as possible and understand the nature of being a good citizen… to do the right thing.” 

He also taught his children to volunteer their time in service of their community. 

“That was a big deal about serving others and being kind to others despite how they treat you or how you’re perceived,” Kimly said, recalling Saturdays spent volunteering alongside her family members. “We were completely immersed in the Catholic faith.” 

For years before becoming a deacon, Deacon Vault served his community in other ways. At Holy Cross, he served as an usher and as a charter member of the parish council. In his professional life, he served as a teacher, beginning his educational career by teaching industrial arts at J.O. Davis High School in Irving, which was an all-Black high school at the time, before moving on to Travis Junior High and then Irving High School. 

“I enjoyed teaching,” Deacon Vault said. “I really enjoyed that and working with people.”   

He only began seriously considering joining the deaconate in 1976, when he suffered a stroke in his early forties. The incident inspired him to reflect on the ways he could be of service to others during his life, and his mind turned to the permanent diaconate. 

“I always loved Church,” Deacon Vault said. “I just wanted to help out and do anything positive.” 

On June 17, 1978, he was ordained a deacon at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church in Dallas by Bishop Thomas Tschoepe and began serving in that capacity at Holy Cross. 

“He was called to serve; and so that’s what he did under Holy Cross,” Kimly said. “And from what I understand, he was the first Black deacon ordained in Dallas.” 

Giving back 

While serving at Holy Cross, Deacon Vault ministered to a parish that was undergoing a transformation from a Czech community to one populated predominately by Black Catholics. Father Tim Gollob, who served as pastor at Holy Cross for more than 50 years, emphasized the importance of Deacon Vault’s leadership in the church as a faithful Black Catholic during that time. 

“Deacon Henry Vault is probably the first Black deacon in this diocese,” Father Gollob, said. “If you have a Catholic parish and the only people you see are white nuns and white priests and white deacons, and the parish is all the time becoming a more and more Black parish, you need to have some leadership there who are able to lead by their example.” 

As a church leader, Deacon Vault looked for any way that he could help.  

“He would do lots of good things for people; and he just was a very human person,” Father Gollob said of the deacon. “He could take care of whatever job he had to do with a lot of humanity.” 

The deacon served as a member of the church’s pastoral team; he coordinated the religious education program; he joined the Knights of Columbus and the Knights of Peter Claver; and he preached first Sunday Masses.  

Kimly recalled those Sunday sermons, including the practices that came beforehand. The family would gather together on Saturdays to listen as Deacon Vault rehearsed his reflections for the following day, she recalled. 

“It made us feel like we were part of it, supporting him,” she said. “I felt great joy when he would get up and do [the sermons].”  

Besides his other contributions, Deacon Vault also served as a charter member of the Black Catholic Community Concerns Association of Dallas (BACCA), an organization affiliated with the National Office for Black Catholics, which sought to evangelize to, and promote vocations among, Black members of the community. 

“He’s very sure of himself in terms of who he is as a Black man growing up during the time that he grew up, being in the military, and raising a family in this type of environment as a Black man,” Kimly said of her father. 

For his part, the deacon expressed gratitude at being able to serve his community, which he described as a good parish full of good people. 

“I was just proud to be a deacon,” he said, “and I’m proud to be a Black person at a Black Catholic Church… being with people of faith that looked like me.” 

Today, Deacon Vault, 91, is retired from serving as a deacon at Holy Cross. He spends his time “just living,” he said, “just thanking God for being able to be here.” 

His time at Holy Cross has left a legacy—both in the parish community and in his family, according to Kimly. 

“I think his impact would have been being the face of a Black man serving in a religious capacity,” she said, “[and] knowing how to balance church life and family life, because I think he did both great… Basically, he took us along on the journey.” 
She added fondly, “He’s a very special person. He’s lived his life for God.” 

Cutline for featured image: Deacon Henry Vault Jr., left, shares a lighthearted moment with Father Tim Gollob, retired pastor of Holy Cross Catholic Church, during a celebration at the parish for Deacon Vault’s 90th birthday in 2023. (Vault family photo)