Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • November 12, 2021 3 Bishop Kihneman’s Schedule Gulf Pine Catholic (ISSN No. 0746-3804) November 12, 2021 Volume 39, Issue 6 The GULF PINE CATHOLIC , published every other week, is an official publication of the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi. Editorial offices are located at 1790 Popps Ferry Road Biloxi, MS 39532. Periodical postage paid at Gulfport, MS. —POSTMASTER— Send address changes to: The GULF PINE CATHOLIC 1790 Popps Ferry Road Biloxi, MS 39532 —PUBLISHER— Most Rev. Louis F. Kihneman —EDITOR— Terry Dickson —PRODUCTION/ ADVERTISING — Shirley M c Cusker —CIRCULATION— Aimee McLendon —PHOTOGRAPHY— Juliana Skelton —OFFICEHOURS— 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday —PHONE NUMBERS— Editor: 228-702-2126 Production/Advertising: 228-702-2109 Circulation: 228-702-2127 Photography: 228-201-2132 FAX: 228-702-2128 —EMAIL— News: tdickson@biloxidiocese.org Production / Advertising: smccusker@biloxidiocese.org Circulation: amclendon@biloxidiocese.org Photography: jskelton@biloxidiocese.org —OFFICEAND MAILINGADDRESS — 1790 Popps Ferry Road Biloxi, MS 39532 —WEBSITE— www.biloxidiocese.org —SUBSCRIPTIONS — Subscription rate is $18 per year. When changing address, renewing or inquiring about a subscription, customer should include a recent address label with old address and new address. Allow three weeks for changes of address. —DEADLINES for NOV. 26 EDITION— News copy and photos: Due NOV. 17, 4 p.m. Advertising: Completed Ad and/or copy due NOV. 17, 10 a.m. Nov. 14-19 USCCB (Baltimore) Nov. 20 Mass & Feast Celebration, Vietnamese Martyrs Parish, Biloxi, 10 a.m. Nov. 21 Mass & Feast Celebration, Christ the King Mission, Latimer, 9:15 a.m. Nov. 28 Mass, Nativity BVM Cathedral, Biloxi, 11 a.m. BY BISHOP LOUIS F. KIHNEMAN III Bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi Who do you say that I am? We live in a post-Christian world and now, more than ever, that question, which Jesus poses to His disciples in Matthew’s Gospel, doesn’t really resonate with peo- ple’s hearts in the way that it needs to. In some ways, the disciples represent that at the very beginning of the Gospel because, when He asks them the question, they’re all over the place. Some say John the Baptist. Some say Elijah. Some say one of the prophets. They’re everywhere. That’s a pretty good description where we are at in the world today. Then Jesus turns directly to His disci- ples, as He does to each of us right now, and He asks us, Who do you say that I am? The answer to that question for us changes everything. It changes our lives. It changes the direction of our lives completely. The hope, of course is that we answer like Peter in faith and say, “You are the Christ,” meaning you are the Anointed one. You are my Savior and Lord. For all of us, that question is THE question: Who do you say that I am? Jesus is asking every one of us that question. How we answer it says a lot about who we are. As people of faith. That’s the invita- Bishop Kihneman Who do you say that I am? Our answer is a game changer. Recently, I had an opportunity to meet with some of our FOCUS ( Fellowship of Catholic University Students ) team mem- bers. These students are on the campuses of universities throughout the entire coun- try. All of them had a story to tell and their story was a story of conversion but it was also a story of being formed as disciples. As they told their stories, I found myself really drawn in. There were hard moments and that’s what Jesus said in the Gospel. It’s not going to be easy to be a disciple. Then there were the moments when their hearts sang with the gift of faith, sang with the gift of hope and sang with the gift of love! Part of what happened to them was somebody was willing to walk with them. That’s really who we are called to be, a symbol of faith, hope and love in Christ. Because somebody cared and loved them, because somebody encouraged them to embrace the Gospel completely -- Jesus’s life, death and resurrection, they have given their lives to Him. No matter what career they go in, no matter whether they get married or remain single or enter the priesthood or religious life, they have given their lives to Christ. It’s such a blessing. That’s what I think we need to produce out of every single one of our schools. That’s the kind of families we are called to have, families that really do build up disciples and that’s the kind of parishes we need to have. As a Church, we are a sleeping giant. There are 1.4 billion of us. If we wake up as a Church, like those young FOCUS mis- sionaries, it will be a remarkable sight. I can’t wait to see it. It’s already begun. The shift is happening but we, as a Church, need to come together to say to Jesus, You are the Christ! You are my Christ! SEE BISHOP’S MESSAGE, PAGE 6 tion -- to believe that, amidst all the chaos of the world, there is a God, the God who loves us, the God who gave us His only Son, the God who shared his life with us, the God who suffered for our sins, the God who died on the cross, the God who is risen from the dead and gives us the prom- ise of eternal life with Him forever in heaven. It sounds simple but we, as the people of God, know it is a challenge. We, as the people of God, are called to be His disci- ples, which means we have come to know Jesus, we have come to love Jesus, we have come to serve Jesus and we have come to witness to Jesus. That’s what we are called to teach in our schools, our homes and our parishes. The Catholic Diocese of Biloxi’s Pastoral Center will be closed Thursday, November 25, and Friday, November 26, in observance of Thanksgiving.