Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • November 29, 2019 14 Ministries of the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi Motivated by the teachings of Christ, Catholic Charities of South Mississippi works to help our brothers and sisters in Christ, by providing the basic necessities of life and creating hope. By feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and serving those impris- oned by poverty, isolation, disaster or educational challenges, we serve according to the Gospel values of justice, mercy, and charity. We are called to offer kindness, respect, and dignity to all that we serve. Our Catholic schools strive daily to create aware- ness to our call to be disciples of Jesus by immersing faculty, staff, and students, in the teachings and prac- tice of our Catholic Faith. Faith-formation is at the core of the mission of all our schools and activities. Led by the Office of Catholic Schools offering work- shops on forming Intentional Disciples, all members of the Catholic school leadership at each campus are consciously choosing to pray, learn, and show their faith through actions and to teach our students to “be not afraid” to be a witness to our Lord Jesus. The Office of Communications is the voice of the Diocese of Biloxi and its shep- herd, Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III. Through the use of social media and the diocesan newspaper, The Gulf Pine Catholic , we promote the good works of the Church being accomplished by our parishes, schools, entities, and organizations. One of our pri- mary goals is to assist in the communication and rais- ing awareness of our call to discipleship. The Office of Evangelization promotes the Church’s call to Evangelization by providing vision and formation for leaders; coordinating diocesan evan- gelization initiatives, and helping parishes explore creative new ways for deepening, re-awakening, and sharing of our Catholic Faith. The Office of Finance , being mindful of God’s blessings and gifts to His Church, is called to demon- strate discipleship by practicing of good stewardship of the financial assets of God’s Church in the Diocese of Biloxi. It is our goal to always be faithful to the teachings of Christ and to be faithful in the steward- ship of the gifts of His people in the ministry of the Church. The Office of Religious Education provides ongo- ing discipleship training for Catholic school religion teachers and parish cat- echetical leaders. We part- ner with our Catholic schools and parish leader- ship to help form our youth, young adults, and lay faithful in the ongoing exercise of having a well-formed conscience in our communi- ties and in society as a whole. The Office of the Diaconate has teamed with the Office of Evangelization and the Core Team of Forming Intentional Disciples in presenting Intentional Discipleship workshops to the Deacons of the Diocese of Biloxi. The Intentional Discipleship Ministry is being integrated into our Diaconal Ministry through homiliesF at parish Masses and parish programs. The formation of Intentional Discipleship is being includ- ed in the Academic Syllabus of all future Diaconate formation Classes. The Office of Youth Ministry, along with the nuclear family, is at the heart of forming discipleship in our youth and young adults. In our ministry we work to help all understand what a disciple is, and what living as a disciple looks like in our society today. Catholic In the Gospel of Matthew, as the Lord Jesus was about to ascend to the Father, He gave the Great Commission to the Apostles, commanding them to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 28:19). We, as the Church in Southern Mississippi, are called to this commission in our daily lives today. In light of this call we move more intentionally toward discipleship in Jesus, as we start to view our daily work in light of this call. de l’Epée provides spiritual well-being, pro- motion of independence and inclusion in the community for the deaf, hard of hearing and dis- abled. Through communication and understanding we promote the Gospel teachings to follow in our Lord’s footsteps. Only through accurate communication and understanding of culture can people with disabilities be included in all aspects of life and further their desire to become Intentional Disciples. The Lord’s call to follow Him and become His disciples also calls us to be good stewards of the gifts that He bestows on each of us, as individuals, as well as the community of believers that is the Church. The Office of Stewardship and Devel- opment works to teach, and to put into practice the Spirituality of Stewardship that helps us in our journey towards being Intentional Disciple of the Lord Jesus. The Office of the Chancellor has as its primary mission the preservation of the history and artifacts of the Diocese of Biloxi. This mission, a mission of ser- vice, is at the core of intentional discipleship as it helps to preserve the teachings of the Church for future generations of disciples. The family is the domestic Church and the primary place of formation of values, consciences and disci- pleship in the Lord Jesus. The Office of Marriage & Family Life Ministries works to affirm, support, and strengthen all facets of family life by providing pro- grams for spiritual enrichment, healing, and renewal so that each person in the family can draw closer to Christ and move deeper into discipleship with Him.