Sparks studied Philosophy at St. Mary's Seminary College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in May 1980.

[1] Sparks was ordained in the Roman Catholic Church as a deacon in April 1983 and to the priesthood in June 1984.

[1] After a further incumbency at St Matthias in Waukesha, Wisconsin, he spent eighteen months serving as Dean of Saint Paul's Cathedral, Wellington, New Zealand.

[3] On February 6, 2016, Sparks was elected as the next bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana.

[4] On June 25, 2016, the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, he was consecrated a bishop by Michael Curry.