Father Beard leaves legacy of revitalizing the church

Father Mark Beard’s enduring dynamic presence in the Catholic Church can be distinctly tied to his unwavering commitment to the truth, teachings of the Catholic faith and his special devotion to the Blessed Mother.

Father Beard, who was pastor of St. Helena Church in Amite, was killed Aug. 2 in an automobile accident near the Louisiana/Mississippi state line.

Gov. John Bel Edwards and his wife, Donna, who are from Amite, became
close friends with Father Beard when he came to Amite in 2011 to be the pastor of St. Helena, according to the Governor’s Office. Father Beard delivered the benediction at Gov. Edward’s first and second inaugurations.

“And we’ve had a close relationship with him, frequent visits back home to see him, but also him coming to Baton Rouge to spend time with us at the Governor’s Mansion,” said Gov. Edwards at a local media event at LSU.

The governor added, “And even though for the last almost eight years now we’ve been in Baton Rouge, he’s been our pastor.”

Governor Edwards talked about how Father Beard re-invigorated the church.

“We watched him revitalize our church. And not just with the attendance, not just with the people who were coming to church who didn’t come before, although that was a big part of it, but it was so much more than that It was the way he was able to pastor to them, to us I should say.

“He wasn’t just dynamic, I think the fact that he became a priest relatively late in life and he had a lot of other experiences in the business world and so forth, and traveling around, that he was able to relate to people perhaps better than, or at least differently, than priests who hadn’t had that experience.”

In a 2009 interview with The Catholic Commentator prior to his ordination to the priesthood, Father Beard talked about how his vocational journey came through an encounter with the Blessed Mother while on a trip to Medjugorje.

Before he received his priestly vocational call, Father Beard was a successful businessman in Baton Rouge and work defined his life. He dated, but never married, feeling no need to rush into marriage.­ He said he lived as an “obligatory Catholic.”

Father Beard’s father was worried about him, so he went to his office and asked him to take a trip to Medjugorje, telling him about the Blessed Mother’s appearance to the shepherd children.

Taking his father’s advice, Father Beard went to Medjugorje, to “check things out” and put to rest his questions about the Catholic faith and the Blessed Mother.

Finding a peace in the arms of the Blessed Mother, Father Beard instead put to rest any preconceived ideas about eventually getting married, having children and living in a house with a picket fence.

“You can’t have two women in your life,” said Father Beard, who shocked many by entering seminary.

Father Beard’s devotion to the Blessed Mother continued throughout his priesthood.
“Mary is the quintessential disciple,” said Father Beard in a 2022 interview with The Catholic Commentator. “She is the Theotokos, the God bearer; she has infused knowledge of Christ.”

Mary, who suffered and felt “every blow, every worry” as Jesus went to Calvary, leads everyone to prayer, especially the rosary, which is centered around the events of Christ’s life, noted Father Beard.

“There’s a rhythm, there’s a sense of peace, just quietness for me and it seems to settle waters,” said Father Beard.

Like a true disciple and mother, Mary wanted to make sure that “everyday” concerns were taken care of (such as when she told Jesus, “They have no wine” at the wedding of Cana), how to conduct oneself in public and being humble, according to Father Beard.
“Every time I pray the humility prayer, I think of her,” Father Beard said.

One of Father Beard’s many fruitful, enduring gifts to Catholics is establishing the Our Lady of Hope, a tranquil, sprawling retreat center in Chatawa, Mississippi.

Father Beard and Ponchatoula businessman Mike Fulmer were looking to purchase property when divine guidance brought them to an opportunity to purchase St. Mary of the Pines in Chatawa. The School Sisters of Notre Dame had opened St. Mary of the Pines as an all-girls school in 1874, which later became a retreat center. But the center had become too burdensome for the sisters to manage.

When Fulmer and Father Beard offered to purchase the property, which had been listed for three years but remained unsold, the sisters lowered their price for them because they wanted the mission of their retreat center to continue.

Father Beard said in a 2021 interview with The Catholic Commentator that all retreat centers offer the same amenities, such as good food and nice beds but what ultimately separates Our Lady of Hope are numerous gardens, a including a Mary Garden and a garden of the apostles.

The development of the center was a long-time dream for Father Beard, which he leaves as a legacy to Catholics.

“I love it,” Father Beard said. “I love the quiet. I love only to have to talk about our faith.
“We want to pass Catholicity through the door to as many people as we can.”

Richard Meek and Laura Deavers, former editors of The Catholic Commentator, contributed to this story.