Chaplain served his country and church
By Jeff Dixon
ETC staff

The silver bars of a First Lieutenant were pinned on Msgr. Sidney Marceaux byBishop Warren Boudreaux
and Brigadier General Mike Cokinos in the chancery office in Beaumont in 1974. ETC file photo

The Diocese of Beaumont and the U.S Army lost a faithful servant last month with the passing of Ch. Col. Msgr. Sidney J. Marceaux, J.C.L.

Bishop Curtis Guillory, SVD, will offer a concelebrated Pontifical Memorial Mass for Msgr. Marceaux, at 11 a.m. Oct. 11, 2008, at St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica, Beaumont. A reception will follow in the Cathedral Basilica Center. Members of Msgr. Marceaux family will be present for the Mass and reception.

The military funeral service for Ch. Col. Marceaux will be Oct. 20 at Fort Meyer Chapel at 2:45 p.m. At 3:30 the burial procession begins to the grave site in Arlington National Cemetery.

Msgr. Marceaux was born in Kaplan, La., and moved to Port Arthur in 1946 where he graduated from Bishop Byrne High School. He joined the Texas National Guard at age 17. He attended Lamar University in Beaumont and St. Edward’s University in Austin where he received his bachelor’s degree in social studies in 1962.

In 1969 he received his master’s in theology from the University of St. Thomas. Msgr. Marceaux was ordained to the priesthood May 16, 1970, and served as a teacher and counselor at Msgr. Kelly Catholic High School, Beaumont. In 1971 he began working for the diocesan Tribunal while still fulfilling his duties as a member of the Texas National Guard.

In June 1974 he received his commission as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve. During 1975 he was named superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Beaumont.

Msgr. Marceaux was elected to a three-year term as president of the Canon Law Society of America in 1989.

Until 1990, Msgr. Marceaux served in the Tribunal for the Diocese of Beaumont and attended weekend training in the U.S. Army Reserve.

He was called into active duty on Nov. 21, 1991, during the Desert Storm conflict in Iraq. After six weeks of intense training he was stationed in Saudi Arabia.

Msgr. Marceaux was senior chaplain at a base and headquarters for the coalition forces during Desert Storm.

About his time in Iraq Msgr. Marceaux said that every day was Sunday in the desert, meaning that priests would celebrate Mass for the troops every chance they had.

He held a number of positions over the years including assistant pastor at Immaculate Conception, Groves; St. Anne, Beaumont; and St. Joseph, Beaumont; and administrator at St. Charles Borromeo, Nederland; and Our Lady of Victory, Sour Lake.

During a recent tour in Kuwait, the 69-year-old priest became ill and was sent to Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he died peacefully in his sleep Sept. 14. He served 45 years in the military and 38 years in the priesthood.

He was the oldest son of Sidney Marceaux Sr. and Lydie Boudoin Marceaux who preceded him in death. He is survived by his sister, Judy Marceaux of Fairfax, Va., brothers Floyd Marceaux of Port Arthur, and John Marceaux of St. Louis, Mo. Preceding him in death was a sister JoAnn Parrett and brother Gerald Marceaux.