Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • January 20, 2023 3 Gulf Pine Catholic (ISSN No. 0746-3804) January 20, 2023 Volume 40, Issue 11 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 —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 FEB. 3 EDITION— News copy and photos: Due JAN. 26, 4 p.m. Advertising: Completed Ad and/or copy due JAN. 26, 10 a.m. Bishop Kihneman’s Schedule BY BISHOP LOUIS F. KIHNEMAN III Bishop of Biloxi One of the joys of serving as your bishop is visiting our Catholic schools to celebrate Mass and meet with the administration, fac- ulty, staff, and especially the students. During each of my visits, a number of students are selected to sit down with me to ask questions Bishop Kihneman Catholic School Students interview Bishop Kihneman prayer life, by reading the Word of God, and by living the sacraments of the Church, espe- cially receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus in Holy Communion. A vocation can be to priesthood, religious life, and the permanent diaconate, and it can also be to marriage or single life. These are all calls to holiness. Prayer is at the very heart of it. It is important to make time to pray and to listen to God as He speaks to us. God can also speak to us through family, special counselors that we have at school, and our classmates. However, in the end, we have to have a heart for God to be able to hear His call. Q -- Why do Catholics go through First Communion classes while other Christian faiths believe anyone can receive Communion? Izabella Rangel, eleventh grade, Resurrection Catholic High School, Pascagoula BK -- As Catholics, we believe in Chapter 6 of John’s Gospel, and when Jesus says, “This is my body and this is my blood,” we believe He means it literally. We believe that it is His body and blood when we pray the prayers of consecration. Other traditions of faith that are Christian do not believe that what they receive when they have commu- nion is the Body and Blood of Christ. They see it as a simple memorial or as a represen- tation of Jesus. We believe we receive Jesus Himself. SEE BISHOP’S MESSAGE, PAGE 8 on a variety of subjects. As we celebrate Catholic Schools Week, I would like to share with you some of the questions that have been posed to me during this school year. Q - Why did you decide to become a priest? -- Nicholas Dudek, second grade, Holy Trinity Catholic Elementary School, Bay St. Louis BK -- When I was young, I had a real sense of God calling me to do something special. I had very good parents and they taught me how to pray and took me to Mass. I was an altar server and I got to know the priests and the sisters in the parish. I wit- nessed their work and was attracted to their ministry and what they were able to do for people. I entered the seminary with the hope of being able to serve people and be able to eventually share my love of Jesus Christ with everyone. Q -- What was it like at your first parish as a parish priest? BK -- There was a lot of excitement when I was ordained a priest because I had been working towards it for many years. It was a joy. My first assignment as a new priest was in a mission in Arteaga, Mexico. We, as the Diocese of Biloxi, have a mission very close by in Saltillo. I served in both Arteaga and Saltillo for about a year. It was an eye-opening experience. If you every have a chance to go on a mission trip, go. It can really change your view of the world, how different people react to things, and how the poorest of the poor really are in love with God. They live life in a very simple way. My time in Arteaga enabled me to learn Spanish, learn the cul- ture and the people, and to fall in love with them. That has helped me as Bishop of Biloxi because we have many parishes with Spanish Masses, and it has been a joy to be able to celebrate in the language of the peo- ple. Q -- How do we know what our vocation is? Caroline Purdy, tenth grade, Resurrection Catholic High School, Pascagoula BK -- A vocation is a call from God. To prepare our hearts to be able to hear God speaking to us and calling us into a vocation, we need to have a relationship with God. We grow our relationship with God through our Jan. 21 Meeting, Parish Eucharistic Revival Coordinators, 9 a.m. Jan. 21 Blessing of new Chapel & Dedication of Altar, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Laurel, 1 p.m. Jan. 22 Diocesan March for Life, Nativity BVM Cathedral: Rosary, Sunday Mass, Walk to Biloxi Lighthouse Park (weath- er permitting) or Sacred Heart Center (inclement weather) for Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction. 2-4:30 p.m. Jan. 26 School Visit & Mass, St. Patrick Catholic High School, Biloxi, 9:40 a.m. Jan. 28 TET Mass, Holy Family Parish, Pass Christian, 10 a.m. Jan. 29 TET Mass, Vietnamese Martyrs, Biloxi, 10 a.m. Jan. 30 Meeting, Bishop Neal Buckon, Archdiocese of Military Services, 5:30 p.m. Feb. 2 School Visit & Mass, Sacred Heart Elementary, Hattiesburg, 8:30 a.m. Feb. 3 School Visit & Mass, St. James Elementary School, Gulfport, 8:30 a.m. Feb. 5 Mass and Boy Scout Awards, Nativity BVM Cathedral, Biloxi, 11 a.m.