Diocesan Seminarian Takes Part In Poverty Immersion Experience
Guidry is originally from Lafayette, Louisiana.
"My father was in the Air Force for 20 years and we moved around a lot," Guidry said. He also joined the Air Force for a time, but left to discern the priesthood.
After retiring from the military, his parents moved to Bemidji.
"The Lord has brought me to discern with the Diocese of Crookston," Guidry said.
Guidry is studying at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul. The first year is known as the propaedeutic year.
"It is mainly for spiritual and human formation; it is a time to get used to living in community and work on a more robust prayer life," he said.
The propaedeutic seminarians live together in a former convent a few blocks from the seminary and spend the year in a technology and media fast, only accessing computers or devices for an appropriate amount of time on Saturdays.
According to Father John Floeder, the Director of Propaedeutic Seminarians at St. Paul Seminary, in addition to building community, prayer and growing in self knowledge, first year seminarians work in the community.
"We want the guys to develop a pastoral sense, they go out every week doing pastoral work," Father Floeder said.
Jobs include ministering to local underprivileged youth, working with Latino immigrants and helping with maintenance and upkeep at a local convent.
Father Floeder said these different types of work help seminarians encounter the poor and gain exposure to various ways the Church serves in an effort to expand their hearts.
The seminary partnered with the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) to provide seminarians with a poverty immersion experience in January. Seminarians were sent out in groups of two or three to ministry sites for three weeks. They traveled simply by bus to their service sites with only carry-on luggage.
"For many it was an experience of deepening pastoral charity, an awakened real priestly heart for service," Father Floeder said. "For the men it was life changing."
He expressed gratitude for CCHD's help with placements.
Joseph Jordan is the Communications Manager for Social Mission for CCHD. He said these efforts are part of CCHD's Seminarian Engagement Project (SEP).
He said the project builds seminarians' awareness of anti-poverty work of the Church, helps them understand the needs of a local Church and lets them witness the mission and work of the Church accompanying low-income people.
"SEP offers opportunities to seminaries and dioceses to contextualize and integrate the social mission of the Church into seminarian formation through the works of charity and justice," Jordan said.
He said the poverty immersion program, which Guidry and his fellow seminarians participated in, has two goals: helping participants learn to rely on God's providence and encounter Christ in the poor and marginalized.
"Seminarians across the board have expressed how their eyes were open to the social injustices often hidden in their own diocese, as well as inspired by the organizations that are working tirelessly to address the systemic factors around those needs," Jordan said. "Experiences of encounter and solidarity with Christ in the poor provide context for growth, deepening of ministerial ability and integration with one's own journey of human and spiritual formation."
He said participants in the poverty immersion program served in places across the midwest and southeast United States. CCHD also runs placements during the academic year, usually within the diocese the seminary is located and summer placements in seminarians' home dioceses.
"These pastoral placements are not just an opportunity to 'serve' but also to listen and learn from the people closest to the pain who are empowered through CCHD to be agents of their own change," Jordan said.
Guidry was sent with two others to St. Mary of the Lake in uptown Chicago.
"The parish and pastor have a pretty intense ministry to the poor in the community," Guidry said.
Guidry said Father Manuel Dorantes wanted the seminarians to have their experience from the perspective of living with the priests.
"Along with working at the soup kitchen, we also worked in the laundry ministry," he said.
According to the parish website, for three years parish volunteers have been offering a weekly laundry service for diverse groups of the local homeless population.
Guidry said the seminarians served at Mass daily and were engaged in the liturgical life of the parish as well as helping migrants.
"Our main task was to find housing for several Venezuelan families," Guidry said. "There is a huge migration problem. People getting across the border are shipped to Chicago and dumped into really rough, overcrowded housing facilities for migrants. They have very little way of getting out of the situation," he said.
They were tasked to find apartments for three families.
"We were able to hear their stories, interact with them and assist with getting them settled," Guidry said.
Although they worked at it for three weeks, for various reasons, the seminarians were unable to secure permanent housing for the families. Guidry said this was one of the hardest parts of the experience.
"In some way we did not have anything to show for our work, but had a beautiful experience with the families. They welcomed us so freely ... it was the greatest grace," he said.
Overall participating in SEP was a time of growth.
"From the experience, I gained a greater love for the poor and for those with mental illness that keeps them on the streets. I gained a desire to meet people where they are in those places," Guidry said. "One frustration was not knowing Spanish and not being able to communicate with the growing community of Spanish speakers. That is something I want to grow into. I want to be able to communicate with those who don't speak English."
He said another benefit was deepening relationships with his fellow seminarians.
"It was definitely a bonding experience between me and the guys I was with. We had time and space to connect and bond, and going through some uncomfortable times with each other is a good way to bond," Guidry said.
[NOTE: Timothy Guidry is the son of Scott and Heather Guidry, who reside in Bemidji, Minnesota. Scott, originally from Carencro, LA, was inducted into the Les Guédry et Petitpas Circle of Distinction in 2022 for the distinction he brought to the Guédry family as Director of Operations for the USAF Band and 2nd in Command of all USAF Bands. He was a long-time conductor of USAF Bands throughout the world prior to his retirement in 2007. Both Scott and Heather are on the faculty at Bemidji State University in the Department of Music. Timothy Guidry is currently studying at The Saint Paul Seminary in Saint Paul, MN.]