Gulf Pine Catholic

12 Gulf Pine Catholic • June 1, 2018 Restructuring of Diocesan School Advisory Council BY DR. MIKE LADNER Superintendent of Education The Department of Education and the Office of the Bishop relies heavily on the Diocesan School Advisory Council (DSAC) for advice and guidance on many Catholic school matters. The makeup of the council has just increased in numbers from seven to ten members. Membership consists of one lay person from each of the five deaneries along with three lay persons from the at-large community. It also consists of two priests from the at-large community as well. The terms are staggered with three year intervals and members can serve an additional three years if they are so inclined. These members are personally invited to serve by the Bishop of Biloxi. The goal of Bishop Kihneman is to have the DSAC, as well as all the other local School Advisory Councils, become working councils. Going forward these members will be heading up committees in five differ- ent domains. They are Mission and Catholic Identity, Governance and L e a d e r s h i p , A c a d e m i c E x c e l l e n c e , Accessibility, and Affordability. Each school will be rec- ommending people from their own school community to serve on these various committees. DSAC members will team up and chair the various com- mittees in each domain. These committees will work dili- gently through research, collaboration, and through their own experiences to provide advice and recommendations from each of the five domains. Bishop Kihneman has expressed his sincere goal of making Catholic education affordable and accessible to all. Once they are in our schools, we must be ready to provide them with the highest quality education possible. But most importantly Bishop Kihneman is leading all of us, lay and clergy alike, to focus on forming Intentional Disciples. Dr. Ladner Seminarian Adam Frey graduates from St. Joseph Seminary College Adam Frey graduated on May 11 from St. Joseph Seminary College in Covington, LA, with a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Philosophy. He will continue his priestly formation at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. Top, l-r, Father Colten Symmes, Adam Frey, Father Ryan McCoy, and Father Adam Urbaniak. Bottom, Frey with Bishop Louis Kihneman. The Diocese of Biloxi and the office of Catholic Schools (in the Diocese) have kicked off a new program for supporting Catholic School Students. Catholic Schools and all students are eligible to participate in this financial assistance program. Anyone donating at least $300 per year will be recognized by the Biloxi Diocese as a Guardian Angel. Donations may be paid annually, semian- nually, quarterly, or monthly. Donations are made directly to the school of the Guardian Angel’s choice to be used for scholarships at that school. The average tuition for ele- mentary schools in the Diocese is $4,000 Catholic/$5,000 Non-Catholic while the average tuition for middle and high schools is $5,500 Catholic/$6,500 Non-Catholic. The Guardian Angel’s goal is to allow all children in the Biloxi Diocese to receive a Catholic education regardless of their ability to afford this tuition. To find out more about the Guardian Angel program and how to make a donation, please contact a Catholic school principal, Pastor or email to guardianangel@ biloxidiocese.org. Support Catholic Schools by becoming a Guardian Angel To advertise in the Gulf Pine Catholic, call (228) 702-2109 for more information. Bible Study Announcement: The Bible Timeline, The Story of Salvation Upon This Rock Scripture Study ’s Fall 2018 to Spring 2019 Bible study pro- gram will be The Bible Timeline: the Story of Salvation by Ascension Press . This program takes participants on a journey through the entire Bible with special emphasis on salvation history. Many in our Biloxi diocese have taken this Bible study and the consensus is that it is the best and most informative in teaching about God’s plan for our salvation and the foundation of the Church. Jeff Cavins presents the 24 week-study lesson in the DVD presentation. The Bible study will begin Wed., Sept. 12, 2018, and will meet each Wed. morning through March 20, 2019, from 9:15-11 a.m. at St. Mary Parish in Murray Hall on Woolmarket Road in Biloxi. The fee is $47 and includes the study set book, the Bible timeline chart, bookmark, and a DVD presentation. For those who have a Bible Timeline study set book, the fee is $10. Payment by Aug. 9 will ensure that you receive your materials on September 12. For more information, call Sharon Jones at (228) 591-1069.