Rev. Joseph Francis Brennan was born on February 15, 1931 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were Francis and Kathryn Ann Brennan, and he had a brother, Daniel, who was seven years younger. Father Brennan attended St. John Seminary in Little Rock, AR and was ordained to the priesthood on May 7, 1959. He was a tireless evangelist and minister to the faithful of Acadiana, dedicating much of his life’s work to the causes of spiritual renewal and Christian charity.

He began as Associate Pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Church in Lafayette. His numerous successive pastoral assignments included terms as Associate Pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Ville Platte (1966-70) and as Pastor of St. Peters at Four Corners (1970-72), Queen of All Saints in Ville Platte (1972-79), Our Lady of Assumption in Franklin (1979-82), and St. Genevieve in Lafayette (1982-96).

During much of this period, Father Brennan also served as director of the Cursillo Movement (1974-79) and of Operation Rice Bowl (1974-84). He was a personal friend of Mother Teresa and visited Calcutta, India three times. A former member of the Council of Priests and a Diocesan consultant, Father Brennan has authored several works including “The Kingdom of Darkness” (July 1989) and a series of meditation tapes titled “Listening Through Prayer”, “On the Way Home”, and “A Walk with Jesus”. He retired in May 1996, but remained involved in the work of the Church. Father Brennan collaborated with Jim Bradshaw in writing his memoirs. In 2011, he did an oral history interview with Head of Special Collections Dr. Bruce Turner and Special Collections Librarian Vivica Pierre of the Edith Garland Dupré Library, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.