On April 20, 2023, Fr. Walter “Wally” Sidney passed away at the age of 75. Fr. Sidney has served as a Jesuit for 57 years and 45 years as a priest. Notably, from 2016 to 2021, Fr. Sidney was the rector of the Jesuit Dallas community. Throughout his life, Fr. Sidney has left a powerful legacy that has deeply touched the lives of many. But first, one shall examine Fr. Sidney’s early life and joining the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).
Path to Priesthood & Service as a Jesuit
EDUCATION
Fr. Walter Sidney was born in St. Louis on December 9, 1947 in St. Louis. For his secondary education, Fr. Sidney attended St. Louis University High School. Then, in college, Fr. Sidney earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and master’s in European and American History. Pursuing advanced studies, Fr. Sidney attended Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, a college within the larger Santa Clara University.
SERVICE AS A JESUIT
Following graduation, Fr. Sidney entered the Society of Jesus at St. Stanislaus Seminary in Florissant, Missouri. In 1968, Fr. Sidney pronounced his first vows and was ordained a priest ten years later. In 1973, Fr. Sidney commenced his career in secondary education. At De Smet Jesuit at Creve Coeur, Missouri, Fr. Sidney taught English and history, while serving as assistant prefect.
Following his ordination, Fr. Sidney spent his first year as a priest at Ministry Training Services in Denver, and later returned to De Smet to serve as director of pastoral programs from 1979-84. After service at De Smet, Fr. Sidney served as rector of St. Louis University High School from 1987-89. In 1987, Fr. Sidney pronounced his final vows at St. John’s College in Belize City, Belize.
From 1995 to 2006, Fr. Sidney temporarily departed from the classroom, but continued his ministry as president at Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado. In 2006, Fr. Sidney went back to De Smet for the third time and worked there until 2015.
ARRIVAL IN DALLAS
2015 was a pivotal year as Fr. Sidney moved to Dallas and became the rector of the Jesuit Dallas community. At Jesuit, Fr. Sidney taught theology classes (e.g. Scripture & Jesus) and worked with the Ignatian Identity team and campus ministry services.
Reflections by President Earsing
Can you describe your friendship with Fr. Sidney?
I have known Fr. Sidney for 25 years, starting when he was working at Regis Jesuit High School in Colorado. So, the two of us go back a long way. In 2016, knowing that Fr. Sidney was president at De Smet Jesuit High School, I was very excited about his coming to Dallas to be our community rector.
In addition, during my free time, I would go fly-fishing and fishing with Fr. Sidney, and I consider this one of the rare special moments regarding our friendship. In fact, I commissioned Mr. Williams to create a special painting of Fr. Sidney’s favorite fly, which was hung in his office. Personally, through our time together, I would describe Fr. Sidney as a man of kindness, wherever and whenever he worked.
How did Fr. Sidney influence the Jesuit community?
Fr. Sidney was a great role model, which relates to the previously mentioned idea of kindness. Whether in or outside of school, Fr. Sidney really modeled his life after Christ’s kindness to his disciples.
In your opinion, what do you find notable about Fr. Sidney’s legacy on our community?
I believe that Fr. Sidney has touched many lives during his time at Jesuit. Specifically, Fr. Sidney was an individual who many felt comfortable talking with. The reason is that Fr. Sidney was nonjudgmental and kind.
“Fr. Sidney showed his features of kindness, acceptance, and willingness to talk with an individual and help him or her get on the path to Christ. Fr. Sidney’s hand was always outstretched to anybody who needed help.” – Mr. Earsing
What was your fondest memory of Fr. Sidney?
I know that Fr. Sidney likes to smoke cigars. Following Fr. Sidney’s departure for St. Louis in 2021, I would always envision Fr. Sidney sitting on his porch praying and smoking a cigar. There’s a joke of a Jesuit asking his director if he could pray when he smoked, and the director replied no. But, when the Jesuit asked if he could smoke when he prayed, the director replied yes. I think that the main thing for me was not only the distinction between smoking and praying, but also recognizing Fr. Sidney. Whenever I see Fr. Sidney with a cigar, I knew that he was praying.
Reflections by Principal Garrison
Can you describe your work experience and friendship with Fr. Sidney?
When Fr. Sidney was the rector of the Jesuit Dallas community, he was involved in several things, such as leading Masses and other campus ministry activities and teaching theology classes. With that being said, many of my interactions with Fr. Sidney was informal. Often, we would just casually talk. Sometimes, he would be interested in who I am hiring and what they would offer to our community.
In 2014, the Jesuit New Orleans and Missouri provinces merged as the USA Central and Southern Province. This was when I first met Fr. Sidney who was the rector at De Smet at that time. So, I did not know Fr. Sidney until the Jesuit provinces were combined.
How did Fr. Sidney influence the Jesuit community?
It was very important for Fr. Sidney to enhance the community’s religious identity. For instance, Fr. Sidney helped organize Ignatian Identity Days for the faculty. Fr. Sidney would work with the campus ministry team and the admin to prepare those days. We would always have Ignatian Identity Days at the beginning of and during each semester.
The larger question for Fr. Sidney was the following: “When I leave Jesuit Dallas, will this school still be a Jesuit school?” – Mr. Garrison
In your opinion, what do you find notable about Fr. Sidney’s legacy on our community?
Now, we offer daily morning Mass in the chapel to all students and faculty members. Prior to Fr. Sidney’s arrival, we did not have this opportunity. I believe that daily Mass is a nice legacy because some people at Jesuit might have fallen away from their churches. However, with the new daily Mass offerings, these people can come back and go to Mass more often. In particular, Fr. Sidney extended a bridge regarding making sure that everyone has an opportunity to attend Mass. By doing this, Fr. Sidney would create a detailed schedule of arrangements for Jesuits to celebrate Mass in our chapel.
In addition, Fr. Sidney wanted the students and teachers to feel connected to the Jesuits. When we are here working together, Fr. Sidney made sure that there is no distance between us. Overall, Fr. Sidney wants to reinforce the importance of solidarity in our daily lives.
What was your fondest memory of Fr. Sidney?
Fr. Sidney understood the importance of faculty members having a social time together. On Friday afternoons, the faculty members gather at the Jesuits’ residence on the creek and enjoy their time together. Even though it was previously stopped, Fr. Sidney made it a priority to reinstate this tradition. When we talked about it, Fr. Sidney reminded me that the Jesuits are a community and that we should invite our colleagues to the residence. As new faculty members join our community every year, Fr. Sidney would cordially welcome them. During these small parties, Fr. Sidney would introduce himself to the new faculty and ask where they’re from and worked. In general, Fr. Sidney thought it was important for all of us to experience community bonding together.
Reflections by Jesuit Campus Ministry
Can you describe your experiences working with Fr. Sidney?
Mrs. Crowder: Fr. Sidney worked with me a lot regarding campus ministry work. On a daily basis, Fr. Sidney would typically show up early and display enthusiasm in his work. For instance, Fr. Sidney helped me organize the Father-Son Retreat by setting up everything early in the morning and staying late to clean everything up. Also, Fr. Sidney enjoys talking with people, especially one-on-one conversations behind the scenes.
“He was not an upfront and loud individual, but rather content with forming and developing close bonds with others.” – Mrs. Crowder
Furthermore, Fr. Sidney helped me learn more about Ignatian Spirituality. Specifically, he had a good way of talking about his experiences at Jesuit and placing them into context for teachers and students to understand. In general, Fr. Sidney can be described as humble and amiable.
Deacon Knight: Fr. Wally was deeply involved in campus ministry activities, ranging from Masses to retreats. Fr. Wally was really an integral part of maintaining the religious aspect of our community and getting the students more involved in their faith.
Do you recall any specific moment of Fr. Sidney’s work in the campus ministry domain?
Mrs. Crowder: Fr. Sidney was always the one who was willing to go the extra mile. Whenever I organized a Mass, Fr. Sidney would volunteer to write the Prayers of the Faithful and drop them on my desk. In addition, Fr. Sidney was a good-sounding board for new ideas regarding Masses and other campus ministry activities. Finally, Fr. Sidney helped me initiate the Jesuit Faculty/Staff Lenten Blog. Whether in the hallways or offices, Fr. Sidney would immediately strike conversations with faculty members and encourage them to share their thoughts on the blog. Generally, Fr. Sidney was a relational person who is always eager to try new things.
Deacon Knight: During evenings at the Jesuits’ house on the creek across campus, Fr. Wally would work on the yard or sit on a bench and watch cars pass. I did not know what he was thinking, but I knew those moments were his times of quiet reflection.
As a campus ministry leader and theology teacher, what were some unique traits that you found in Fr. Sidney? What stood out to you?
Mrs. Crowder: Fr. Sidney was my friend as well as my colleague. He was the one when I used to lament over whether or not I knew the “right” way to pray that quashed the idea that there is only one way to communicate with God or for God to communicate back to me – instead he reinforced the idea in me that God speaks to us as God makes us, and God makes us all beautifully and wonderfully unique. Overall, Fr. Sidney lived a simple life. I think he’d be quite content if heaven had lots of one-on-one conversations with people and lots of fly fishing.
Deacon Knight: Fr. Wally was a very wise and spiritual director with a witty sense of humor. Whenever we have meetings, Fr. Wally was always patient with everyone, listening to others’ thoughts, and keen to ensure that everyone had a voice. Fr. Wally was a caring man who made sure everyone was involved. Even though some might be thrown off by his jokes, Fr. Wally was always able to develop good relationships with teachers and students.
Reflections by Faculty Members
What was a memorable experience that you had about Fr. Sidney?
Mrs. Stewart
The memory that came to my mind when we were chatting was when he led the adult community in a book read based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. The book was entitled, the Ignatian Adventure, Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in Daily Life by Kevin O’Brien, SJ. Fr. Wally, the Ignatian Identity Committee and the Assistant Principals for Faculty Formation worked in collaboration to offer weekly meetings to small groups. It was such a wonderful opportunity for colleagues to share an intentional time together. As a predilection for each meeting, he would send out an overview of the chapter and themes that the groups might like to reflect on. I appreciated the scale of including all adults who work at Jesuit. It was an effort that offered time to get to know one another outside of their professional positions, but still very much related to the foundation for the work we all do together.
Mr. Duross
Fr. Sidney was a wonderful and faithful man. I used to joke with him about baseball because he is a St. Louis Cardinals fan and I am a Rangers fan. So, we talked a lot about baseball.
“Through his passionate and easy-going nature, Fr. Sidney was someone who one could easily talk to about anything.” – Mr. Duross
Mr. Gan
Fr. Sidney continued to remind me that at the heart of Jesuit education is the person and Christ. Fr. Sidney guided many faculty and staff in their spiritual formation and our reflections consistently focused on the holistic development of every student. Jesuit education is about finding God in our passions and abilities, and in turn, challenges us do more, so we can become more.
I mostly got to interact with Fr. Sidney through Campus Ministry, but I remember how he openly welcomed me to Jesuit Dallas when I started teaching. I had the opportunity to attend the Jesuit First Vows in Louisiana and Fr. Sidney was a very gracious host. We would have short chats every now and then, and Fr. Sidney was always very jovial and friendly.
Mr. Aquino
When I became chair of the theology department two years ago, he went out his way to see me before he left Jesuit. He told me the goal of every theology department should be that our students are to fall in love with their faith.
“Fr. Sidney emphasized that our role and responsibility as theology teachers is to help our students fall in love with God again.” – Mr. Aquino
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
A mere conclusion of Fr. Sidney’s mark in the Jesuit Dallas record book is an understatement. Fr. Sidney has uniquely transformed the Jesuit community through his service, transforming the lives of many teachers and students alike. Moreover, Fr. Sidney also impacted many communities from Jesuit high schools at home and abroad. All in all, Fr. Sidney is the epitome of simplicity, humility, and kindness.
**Fr. Sidney’s live funeral hosted by De Smet Jesuit High School is linked here.
