About St. Joseph the Worker · Marrero, Louisiana
St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Marrero, Louisiana, on the Westbank of Jefferson Parish, in the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Orleans. The predominantly Black parish at 455 Ames Blvd. is led today by Pastor Fr. Sidney Speaks and Pastor Associate Fr. Jean Wilgintz Polynice, SDB, and serves its neighbors through daily and Sunday Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, a robust religious-education program (CCD/OCIA), youth and family ministries, and direct outreach including the Ropollo Justice Center Food Pantry and Clothing Boutique. The parish has a notable civil-rights history: founded as a mission in the early 1920s and raised to parish status in the 1950s, it was the site of a violent 1959 incident that became part of the Archdiocese of New Orleans' painful push toward desegregation. Today it is also recognized for its pioneering community-health work, including a long-running health ministry and a partnership with Tulane University's CHERISH program.
- Established
- 1923
- Patron
- St. Joseph the Worker
- Rector
- Fr. Sidney O. Speaks
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Orleans
Why belong here
St. Joseph the Worker is a warm, predominantly Black parish where daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and the sacraments are at the heart of community life. Parishioners can grow in faith through CCD religious education, OCIA (formerly RCIA), Bible Study, the Legion of Mary, and youth programs like CYO, Boys to Men, and Sisters in Spirit, and they can put that faith into action through the Ropollo Justice Center Food Pantry and Clothing Boutique, the Health Ministry, Social Justice Ministry, and Helping Hands fundraising committee. With a pastor and deacon who are visible in the parish and a deep tradition of music ministry under Director Henry Washington, it's the kind of church where members know one another and where the building itself doubles as a hub for outreach, vaccination drives, and wellness partnerships with groups like Tulane's CHERISH.
Mass times at St. Joseph the Worker
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 pm – 3:40 pm
Adoration times
- Wednesday 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm (SJW Adoration Hour of Power)
- First Wednesdays 9:30 am – 6:30 pm
History of St. Joseph the Worker
St. Joseph the Worker was founded as a mission in 1923 under St. Joseph Church in Gretna — the oldest Catholic church on the Westbank — and grew alongside the Catholic population of Marrero. It was raised to parish status in the mid-1950s, and the current church building on Ames Boulevard was dedicated in 1979. The parish holds an important place in the history of Catholic desegregation in New Orleans: in 1959, parishioners assaulted two Black youths who had taken seats in the front pews for Sunday Mass, an episode cited by historians as part of why the Archdiocese finally integrated its schools in 1962.
- Founded as a mission: 1923
- Became an independent parish: mid-1950s
- Current church dedicated: 1979
- 1959 desegregation incident documented in Archdiocesan histories
Clergy & Parish Staff
The parish is served by Pastor Fr. Sidney O. Speaks and Pastor Associate Fr. Jean Wilgintz Polynice, SDB, with Deacon Charles A. Allen assisting. Lay staff keep the parish running day to day — Carolyn Sampson as Parish Accountant, Maria Luke as Parish Secretary, Henry Washington as Music Ministry Director, LeJune Greene as Director of Religious Education, Emma Monroe and Antonio & Sarah Palma in housekeeping and custodial roles, and Clarence Walker Jr. as Parish Custodian/Housekeeper.
- Fr. Sidney O. Speaks — Pastor
- Fr. Jean Wilgintz Polynice, SDB — Pastor Associate
- Deacon Charles A. Allen
- Carolyn Sampson — Parish Accountant
- Maria Luke — Parish Secretary
- Henry Washington — Music Ministry Director
- LeJune Greene — Director of Religious Education
- Emma Monroe — Housekeeper
- Antonio & Sarah Palma — Custodians
- Clarence Walker Jr. — Parish Custodian / Housekeeper
Faith Formation & Religious Education
LeJune Greene directs Religious Education for the parish. Children and teens are catechized through the CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) program, with classes meeting on Wednesdays at 6:45 p.m. in the parish hall and classrooms. Adults preparing for Baptism, Communion, or Confirmation enter through OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), with sessions on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. A weekly Bible Study — 'Breaking Open the Living Word' — meets Tuesday evenings in the Church Meeting Room.
- CCD classes — Wed 6:45 pm (Hall & Classrooms)
- OCIA candidates — Wed 6:00 pm
- Breaking Open the Living Word Bible Study — Tue 6:00 pm
- RCIA Catechist and Sponsor roles available
Liturgy & Music
Music is a central part of worship at St. Joseph the Worker under Music Ministry Director Henry Washington. Two ensembles serve the parish — an Adult Choir and a Youth Choir (rehearsing Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.) — and the parish is listed by the Archdiocese as featuring 'Gospel Music' at both its Vigil and Sunday Masses.
- Adult Choir
- Youth Choir (Tuesday rehearsal 6:30 pm)
- Music Ministry Director: Henry Washington
- Gospel Music highlighted at Vigil and Sunday Masses
Parish Ministries
The parish maintains an unusually broad list of ministries — organized under Family Life, Service, Worship, Community, Outreach, Religious Education, and Prayer — with a Ministry Connect Form on the website so newcomers can sign up. Liturgical roles include Altar Servers, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Lectors, Ushers, Hospitality Ministers, and Sacred Movers; outreach includes Social Justice, Helping Hands, Health Ministry, Good Shepherd, Bereavement, Ministry to the Sick, Marriage Enrichment, and Young at Heart for seniors.
- Worship: Adult Choir, Youth Choir, Altar Servers, EMs, Lectors, Ushers, Hospitality, Sacred Movers, Church Environment
- Family & Youth: CYO, Youth Ministry, Boys to Men, Sisters in Spirit, Marriage Enrichment, Young at Heart
- Outreach: Social Justice, Helping Hands, Health Ministry, Good Shepherd, Bereavement, Ministry to the Sick
- Service: Bulletin Brigade, Office Volunteers, Building & Fundraising Committees, St. Joseph Altar
Ropollo Justice Center — Food Pantry & Clothing Boutique
Outreach to neighbors in need runs through the Ropollo Justice Center on the parish campus. The Food Pantry is open Mondays through Thursdays, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and the Clothing Boutique operates Tuesdays through Thursdays during the same hours. These ministries embody the parish's commitment to serving God's people with a purpose — supplementing groceries and clothing for families and individuals in the Marrero community.
- Food Pantry: Mon–Thu, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Clothing Boutique: Tue–Thu, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Part of the parish's Social Justice / outreach mission
Sacraments
Information on every sacrament is clearly listed in the weekly bulletin. Parents begin Baptism by picking up a form from the parish office, then attend a baptism seminar before a date is scheduled. First Communion and Confirmation are prepared through CCD. Engaged couples must contact the parish office at least six months before their planned wedding. For anyone sick, hospitalized, or shut in, the parish asks to be notified so that a priest or minister can visit, and funerals are coordinated through the parish office at the time of death.
- Baptism: form from parish office + baptism seminar
- Eucharist & Confirmation: through CCD
- Marriage: minimum six months' notice to parish office
- Anointing / Visitation of the Sick: contact parish office
- Funerals: notify parish office as soon as possible
- Confession: Saturday 3:00 pm – 3:40 pm
Community Health & Outreach
St. Joseph the Worker has become known beyond Marrero for its Health Ministry and its partnerships with public-health researchers. During the COVID-19 pandemic the church hosted a successful vaccination drive, and in 2023 it was featured on NPR as a partner church of Tulane University's CHERISH program, led by cardiologist Dr. Keith C. Ferdinand, which embedded community health workers and nurses in Black churches across greater New Orleans to combat hypertension and heart disease. Pastor Fr. Sidney Speaks has spoken about the parish being 'always a major center of community life' — a place where people can be made well spiritually and physically.
- Long-running Health Ministry with health fairs on exercise and diet
- COVID-19 vaccination campaign site
- Partner church of Tulane CHERISH hypertension program
- Featured on NPR (KVPR) in February 2023
Visit, Connect & New Parishioners
Newcomers are warmly welcomed: the bulletin invites anyone to fill out a census form from the parish office or an usher to register as a parishioner. Anyone interested in a ministry can complete the Ministry Connect Form on the parish website, while parents can register children for CCD through the CCD Registration Form, and families can submit prayer requests online as well.
- New parishioner census forms in the parish office or from ushers
- Ministry Connect Form on stjworker.church
- CCD Registration Form on stjworker.church
- Prayer Request Form on stjworker.church
- Baptism Request Form on stjworker.church
Contact & Office Hours
The parish office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Telephone is the easiest way to reach the staff, and the office email routes through the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
- Address: 455 Ames Blvd., Marrero, LA 70072
- Phone: (504) 347-8438
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Mon–Fri 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Website: www.stjworker.church
- Facebook: facebook.com/stjworkermarrero