Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • May 4, 2018 11 1260 Ocean Springs Road, Ocean Springs, MS 39564 Ph: 228-818-0650 For more information, contact Jody Ellis Stoddard, Executive Director or email her at gardensED@BlueHarborSL.com Web Address: www.gardensseniorliving.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheGardensSeniorLivingOceanSprings Letter to the Bishop Dear Bishop Kihneman: Allow me to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude on behalf of the entire Catholic University community for your continued support of our National Collection. Our students come from all over the country to receive the very best Catholic education. Your gift of $17,725 will help us to establish new programs that serve the needs of the Church today and educate tomorrow’s Catholic leaders, among both the laity and the clergy. When Pope Leo XIII gave his apostolic blessing to the American bishops’ proposal to found a national Catholic university on April 10, 1887, he entrust- ed Catholic University to the bishops’ care. “Let all take courage,” Pope Leo wrote, “from the assured hope that they will receive an abundant return for their cares and solicitude, having laid the foundations of an institute destined to provide the Church with worthy ministers for the salvation of souls and ... to give to the Republic her best citizens.” For more than 130 years, thanks to the commitment of the American bish- ops, we have been fulfilling the promise Pope Leo saw in our fledgling institu- tion. Whether our students are studying theology or literature, business or engineering, we challenge them to pursue the truth in the light of faith, con- vinced as we are that faith in Christ sheds a new light on everything. The formation our students receive at Catholic University prepares them to become missionary disciples ready “to communicate Jesus,” as Pope Francis has said, wherever they are. This university belongs not just to those who work and study here, but also to you and your parishioners. I invite you to visit with us next time you are in town to see, hear, and experience the impact your financial support has on our University. Once more, please accept my deepest appreciation for the Diocese of Biloxi’s dedicated partnership and for your generous contribution this year. Yours respectfully, John Garvey President The Catholic University of America Letter to the Bishop Dear Bishop Kihneman: Sincere thanks for your diocesan check of $38,517.95 in support of the 2017 Retirement Fund for Religious collection. Please extend our heartfelt gratitude to your parishioners for their ongoing support of senior religious and their communities. Since the collection was launched, contributions from your diocese have totaled $813,040.23. Generosity to the collection enables our office to distribute financial and educational assistance that help religious communities provide for older mem- bers while continuing to serve the People of God. Proceeds offer much-need- ed support for medications, nursing care, and other day-to-day necessities. A portion of the appeal also underwrites programming and education that pro- mote long-term retirement planning. These resources focus on helping com- munities to reduce costs, enhance elder care, and identify additional sources of income. Joined with the 32,000 elderly sisters, brothers, and religious order priests who benefit from the Retirement Fund for Religious, I offer a daily prayer of thanksgiving for all whose love and sacrifice make the work of our office pos- sible. May God bless you and your parishioners. With gratitude, Sister Stephanie Still, PBVM Executive Director Dear Bishop Kihneman: Thank you and the Diocese of Biloxi for the generous gift of $21,937.43, received by Catholic Extension on March 13. Your contribution will strength- en poor Catholic communities throughout the country. This past year was incredibly successful for Catholic Extension. Thanks to donors like you, we have been able to fulfill 1,110 grant requests in 2017. Behind these requests are countless children, adults and families practicing and growing in their faith -- by attending Mass in new churches, learning about the sacraments through religious education programs, taking part in campus ministries, or welcoming newly ordained priests to their parish who were educated with the help of Catholic Extension scholarships. These and so many other ministries and initiatives to strengthen the Catholic faith across the United States have been realized only because of your giving spirit. Thank you again for your loyal dedication and commitment to our mission. May God bless you. Gratefully, Rev. John J. Wall President Letter to the Bishop