Parishioners Randy and Kala Guidry Reflect on Their Spiritual Renewal

St. Mark parishioners Randy and Kala Guidry were both raised in the Catholic Church. So, when these two native Louisianans met as students at Northeast Louisiana University, their faith was one of many things they had in common. While the couple has attended Mass throughout their 22 years of marriage, their faith came alive in a new way several years ago.

In 2015, Randy attended his first ACTS retreat in Louisiana. The experience made such an impact on his faith life that he went on to serve as a team member for ACTS twice here at St. Mark.

“One of the biggest things about ACTS is that it helps you reset,” Randy says. “We used to go to church just kind of whenever, and it was just like checking off a box so we could say we were there and did our job. But with ACTS, it did spark that we needed to start doing more and putting more time in. It gave us that renewal.”

Prior to Randy’s first ACTS experience, Kala had begun to dig a little more deeply in her own faith life after receiving a copy of Matthew Kelly’s Rediscovering Catholicism from her father. Interested in taking the next step in reinvigorating her faith life, she followed Randy’s recommendation and attended an ACTS weekend herself.

“There is just such a light shining off the women at ACTS,” Kala says. “Then after the retreat, there is a sense of community, being able to pray with your sisters and have an impact on them as much as they do on you. I like to say the retreat is like a glowstick — you shake it up, and then you leave and go home, and you’re still glowing.”

Inspired by her transformative experience, Kala has remained heavily involved with the ACTS retreats and will serve as the director of the next St. Mark weekend. She also helps with the St. Mark Capital Campaign and special events. As a Parish Champion for Matthew Kelly’s Dynamic Catholic, Kala distributes books and materials from the organization to our parish. Randy also continues to participate with ACTS, in addition to serving as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and with Knight of Columbus.

As Randy and Kala have nurtured a vibrant faith life over the last several years, the whole family has experienced a closer walk with Christ. Their son, Randon, 19, has made a TEEN ACTS retreat, and the couple looks forward to their daughter, Kylie, 15, doing the same. Last year, Randy, Kala and Kylie went on the parish mission trip to Peru — Randon was unable to join them due to his school schedule at Tarleton University. They felt incredibly blessed by their time there and hope to return.

The Guidrys’ faith renewal has even had an impact on their extended family.

“My mom is Catholic but was not active,” Randy says. “After my ACTS retreat in 2015, I started talking to her about it. I like to believe that my ACTS retreat inspired my mom to get back to Church. She couldn’t go to Mass by herself because she is legally blind, so my stepdad had to take her, and eventually he got to the point where he started wanting to go every day. He actually works at the church now and went to ACTS. Both he and my mom have teamed twice now.”

As Randy and Kala continue to make more and more of a commitment to a life of discipleship, they find themselves blessed in countless ways.

“It really helped our marriage,” Randy says. “It definitely brought us closer to one another to go through this together. It let us know that not only can we count on each other, but we can lean on God as well.”

“It has absolutely had a positive impact on our family,” Kala agrees. “Without that growing in the faith, we wouldn’t be where we are today. The whole journey has helped us become better people. It’s given us a brighter outlook on life and got us to focus not on ourselves but on serving others. It has helped us develop deep roots for our children.”

As Louisiana transplants that have called St. Mark home for the last 10 years, Randy and Kala are grateful for the strong friendships and connections they have found in our faith family and look forward to being a part of life here as our parish continues to thrive.

“I’m excited about St. Mark continuing to grow and spread the love of Christ to others,” Kala says. “Through the building of the new church, it will be able to impact many more souls for years and years to come — it’s just a ripple effect. It’s such a beautiful parish.”

Randy and Kala Guidry with their children, Randon and Kylie