Father Guillermo Garcia-Tunon, or affectionately named Father Willy, is a man well-respected and known throughout Miami, especially among fellow Catholics.
He is charged with leading Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, a private, Catholic, all-boys school that aims to raise men for others, as the school’s motto says. The path to get to where he stands today, however, was not easy and it took many years to make his home again at Belen Jesuit, the school president’s alma mater.
Father Guillermo began attending Belen in sixth grade as the fourth generation in his family to do so. It was during junior high that he had his first thought of becoming a priest.
“My experiences with the different priests… were awesome experiences. They were good, holy men,” Father Guillermo says when looking back on the road to his priesthood.
He didn’t just seek any kind of priesthood, but the Jesuit priesthood. He attributed such a desire to his upbringing among Jesuits, most especially, at Belen. This desire extended to become a Jesuit priest at Belen, the school where his love for Christ flourished.
“School was completely different… there was nothing, nothing,” he said when asked how Belen has changed since attending the school as a student. “I think that the spirit, the Ignatian tradition [and] spirit… that’s still very present,” and it’s a tradition that Father Guillermo strives to continue.
When Father Guillermo returned to Belen, he came as a teacher and eventually became the president. He then was asked by the Jesuits to spend some time in the Dominican Republic. After a few years, he returned to Belen once more to take the lead.
When asked about Belen’s future, Father Guillermo said first and foremost, “strengthening our Catholic, Jesuit identity… that sets us apart from all the other schools in Miami.”
His goals are improvements to an already stellar academic reputation, an enrichment of the alumni network and finally, the continual formation of well-rounded men. Such goals include a new chapel that is currently under construction, introduction of various academic programs such as one designed to offer lessons in entrepreneurship, and increased student body diversity.
When asked if the same passion that drove him to become a Jesuit priest lived on today, Father Guillermo answered, “Now, more than ever.”
Upon reflecting why such a phenomenon was occurring, he stated that “we are living in a period of time where the world and the Church needs good men… and we’re in the business of providing the world and the Church with better men.”
But Belen ends at high school. The school itself is a “bubble” as Father called it and there are countless new challenges that would arise for Catholics as they enter college.
“There is a lot of greatness out there… but when you go out into the world… how do you take what you learned at Belen and put it into practice in the real world?” He followed with an analogy, likening the world to a jungle and Belen as the watering hole.
“Don’t negotiate with the truth… with values about being good, about serving, about living your life for the sake of others.”
Of course, such optimism and positivity is bound to meet with skepticism. Father Guillermo acknowledges such doubts about Catholics and Catholic education but continues on to stand strongly by the Church.
“[Some of] the greatest universities in the United States of America are Catholic,” he said, mentioning examples such as Georgetown University, Villanova, Boston College, and Fordham University. Father returns to Belen, saying that the school “is no different,” in light of Niche ranking its program as one of the best private educations in Florida.
Father Guillermo explaimned why some families choose schools such as Belen over others. It for the “[Catholic] values… the solid foundation, the education that focuses on the person,” and look no further than the school’s motto to see what kind of men these values can raise; men of Belen and men for others.
Andres Pena is a sophomore at New York University majoring in English and minoring in Studio Art.
