Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • December 10, 2021 21 Like the women and men religious shown here, thousands of elderly sisters, brothers, and religious order priests have devoted their lives to helping others. Across the US, generations of Catholics gratefully recall their ministry in Catholic schools, hospitals, parishes, and works of mercy. Most older religious served for little pay. Today, without enough retirement savings, many religious communities are struggling to care for senior members. Your gift to the Retirement Fund for Religious helps provide nursing care, medicine, and other necessities. Please be generous. Please give at your local parish. Visit retiredreligious.org/2021photos to meet the religious pictured. © 2021 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C. • All rights reserved • Photo: Jim Judkis Give generously in your parish collection, or send donation to: Retirement Fund for Religious c/o Diocese of Biloxi 1790 Popps Ferry Rd. Biloxi, MS 39532 A small portion of collection pays for this advertisement. Collection: December 11-12 Christopher concluded, “I hope that they’re reminded, Christmas is so far beyond what you find in the malls, so much more than exchanging presents and gifts. There is that wonderful story of this little child who was born thousands of years ago and changed the way we think about the world. So, ‘Mr. Nicholas’ is about a little boy who changed the way a mother and father thought about the world and about themselves. I’m not giving anything away, they do not get the di- vorce after all, they do stay together. And the Christmas story is that [simplicity], innocence, purity of heart, good- ness, and the Christ Child can make the greatest difference in our lives.” Tony Rossi is the radio host/producer for The Chris- tophers. For a free copy of the Christopher News Note, GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP, write: The Christophers, 5 Hanover Square, New York, NY 10004; or e-mail: mail@ christophers.org. Light one Candle From page 17 Mary’s Special Blessing -- A message from Medjugorje BY JAMES “JIMMY” HYLAND Earlier this month I had the privilege to travel with Bishop Louis F Kihneman, for his Official Diocesan Pilgrimage to Medjugorje and Croatia. It was an especially important event as it is one of the first diocesan sponsored pilgrimages from the United States to the Shrine of Our Lady Queen of Peace since it was approved to do so by the Vatican in May, 2019. This spiritual pilgrimage began on the night of September 29, when Fr. Mike Austin invited Bishop Kihneman and the 40 faithful pilgrims to Holy Family Catholic Church in Pass Christian to hear any updated information on testing requirements needed to travel, and to pray for our pilgrimage and begin our Novena to the Queen of Peace, so that the last day of the Novena would coincide with the very day we arrived at Our Lady’s Shrine, October 7, the Feast of the Holy Rosary! After a long transatlantic flight, a sumptuous wel- come dinner and a good night’s sleep, our first Mass in Croatia was celebrated by Bishop Kihneman in the beautiful Church of St. Blaise, the Patron Saint of Dubrovnik. After Mass he and Fr. Mike Austin, and Fr. Mike Snyder, blessed the throats of all the travel- ers, and Miro, the local guide, recounted the history of Dubrovnik and the stories of how St. Blaise became it’s protector and patron. After a brief tour and time to explore this magnificent medieval walled city we proceeded on to Medjugorje. SEE MARY’S MESSAGE, PAGE 22