As he celebrates 10 years as a priest in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Father Luke Marquard described an earlier decade of his life during which he ran away from a priestly vocation — but God proved that time fruitful for Marquard’s ministry today.
A seed for Father Marquard’s priesthood was planted when the late Archbishop Harry Flynn told the Faribault native at a dinner for high school graduates that he looked like one of his friends. Several weeks later, the archbishop mailed Marquard pictures of his friend — a bishop — and wrote, “this is what you’re going to look like when you’re older.”
Father Marquard, now 44, wasn’t immediately convinced. He set aside the idea of priesthood as he attended college and later worked in media-related jobs for about five years. He went on to complete a two-year education program through the University of Notre Dame, earning a master’s degree in education, and taught eighth graders in Denver.
But Father Marquard couldn’t get the idea of priesthood out of his mind. He finally decided to enroll in The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul without committing to becoming a priest. He was ordained a diocesan priest in 2013. Seeking a fraternal life with other priests, Father Marquard joined the Companions of Christ, a fraternity of diocesan priests and seminarians in the archdiocese.
At his teaching parish, St. Peter in Forest Lake; and in his first assignment, as parochial vicar, at Epiphany in Coon Rapids, Father Marquard said the pastors were mentors who helped him develop his preaching and other aspects of ministry.
He brought what he learned from his earlier assignments, plus the media and teaching skills from his earlier jobs, to his first assignment as a pastor, at Good Shepherd in Golden Valley in 2015.
One thing he has sought to do at the parish is encourage parishioners to receive the sacrament of reconciliation more frequently, Father Marquard said.
“And I now see the fruit of those efforts, even if in the beginning it was a lot of time by myself in the confessional,” he said. “Now, I often run out of time in the confessional.”
As Father Marquard prepares for his ministry as pastor of St. Joseph in West St. Paul in July, he said he looks forward to sharing some of what he’s learned with his first parochial vicar, newly ordained Father Kyle Etzel, who will start at the parish at the same time.
“I want to be able to foster a healthy relationship because I’m convinced that when the people see the priests living Christian friendship, and it’s clear that they have a love for one another, love for the Lord, and love for the mission, that’s to me what’s going to change things,” and strengthen the faith people have in their clergy, he said. “We need to see our priests on mission together and in deep friendship two by two.”
As he settles into his new parish, Father Marquard said he also hopes the Archdiocesan Synod will result in the laity gaining greater awareness of their role in the Church.
“Because the more the faithful can know and understand and embrace who they are and how vital they are to the life of the Church, the more we can embrace that we’re in this together,” he said.
