Marcos Chico's death on a Santa Ana street was mourned Wednesday in the same Roman Catholic church where he was baptized as a newborn only eight years earlier.
Two lush Christmas trees and a nativity scene framed his casket during the somber funeral where scriptural readings on the wonders of children were interspersed with hymns about heaven.
A hit-and-run driver killed the Santa Ana second-grader Dec. 20 as his family walked home from a Christmas toy shopping excursion, according to police.
Nearly 300 people, including dozens of Marcos' playmates, attended the funeral Mass at St. Joseph Church in Santa Ana.
The 15 pallbearers and many family members nearly obscured the small, white casket as it was pushed to the altar. Marcos' mother, Sara Jimenez, in a front pew, stared at the coffin in silent agony, clutching the walker she has used since being injured in the crash. Marcos' 11-year-old sister, Abigail, remains in an induced coma with a severe head injury. His 6-year-old brother, Alexis, suffered minor injuries.
To symbolize Marcos' journey from birth to death, Father Christopher Smith sprinkled holy water over the baptismal font, then on the casket, covered by a shroud and a small metal crucifix.
That the boy died at Christmastime adds another layer of grief to a senseless tragedy, Smith said.
"Christmas is normally a time of joy and hope and of life," he said. "But this year we are suffering the death of Marcos: a small child, a child of God."
Smith said that when he visited Marcos' parents at the hospital, the boy's father, Jose Chico, had inspiring words.
"In the midst of his terrible suffering," Smith said, "Jose told me, 'May we not let our tears extinguish the candles that light our way to heaven.' "
Marcos' life, his generosity, kindness and love for his family should be a candle that inspires others, Smith said.
"In his brief life, this little boy showed so much compassion and devotion to his family," the priest said. "Truly, Marcos is a candle in our lives."
The boy's parents were barely able to speak after the hourlong service.
"It is a very hard time," Chico said. "To see all these people here for my son.... I don't have words to describe the feeling."
Among those attending was the sixth-grade teacher of Marcos' sister, his body shaking with sobs as the casket was carried into the church. A contingent of employees from the Courtyard by Marriott in Irvine, where Jose Chico cleans rooms, gave the family a large gift bag stuffed with donated checks from hotel workers.
