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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Family and friends mourn the loss of U.S. Army |
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Colonel and Chaplain Monsignor Sidney J. Marceaux, Jr., of |
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Beaumont, who died on September 14, 2008, at the age of 69; and |
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WHEREAS, This esteemed clergyman and soldier was born in |
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Kaplan, Louisiana, on November 24, 1938, to Sidney Marceaux, Sr., |
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and Lydie Boudoin Marceaux; in 1946, he moved with his family to |
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Port Arthur, where he graduated from Bishop Byrne High School; and |
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WHEREAS, At the age of 17, Sidney Marceaux joined the Texas |
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National Guard, and from 1955 to 1963, he served as a rifleman, |
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truck driver, and radio operator; he continued his education at |
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Lamar University in Beaumont and earned his bachelor's degree in |
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social studies from St. Edward's University in Austin in 1962; he |
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then taught at Stephen F. Austin High School in Port Acres for three |
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years before entering the seminary; and |
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WHEREAS, He was ordained as a priest in 1970 and worked as a |
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teacher and a counselor at Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School in |
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Beaumont; he went on to play an active role in the Diocese of |
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Beaumont as superintendent of Catholic schools, vicar general, and |
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member of the college of consultors; from 1971 to 1990, Monsignor |
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Marceaux served in the tribunal for the diocese, and in 1989, he was |
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elected to a three-year term as president of the Canon Law Society |
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of America; he served at a number of churches in Southeast Texas, |
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including Immaculate Conception in Groves, St. Anne and St. |
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Joseph's in Beaumont, St. Charles Borromeo in Nederland, Our Lady |
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of Victory in Sour Lake, and Our Lady of Sorrows in China; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1974, Monsignor Marceaux received a commission as |
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a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve, and he regularly |
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attended weekend training until 1991, when he was called into |
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active duty during the Desert Storm conflict; stationed in Saudi |
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Arabia, he was senior chaplain at a base and headquarters for |
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coalition forces; and |
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WHEREAS, Monsignor Marceaux went on to serve as chaplain in |
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Fort Bragg, Cuba, Japan, and NATO Headquarters in Brussels; |
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although he was due to retire at the end of 2007, he requested one |
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more tour of duty to minister to combat troops in Kuwait; and |
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WHEREAS, Sidney Marceaux dedicated his life to providing |
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comfort, counsel, and inspiration to others, serving as a priest |
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for 38 years and in the military for 45 years; affectionately known |
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to his fellow soldiers as "Father Sid," he devoted himself |
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selflessly to the pastoral care of the young men and women who |
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defend our nation, and his fellow citizens owe him a debt of |
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gratitude that the passage of time can never diminish; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of U.S. Army Colonel and |
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Chaplain Sidney J. Marceaux, Jr., and extend sincere condolences to |
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the members of his family: to his sister, Judy Marceaux; to his |
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brothers, Floyd and John Marceaux; and to his other relatives and |
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friends; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Monsignor |
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Sidney Marceaux. |
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Deshotel |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 2514 was unanimously adopted by a |
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rising vote of the House on May 24, 2009. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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