Rev. Sidney O. Speaks

August 10, 2022

Rev. Sidney O. Speaks, a native of Baltimore and the oldest of nine, is the son of the late Sidney Oscar and Lillie Speaks. As a young boy, he attended many Legion of Mary Retreats with his family at Malvern. Sidney felt that the Lord was calling him to serve as a priest at sixteen. Soon after, he began priestly formation for the Josephite Fathers and Brothers, a religious community dedicated to evangelizing African-Americans (since 1873). After completing his Masters of Divinity in Washington DC, he was ordained a Josephite priest in 1999. Father Speaks currently serves as the pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Marrero, Louisiana, where he is also the Spiritual Director of a Legion of Mary praesidium.