Father Michael Guidry
Diocese of Lafayette
Ordained: 1991
Removed from ministry: 2021
Assigned as follows:
- 1970-1973: Cathedral of St. John (Lafayette, LA)
- 1973-1976: Our Lady of Fatima (Lafayette, LA)
- 1976-1983: Sts. Peter and Paul (Carencro, LA)
- 1983-1984: Cathedral of St. John (Lafayette, LA)
- 1984-1986: St. Joseph’s Evangeline and St. Jules (Evangeline, LA)
- 1986-1987: St. John the Evangelist (Mermentau, LA)
- St. Margaret Catholic Church (Estherwood, LA)
- 1987-1989: Our Lady Sacred Heart (Church Point, LA)
- 1989-1990: St. Anthony of Padua (Krotz Springs, LA)
- 1990-1998: St. Joseph (Patterson, LA)
- 1998-2004: Our Lady of Perpetual Help (New Iberia, LA)
- 2004-2018: St. Peter (Morrow, LA)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Fr. Michael Guidry:
Fr. Michael Guidry was ordained a priest in 1991, and served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of Lafayette. According to media reports, in April 2019, he was publicly named on the Diocese of Lafayette’s disclosure list of “diocesan clergy against whom credible allegations have been made regarding sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult.” The allegation of child sexual abuse in 2015 against Guidry was received in 2018. The alleged victim was 16 years old at the time of the incident, which occurred in Fr. Guidry’s home in Morrow, LA.
In June 2018, Fr. Guidry turned himself into the sheriff’s office and confessed to assaulting the victim after serving him alcohol. Guidry plead guilty to sexual molestation of a juvenile in March of 2019 and was ordered to register as a sex offender. He was sentenced to ten years in prison with three suspended. Guidry was released on bail and placed on house arrest in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The family sued Fr. Guidry and the Diocese of Lafayette in 2018. The lawsuit was settled and dismissed in April of 2021. According to media reports, in May 2021, the Diocese of Lafayette issued a formal apology to the victim’s family. In a deposition given in 2021, Guidry testified that shortly after the molesting the victim in 2015, he disclosed the abuse to a support group of other clergy members.
In April 2020, Fr. Michael Guidry was released from prison on house arrest pending the appeal of his sentence. He was ultimately sent back to prison after the Third Circuit Court of Appeals denied his appeal.
In August 2021, a parole board unanimously rejected Fr. Michael Guidry’s requests for parole. According to board members, Fr. Guidry lacked remorse and was incapable of showing he wouldn’t reoffend if released.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Louisiana, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Lafayette may now have legal options, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Louisiana and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.