Gulf Pine Catholic

8 Gulf Pine Catholic • November 15, 2019 SEE REFLECTIONS, PAGE 9 Most Rev. Gregory Aymond 14th Archbishop of New Orleans It is with great sadness that I learned of the death of Bishop Roger Morin. Bishop Morin served the Archdiocese of New Orleans faithfully for many years as a priest and then as a bishop before going to lead the Diocese of Biloxi. He had a special place in his heart for the poor and vulnerable and was instrumental in assisting Archbishop Phillip Hannan with building the Catholic social service ministries in our archdiocese as we know them today. He was alsoArchbishop Hannan’s lead representative in planning for the 1987 visit of Pope John Paul II to New Orleans. We receive this news with a heavy heart but entrust him to the Lord. Please keep Bishop Morin, his family, and all those who mourn him in your prayers. Remembering Bishop Roger Paul Morin Most Rev. Louis F. Kihneman, III 4th Bishop of Biloxi This is a sad day for our diocese. I was shocked to hear the news. Bishop Morin was a kind and gentle man who truly embodied his episcopal motto as one who walked humbly and acted justly. When I was named bishop of Biloxi in 2016, Bishop Morin was most gracious and accommodating. I am forever grate- ful for his support, wise counsel and, most of all, his friendship. He will be sorely missed. As we prepared to celebrate All Saints Day, we took comfort in knowing that the Communion of Saints has gained a powerful intercessor in Bishop Morin. Bishop Morin was one of the bishops that had a profound influence on me. When I got to New Orleans Most Rev. Shelton J. Fabre Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux as a newly-ordained auxiliary bishop, I had no idea what the practicality of being a bishop meant. He and I ended up sharing an office for a number of months before I got my own office in the chancery in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Bishop Morin was really someone who I have to say, in a very positive way, made me the bishop that I am today because, through- out those months, I was able to witness his approach to being a bishop. He was a very important influence on me as I have become the bishop that God has called me to be. I’ll be forever grateful to him for that. As we shared that office in New Orleans, we had many laughs together and we had times of great concern. I was also privileged to spend a lot of time with Bishop Morin at the USCCB meetings. He was just a very, very dear friend and a man of great humor and deep wisdom. I will miss him terribly. Bishop Morin was witty, forthright and honest. You always knew where you stood with him: there was no game playing and no politics. What you saw is what you got. I admired all of these traits in this marvelous human being, but what endeared him to me the most was his Franciscan heart, his Franciscan spirit. He saw God in the glories of creation and spent many hours in his backyard relishing his flowers, his plants, his creatures. We shared texts, pictures and sto- ries of our latest glimpses of God’s glory. We shared this Franciscan heart, this Franciscan spirit. He prepared special blends of food for the creatures he fed in his backyard and sent me a picture of not one, not two, but three box turtles enjoying a meal at the Morin Café. Meanwhile, I was at my Motherhouse, a certified nature conservatory and had only seen ninja squirrels after six days. Go figure. Bishop Morin took great pride in his knockout roses and his hibiscus bushes, proudly telling me his hibiscus blooms were the size of dinner plates. Well, ‘Mother’s (his nickname for me) were the size of teacup saucers, barely, but he enjoyed getting pictures of them and understood when I was thrilled to sit and behold a hibiscus opening from bud to full bloom in a span of ten minutes. His hibiscus bushes did not bloom this year. Mine did. And on October 31, the day of his death, the final hibiscus bloom of the season opened up strong and yel- low and still the size of a teacup saucer, barely. But, it opened just the same. Bishop Morin, this blooms for you! Sr. Rebecca Rutkowski, O.S.F. Chancellor Diocese of Biloxi ‘God of infinite love and boundless mercy…’ We heard these words frequently from our beloved third Bishop at the start of a prayer. I had the unique privi- lege of working closely with Bishop Roger Morin over the past decade, and in that time, he very much reflect- ed God’s infinite love and boundless mercy to me and to those around him. Sometimes, when traveling from one event to the next, he’d sing a line or two from a song. He’d sing, ‘Another op’ning, another show,’ when he was about to speak publicly, always adding, ‘they said that you’d go far…they were wrong.’Always fun to be around, a twinkle of mischief in his eye, he was quick witted and clever. He liked to give people and places apt nicknames. He was humble, except when he wasn’t. Bishop Morin had a heart for the poor and the underprivileged. He served the Church enthusi- astically. He was friend, mentor, entertainer, and shep- herd after the heart of the Good Shepherd. Msgr. Dominick Fullam Vicar Genral and Moderator of the Curia Diocese of Biloxi Bishop Morin was a man of conviction. He enjoyed a good laugh and would tease folks but if someone had a problem, he would take time to talk and counsel. He found it impossible to pass any person in need. I couldn’t tell you how many times he would stop and give money to a homeless person on the street. A few years ago, Bishop Morin traveled to Paris. He went alone and visited the various churches and muse- ums. When he returned he told me of one evening meeting a lady of the evening while taking a walk. He took great joy in listening to her proposition and thanked her but pointed out he was a priest and couldn’t use her services. His dedication to our schools may not have been as overt as others; however, if a family needed tuition assistance, he always found a way to pay the tuition. Bishop Morin was a slow walker. Someone once asked me what it was like to walk with the Bishop. I told them it was like walking a snail. Msgr. John McGrath Former Judicial Vicar Diocese of Biloxi