Early years Curtis Guillory was born on September 1, 1943, to Wilfred and Theresa Guillory (née Jardoin) on September 1, 1943, in
Bayou Mallet, Louisiana. He is the oldest of 17 children (six sons, and eleven daughters). Guillory is a descendant of Louisiana
free people of color. His father owned a small farm and worked on another one. Curtis and his siblings helped staff the farm. In 1968, Guillory earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the
Divine Word College at Epworth, Iowa, in 1968. He later earned a
Master of Divinity degree at
Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Illinois. The Society first sent Guillory to
St. Augustine Parish in
New Orleans. He served three years there as an associate pastor and six years as pastor. Guillory was the founding director of the Tolton House of Studies in New Orleans, the seminary residence for Divine Word students. Guillory also served as a member of the executive committee of the National Association of Black Catholic Administrators, the Louisiana One Church/One Family adoption program, national chaplain to the
Knights of Peter Claver, a member of the archdiocesan
presbyteral council, and a board member of the Spirituality Center. == References ==