Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • December 13, 2019 9 D iocesan H appenings On Oct. 10-13, the Hispanic Ministry held the ACTS #16 women retreat at Paul B. Johnson in Hattiesburg. Forty two (42) women experienced the retreat for the first time. The team was formed by 45 women from around the diocese. Co-directors for this retreat were: Mariela Contreras, Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Biloxi; Alma Salas, Sacred Heart Parish, Hattiesburg; and Erandi Aviles, Immaculate Conception Parish, Laurel. The director for this retreat was Lucia Leal from St. Alphonsus Parish, Ocean Springs. Sister Claudia Crisostomos, SHIJ and Fr. Lalo Mora Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Pascagoula were the spiritual directors for this retreat. And, of course, the pope wrote, “when, at Christmas, we place the statue of the Infant Jesus in the manger, the Nativity scene suddenly comes alive. God appears as a child, for us to take into our arms.” The whole scene, he said, reminds adult Catholics of their childhood and of learning the faith from their parents and grandparents. Each year, it should be a re- minder that the faith needs to be passed on to one’s chil- dren and grandchildren. Standing together before a Nativity scene, in won- der and awe, he said, is a simple way to start. Pope Nativity Scene Letter From page 3 Members of Knights of Columbus Council #16433 and the Veterans' Prayer Group at St. Clare in Waveland teamed together to honor the veterans and their families of St. Clare with a special Veteran's Day meal after Mass on November 10. Each veteran received a special certificate from Stephen M. Palazzo, a member of the House of Representatives representing the 4th District in Mississippi. St. Clare Parish, Waveland As part of the year long celebration of St. Clare Church’s Centennial, St. Clare parishioners exceeded their goal of collecting 100 bags of groceries for the Hancock County Food Pantry. Nearly 150 bags were collected and a total of 1,800 lbs. of food were delivered on Nov. 19 to the Food Pantry for distribution. Pictured are Fr. Jacob-Matthew Smith, OFM, Pastor; John Wittliff, Treasurer of Hancock County Food Pantry; Paul Pitts, parishioner; (back row) Earl Roth, Hancock County Food Pantry representative and parishioner, and John Harrison, parishioner. Sacred Heart Parish, Hattiesburg Knights of Columbus Council 1908, Sacred Heart Parish, Hattiesburg, recently held a drawing for a beautiful quilt after Mass on Sun., Nov. 3. Pictured, l-r, are William Clark, Porter Hudson (winner of the quilt), and Chris Tomlinson. The Council is appreciative of the support from its parishioners. The quilt took almost two years to complete. It was a labor of love. Hispanic Ministry (A.C.T.s Retreat) From the staff of the Gulf Pine Catholic, have a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!