Gulf Pine Catholic

12 Gulf Pine Catholic • November 15, 2019 Remembering Bishop Roger Paul Morin Reflections From page 9 That day, he gave me a beautiful wooden box with a communion pyx and a purple stole for the sacrament of confession and Anointing of the Sick. That box also contained a photograph of Bishop Morin with Pope John Paul II with a note from the Bishop on the back. It reads, ‘Remember Father Peter, write the fifth Gospel with your life and never stop to proclaim God’s Word. Your Bishop Morin’ Today I would like to express my gratitude for everything that he has done for me. For his smile, his wit, his support, and most importantly his love. He embraced me every time we saw each other. I will greatly miss my friend, Bishop Morin, but most of all I will miss his advice and counsel, his con- versation, his loving heart, and his beautiful and strong love for God that he shared with each of us. Rest in Peace Bishop Morin until we meet again. Bishop Morin graciously accepted me for the Diocese of Biloxi in 2008. I am forever grateful to him for ordaining me a Transitional Deacon in 2014 and for Priestly ordination in 2015. Bishop Morin assigned me twice, first to the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and second, to my current parish of St. Thomas in Long Beach. I will always remember his human qualities, wit, and deep concern for the poor and disadvantaged in our midst. I remember him one time firmly emphasizing in a conversation with myself and another priest that our local homeless population, frequently appearing around Nativity are beloved chil- dren of God, fully deserving of our pastoral care. Father James Smith I am very appreciative of the gift of the Sacrament of Ordination bestowed upon me by Bishop Roger Morin. I was the first transitional deacon to be ordained Father Ryan McCoy to the priesthood by Bishop Morin in his role as the newly ordained Bishop of Biloxi. I was ordained on June 18, 2011, to the priesthood. Bishop Morin was a supportive presence. I am very grateful for him assign- ing me to St. John the Evangelist parish. May Bishop Morin Rest in Peace. During Bishop Morin’s funeral this morning, I was one distracted priest. I concelebrated with all the priests and was honored to be a pall bearer for His Excellency... but it was so hard to focus on the Mass to tell the truth. I only thought of Bishop and the kind man that he was to so many... including me. I thought of how he introduced me into the Diocese of Biloxi five years ago and welcomed me so kindly... how he appointed me as pastor at Sacred Heart Parish and I was the last pastor he installed in his office as bishop... how he loved our parish and celebrated Mass for us when he could... how he considered himself a “parishioner” of Sacred Heart because he lived in our parish boundaries. I missed him so much during Mass and walking right behind the carriage this morning... I thank him from the bottom of my heart for being such a good father to me. Rest in peace, dear Bishop Morin! Father Dominic Pham Bishop Roger Morin will be sorely missed by the diaconate community. He actively supported the per- manent diaconate, authorized the initiation of a new formation class every three years and during his tenure as our Bishop ordained 27 Permanent Deacons. Most deacons got to know him personally by serving with him at the Cathedral and during his Confirmation visits to the individual parishes. His faithful service, gentle approach and wonderful sense of humor are memories we all cherish. We thank God for letting him shepherd us on our spiritual journeys for so many years. Deacon Mike Harris Director Office of the Permanent Diaconate Bishop Roger P. Morin once wrote: “I view our deacons as the hands with which I can reach out and minister to those that I am otherwise unable to reach. In a very real sense, they are a means of filling the void which I am unable to fill, to provide for our people what I am otherwise unable to provide. I am grateful to our Permanent Deacons, ordained to the preeminent order of service, for the faithfulness, dedication and sincerity with which they consistently perform their freely chosen ministries.” It was these words which energized my service to Bishop Morin and the Diocese. Not only did he love and support the Diaconate Ministry, Bishop Morin loved the people of our Diocese through a genuine expression of care and graciousness. Whenever we departed from a gathering after a par- ish visit or Confirmation, Bishop Morin would look at me as I drove and remark: “Gayden, those were good people.” I always looked forward to that statement, and he never failed to say it. He deeply loved the people of the parishes. As Bishop Morin’s primary driver for ten years, he and I estimated we had driven over 200,000 miles together. I will miss those late night private conversa- tions and will miss him especially during the holidays. You see, Bishop Morin was a lover of Christmas. Like a kid, he loved giving gifts and always searched many weeks for the gifts that he would give to his fam- ily, friends, staff, priests and deacons. And he likewise loved receiving gifts and never failed to write a note of thanks to the giver, no matter how large or small. He was just that way. A Bishop of the people, a Deacon’s Bishop. God bless you, Bishop! Deacon Gayden Harper