Curtis J. Guillory

Curtis John Guillory was born to Wilfred and Theresa Guillory (née Jardoin) on September 1, 1943, in Mallet, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. He is the oldest of 17 children (six sons, eleven daughters); all but five are still living.

His father's side of the family has been traced back to France. His mother's side of the family has been traced to the island of Saint-Domingue (modern Haiti); in the Caribbean. His family goes back to the early years of Mobile, Alabama. Pointe Guillory and Guillory Pass are named for his ancestors. He is a descendant of Louisiana free people of color. His father owned a small farm and worked another one. Curtis and his siblings helped in picking cotton, shucking corn, and feeding the animals. During the school year, he would get up early to work the farm before school, and came home right after to work until dark.

Guillory entered the Society of Divine Word's St. Augustine Seminary in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where he played on the seminary baseball team. The Society of Divine Word, founded as a missionary community in Holland, was one of the first to accept African-Americans as seminarians.

He earned a bachelor of arts degree from the Divine Word College at Epworth, Iowa, in 1968, and later earned a Master of Divinity degree at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

He received priestly ordination at his home parish of St. Ann in Mallet on December 16, 1972, from Carlos Lewis, Auxiliary Bishop of Panama, also a member of the Divine Word Community.

Guillory earned a master's degree in Christian spirituality from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1986. He did one summer workshop in Jungian psychology in Switzerland.

His first assignment was to St. Augustine Parish in New Orleans. Guillory served three years as an associate and six years as pastor.

He was the founding director of the Tolton House of Studies in New Orleans, the seminary residence of the Divine Word students.

In addition, he served during these years as a member of the executive committee of National Association of Black Catholic Administrators, the Louisiana One Church/One Family adoption program, national chaplain to the Knights of Peter Claver, archdiocesan presbyteral council, and board member of the Spirituality Center. He was the coordinator of the visit of Pope John Paul II in New Orleans.

Bishop Guillory was selected chair of the Committee of African American Catholics.

He also served on the national committee on Hispanic Affairs and Priestly Life and Ministry, and the boards of Sacred Heart Seminary and Xavier University. His civic services include the board of the YMCA, the Mental Health Association, and the Harris County Hospital District. His hobbies are reading, exercising, and traveling. He was the only bishop to carry the Olympic torch in 1996 when it traveled across the country.

On December 29, 1987, Guillory was appointed by Pope John Paul II as auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Galveston-Houston. He was consecrated on February 19, 1988. He chose for his episcopal motto Romans 8:28: "For those who love God, all things work together for good."

On June 2, 2000, Guillory was appointed by Pope John Paul II as bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont. He was installed on July 28, 2000. He was the first African American bishop to lead a Texas diocese. He is the first Beaumont bishop to be a member of a religious community. He remained a member of the Society of the Divine Word but while an active bishop was not under its jurisdiction.

Pope Francis accepted his resignation on June 9, 2020 and named David Toups as his successor.[2]

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont Official Site
• National Black Catholic Congress bio of Curtis Guillory
• National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus bio of Curtis Guillory