Fr. Timothy Guthridge, C.PP.S., 67, died January 13, 2025, in the infirmary at St. Charles Center, Carthagena, Ohio. He had been in failing health. He was born on January 1, 1958, in Chicago, to the late Donald and Adrienne (Lerch) Guthridge.

He entered the Congregation on August 15, 1990, and was ordained on June 28, 1997, at St. Thomas of Canterbury, Chicago. Fr. Guthridge celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination in 2022. He spent most of his life as a priest in parish ministry.

Beginning on July 1, 1996, he served as a deacon at St. Vincent Pallotti Church St. Francis of Assisi in Abilene, Texas. He became Parochial Vicar at Immaculate Heart of Mary and Holy Family and with Missions in Albert-Roscoe along with Our Mother of Mercy in Merkl, TX, on May 1, 1997. In 2000, Fr. Guthridge became the parochial vicar at Sacred Heart Church in Sedalia, MO, with Missions in St. John the Evangelist-Bahner and St. Patrick in Sedalia. On June 9, 2003, Fr. Guthridge was elected third councilor for the former Kansas City Province. He then was appointed pastor at Sacred Heart-Guadalupe Parish in Kansas City, MO in July 2004.

On September 20, 2007, he was appointed sacramental minister for St. Mary's Parish in Centerville, IA. Fr. Guthridge continued his education for three summers at Creighton University in Omaha, beginning in 2008 for his Masters in Christian Spirituality. In July 2008, he became a resident at St. Francis Xavier Parish in St. Joseph, MO. In 2011-12, Fr. Guthridge was the chaplain at Bishop LaBlonde High School in St. Joseph, MO, Later in 2012, he moved to the Congregation's Gaspar House in Chicago, where he served in ministry of retreats, renewal and spiritual direction. He then was appointed inter-provincial director of initial formation while residing at the Gaspar House. From 2016-19, he was the associate pastor at St. Agnes Parish in Los Angeles.

In 2019, he was appointed to serve at the Sorrowful Mother Shrine in Bellevue, OH. Fr. Guthridge retired to St. Charles Center in 2022. He is survived by his brother Donald Gutheridge, Jr. and cousins Rollin Dye, Lisa Kirby (Dye), Jeffrey Dye and Robert Dye.

He was presided in death by his birth parents Donald Guthridge Sr., Adrienne (Lerch) Guthridge, stepfather Frederick Skowron, and his grandparents Martha Skoworn (Grzegorek) and John Lerch.

The following is a reflection from Fr. Joe Nassal, C.PP.S., who was Fr. Guthridge's formation director and also provincial for eight years.

Timothy entered the initial formation program after living and serving for several years at the Catholic Worker House in Kansas City. His apostolic and missionary identity were formed in part by the teachings and witness of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin. While in formation for the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, Timothy learned Spanish, and his first years of priesthood were spent in Texas ministering in parishes serving the Spanish-speaking community. Though most people knew Timothy to be a quiet man, he had a quirky sense of humor and could be quite funny in small community gatherings. While making an eight-day retreat, he said he was surprised at how much he enjoyed walking the trails at the retreat center. "I am not an outdoors person," he said. "In fact, the best thing I like about the great outdoors is that they are outdoors." Though not an avid sports fan, he grew up in Chicago and followed Chicago sports teams, especially the Cubs and Bears. When the Cubs lost in the National League Championship Series in 2015, I wrote Timothy a note of condolence. He replied, "The surest sign of the eschaton would be the Cubs winning the World Series!" The following year in 2016, the Cubs did win the series ending a 108-year drought! Fr. Timothy was a good preacher, breaking open God's Word with a particular emphasis on Jesus' bringing good news to the poor. When he served at St. Agnes Parish in Los Angeles, one woman told me, "Fr. Timothy shuffles so slowly from the presider's chair to the pulpit that some people wonder if he would ever make it," she said. "But once he started to preach, he was on fire with the Spirit!" Timothy was always willing to help wherever the community needed him, accepting parish assignments. But as a missionary, he also had a contemplative spirit. He studied at the Christian Spirituality Program at Creighton University where he was trained as a spiritual director. As part of the program, he wrote an extended essay, The Grace of Contemplative Prayer and Developing a Contemplative Outlook, in which he wrote that "in order to be a good missionary, one must be deeply rooted in Christ in the sense that one learns to live and walk in union with Christ, God's people, and God's creation." Following the completion of the spirituality program in 2012, Timothy was involved in retreat and renewal ministry, spiritual direction, and seeking to integrate contemplation in his understanding of Precious Blood spirituality. He served for a few years as director of initial formation in Chicago. He also served on the Precious Blood spirituality committee sponsored by the Precious Blood Leadership Conference. Fr. Timothy also wrote an unpublished manuscript, 31 Days of Transformative Grace: Meditations on the Writings of St. Gaspar del Buffalo. Fr. Timothy experienced many health problems in his life, including the deterioration of his sight, which eventually led to his retirement to St. Charles. But he continued to do what he loved, accompanying others on the spiritual journey as a companion and confessor. May he rest in peace.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 2 P.M. on Monday, January 20, 2025 at St. Charles Center (2860 US Rte 127, Celina, OH 45822), with Fr. Jeffrey Kirch, C.PP.S. presiding and Fr. David Matz, C.PP.S. as homilist.

Burial will follow in the Community cemetery.

Visitation will be held on Monday, January 20, 2025, from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. in the parlor at St. Charles Center.

Memorial donations may be made to the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, United States Province.