Father Beard remembered for living "full steam ahead" for salvation of souls

Father Mark Beard was remembered by many as a man who lived “full steam ahead” in everything he did, especially in his quest for helping souls attain the kingdom of heaven.

Father Beard, 62, died in a single-car accident Aug. 2 near the Louisiana/Mississippi state line.

Thousands grieved and expressed their condolences to Father Beard’s family over the course of two days. A memorial Mass was held for Father Beard on Aug. 10 at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Baton Rouge, where Father Beard was raised, and a funeral Mass was held Aug. 11 at St. Helena Church in Amite, where Father Beard was pastor.

Father Beard graduated from Our Lady of Mercy School and Catholic High School, also in Baton Rouge, before attending LSU.

In his memorial Mass homily Father Miles Walsh, retired, and former pastor of OLOM, talked about Father Beard’s journey from being a successful man and “obligatory Catholic” to becoming a priest who was zealous about proclaiming the truth. It came after he obediently headed his father Harold’s plea to take a trip to Medjugorje. He left an angry skeptic and returned home sold out to God, according to Father Walsh.

After Father Beard’s conversion he attended daily noon Mass at OLOM.

Pointing to the Blessed Mother’s Chapel (located in the transept of the church) Father Walsh said, “Every day when I celebrated the noon Mass at this altar out of the corner of my eye I’d see that young man praying. And I learned that every night he was making midnight visits to the adoration chapel.

“Yes, there he was each and every day, a single man, a successful businessman, an eligible bachelor about town a young man who seemingly had everything sitting, kneeling and praying by himself in Our Lady’s Chapel; a man on a quest a man on a quest, a man searching for God.”

Father Walsh, who delivered the homily at Father Beard’s first Mass of thanksgiving, said Father Beard took to heart his words of to him in the concluding words of his homily: “Father Mark Beard, as a priest, there will be a sacred duty to keep Jesus Christ before us. You must not let us see just you, Father Mark, but Christ in you.”

He said Father Beard uniquely let others see the marks of Christ in him and was an “alter Christus” or “another Christ” before them.

Father Walsh said as he prepared to celebrate the funeral Mass for his brother, Richard “Sugar” Walsh, on Aug. 4 at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Baton Rouge, he opened his iPad to pray morning prayer and there was an image of Father Beard and a recording of the homily he gave the Sunday before he died. In his homily, which was viewed by thousands of people across the world through livestream, Father Beard gave an impassioned homily about “not sitting on the fence” when it comes to faith.
“I don’t know that I had ever seen Father Mark so eloquent, so on fire for God,” said Father Walsh

On Aug. 11, Father Beard’s funeral Mass was held for family and parishioners at St. Helena.
During the homily, tears of grief and laughter intermingled as Father Jay Alexius, pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Church in Lake Charles, gave insight into Father Beard’s sense of humor during their seminary days together. He said he and Father Beard were friends and brothers for the past 19 years.

Like Father Beard, Father Alexius was a “late vocation,” and seminary wasn’t easy for him.
After the first day of class, Father Beard approached Father Alexius and was “really easy to talk to, very outgoing, friendly and imaginative.”

Father Alexius went with Father Beard to get something to eat and Father Beard insisted on paying for the meal and tip and treated the restaurant staff friendly.

Father Alexius said he was very happy to possibly make a new friend.

Unbeknownst to Father Alexius, Father Beard and Father Andrew Merrick, then a fellow seminarian, planned a practical joke on Father Alexius.

Father Beard gave Father Merrick the details of their dinner together. The next day Father Merrick introduced himself to Father Alexius and told him to “watch himself” around Father Beard because he had an “anger problem.” Father Merrick warned Father Alexius that Father Beard’s friendship overtures, such as the dinner, were his “MO” to make Father Alexius believe his was a nice guy, but he could easily erupt in anger.  

“Bummed” because he thought he had made a friend, yet confused because Father Merrick was convincing by the details he knew, Father Alexius avoided Father Beard. When Father Beard pressed Father Alexius about his change in attitude, Father Alexius attempted to shirk Father Beard, finally saying, “I got to get to class” and walking ahead of Father Beard.

Father Alexius looked across the seminary courtyard and saw Father Merrick and three other seminarians bent over laughing. Father Beard was behind him laughing so hard he gasped for breath while trying to speak and holding his stomach.

“I pray Father Beard asked my guardian angel to remind me of all this so that I could get back at Father Andrew Merrick (who Father Alexius said is his good friend and someone he deeply admires) 19 years later,” said Father Alexius.

He stated in this way Father Beard could see him “having some fun” at his own funeral because he knew how hard his death would hit him and wanted everyone have a bit of levity.

Father Alexius surmised, “The reason I am speaking here today is that I knew Father Beard well enough to handle the difficult task of putting a punctuation mark at the end of his life and work.”

He added, “To speak of him now is to bear in mind that Father Beard is no longer contending here but completely within the realm of God.”

Father Alexius highlighted Father Beard’s extensive labors in quantity and the broad reaches he made into the spiritual realm. This included educational realm, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and Father Beard’s fidelity to the sacraments and Mass, devotion to the Blessed Mother and the organizational skills he brought to his work.
The “why” behind Father Beard’s priesthood was that “through Christ and his church each one of us would gain heaven,” according to Father Alexius.

He emphasized Father Beard asked God to take him as a laborer.  

Father Beard was like the “best of athletes” who ran a long race to cross the finish line. Even though his energy was draining toward the end of his life, Father Beard refused to give up running the race, said Father Alexius.

He ended his homily overcome with emotion as he left those gathered with the words “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent,” a “hauntingly beautiful Eucharistic hymn” written 1,700 years ago.

“This is how I hope we all can approach the mystery of knowing Father Beard is quite alive in the realm of the Divine,” Father Alexius said.

Photos by Nicole Jones /Digital Media Manager Diocese of Baton Rouge

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly-minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heav'nly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the pow'rs of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six-winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
"Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!"