EVERETT — Orange paper lions pinned to their green school sweater vests, 400 children sang and kneeled and prayed on Thursday that their fallen pastor would find his way to heaven.
To the students at St. Mary Magdalen School in south Everett, the Rev. Joseph Marquart was a giant.
He roamed the halls of the private Catholic school for 22 years in brown cowboy boots and orange socks. Known among students as a strict disciplinarian, Marquart also had a gentler side.
He learned the words and hand motions to “Hearts on Fire” — a spirited Christian song — so he could perform with the kids. When second-graders were too nervous to remember how to hold their hands during First Communion, Marquart would quietly show them. He’d hold umbrellas over students’ heads in the rain and pinned orange flowers on his lapel.
Just five months after retiring from his post as pastor of St. Mary Magdalen school and church, Marquart, 76, died in his sleep last Friday at Palisades retreat center in Federal Way.
A formal funeral Mass is scheduled for today, but current and former children at St. Mary Magdalen remembered their pastor in their own way Thursday, with a prayer service, letters and orange lions, in honor of the Leo’s favorite animal and color.
“I really miss him,” said sixth-grader Dana Tran, sitting in the last pew in the church with a stuffed lion on her lap. “He was one of my favorite pastors. We just hope he can get to heaven quickly.”
“We’re all praying for him,” added classmate Meredith Shaw.
During the service, children lit orange votive candles and shared their favorite memories of Marquart. Several students said Marquart, bald with thick glasses, reminded them of their grandpas.
“Please watch over the entire school by being a guardian angel to everyone here,” Andrea Sadowski prayed in front of her classmates.
They sang “Hearts on Fire” and “All I Ask of You.”
“All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you,” kids sang in sweet, high-pitched voices.
To help them cope, teachers asked every student to write a private letter to Marquart. At the service, rows of kids in plaid skirts and black pants dropped their letters in a basket at the altar. The letters will be burned and their ashes used to fertilize an orange azalea Sister Joanne McCauley plans to plant in front of the school.
Inside the school, photos of the priest and more letters from students are posted on orange bulletin boards.
“My memory of Father Marquart is when he gave us a day off of school,” one child wrote in neat blue cursive. Over a crayon drawing of an orange lion, someone wrote “Fr. Marquart was really nice. Welcome to heaven.”
Students gathered around the boards, taking a final look at their leader.
“It’s been sad and people have been talking about him,” second-grader Georgia Sayed said. “But they really know he’s in a better place.”
Second-grader Elena Allen earnestly added, “He’s always wanted to see God and Jesus.”
Reporter Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292 or kmanry@heraldnet.com.
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