Varsity Theatre has a capacity of around 1,000 people, but the Sept. 6 memorial service for Noah Snyder and Scott Michaud easily exceeded that.
When only standing room was available, students and members of the Marquette community lined the walls of the theatre and watched the mass from the lobby.
The two Marquette men’s lacrosse players were killed in a car crash Sept. 5 on 27th and St. Paul Avenue. The person arrested at the same scene shortly after the crash was driving while intoxicated. Four other men’s lacrosse players in the car sustained non-life threatening injuries.
The first few rows of the mass were occupied by student-athletes and the men’s lacrosse team. Every few minutes one person’s arm would wrap around the next.
Rev. John Thiede presided over the mass and said during the homily that he’s become the “unofficial chaplain” for the men’s lacrosse team. He was at the hospital on Sept. 5 comforting the grieving team.
Thiede echoed an excerpt from one of the readings: “Jesus wept,” saying it’s okay to feel. In the reading, Jesus wept for his friend Lazarus, and Thiede said the people closest to Snyder and Michaud should feel like they can do the same.
Seven priests presided over the mass and Mike Broeker, vice president and director of Marquette Athletics, said during his remarks at the end of the mass that the two boys will always be part of the Marquette community.
Snyder, from Getzville, New York, was a student in the College of Business Administration and Michaud, from Springboro, Ohio, was a biomedical sciences major in the College of Health Sciences.
When the mass ended, many attendees didn’t leave. They stayed seated, not ready to say goodbye quite yet.
This story was written by Sophia Tiedge. She can be reached at [email protected].
The Marquette Wire is working on a Tribute article and anyone interested in speaking to the Marquette Wire about the passings can reach out to [email protected].
