Marian Helper Winter 2015-2016

4 M arian H elper • W inter 2015-16 •  marian.org Meet Marcus Daly Marcus, what was it about John Paul II’s funeral that inspired you to start your company, Marian Caskets? All that wealth and splendor of St. Peter’s Square surrounding his simple wooden casket was such a powerful statement. The simplicity of his wooden cas- ket was startlingly honest and moving. It elicited the wood of the Cross and starkly set off the truth that “naked you come into this world and naked you go out of it.” It was death on display, plain and simple, and it had to be grappled with. So a little while later, we thought that maybe instead of making wooden boats, we could make simple wooden caskets — another form of “vessel,” but for a different journey, a bigger journey. Describe your caskets. The top of the coffin is inlaid with a Marian Cross as a reminder that Mary was at the foot of the Cross of her Son and that she’s present with us in our sorrows, too. “Jesus, I trust in You” is carved into the end of the coffin, and part of the final prayer of the Divine Mercy Chaplet i s carved into the long side: “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us.” I couldn’t think of anything more appropriate than words of Divine Mercy. Saint Faustina r eceived some pretty explicit promises from Christ regarding death and the praying of the chaplet, and so carving into the casket words of the chaplet and “Jesus, I trust in You” seems so fitting to me, like a shield against the enemy. What’s the process for making a casket? And do you go to bed with the sound of a belt sander ringing in your ears? The caskets only require about 30 minutes of belt sanding each, but it is an especially whiny tool! I’m MARIAN HELPERS IN ACTION I nspired by the funeral of St. John Paul II i n 2005, woodworker Marcus Daly went from building wooden boats to building wooden caskets dedicated to Our Lady and the Divine Mercy. Marcus and his wife, Kelly, live on Vashon Island, Washington, with their seven children. S teve T osterud See a feature on Marcus and Marian Caskets.