Gulf Pine Catholic

Volume 41, Issue 13 www.gulfpinecatholic.com February 16, 2024 G ulf P ine C atholic Official Newspaper of the Diocese of Biloxi Eucharistic Revival Update BY BISHOP LOUIS F. KIHNEMAN III Bishop of Biloxi For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life (John 3:16). And His Son gives us His body and blood in the Holy Eucharist! Jesus’ life, death, resurrec- tion, and ascension has changed each of us in the world and every- one throughout history. Jesus giving His life for me and for you proves the depth of God’s love for each and every one of us. One of the most profound ways we live out that love is when we come together to celebrate Mass -- the Holy Eucharist, our moment of Thanksgiving and worship. Jesus has given us a gift that allows us to experience His love very personally. The gift is His body and His blood. Then He took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you. (Luke 22:19-20) As we pray the prayers of consecration over the bread and wine, it is Jesus’ gift to us that He changes the bread and wine into His body and blood. This is the tradition of our faith that has endured for over 2,000 years -- since The Supper of Our Lord. It is a moment of faith for us as Roman Catholic Christians, and it is one of the things that the world outside the Church struggles to under- stand. The Mass is not just simply a symbolic moment; it is a moment in which we truly celebrate the Last Supper with Jesus present on the Altar. One of the things we know for a fact is that people who are in love with the Eucharist do not leave the Church. They constantly yearn to have His body and blood in their lives -- as I do as a priest and a bishop. That desire is stronger than the distraction, division, and confusion that the enemy uses to lure many away from fully participating at Mass. Jesus gives us His body and blood to strengthen and encourage us to walk as people of faith and to witness to His great love. In the spirit of this great love, the bishops of the United States, including myself, began the National Eucharistic Revival (EucharisticRevival.org) to renew in each of us the wonder and awe of the Eucharist. It is a tremendous gift and miracle we are blessed to participate in each time we come together to celebrate the holy sac- rifice of the Mass. As a diocese, we celebrated the beginning of the National Eucharistic Revival together on June 18, 2022, with Mass, Eucharistic Procession, Adoration, and Benediction. At the same time, each of the dioceses in the United States began to celebrate Jesus in the Eucharist with a concerted effort to enliven the faith and the overwhelming joy we should each experience every time we participate in the Mass or come to Our Lord in adoration. In our diocese, we have had several special Eucharistic pro- cessions with the Blessed Sacrament. We have been on our knees in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and groups have formed to learn more about the Eucharist, especially through studying Holy Scripture. Our priests, deacons, and I have and continue to preach about the Eucharist. The second and current phase of the National Eucharistic Revival is the parish phase. Each parish has been encouraged to form a parish Eucharistic Revival committee to help the parish increase devotion to the Eucharist and to promote the fact that Jesus is truly present in His body and blood in the Eucharist. It has been a joy for me to witness the renewal of faith that is happening for our people. An exciting national event is coming to the Diocese of Biloxi as part of the National Eucharistic Revival! Pilgrimages of the Holy Eucharist will proceed from all four corners of the contiguous United States (much of the journey on foot) to meet at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis July 17-21. The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is “Our National Emmaus Moment.” It is made up of four routes: From the north, the Marian Route begins at the headwa- ters of the Mississippi River in Lake Itasca, Minnesota; from the east, the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route begins in New Haven, Connecticut; from the West, the St. Junipero Serra Route starts in the Archdiocese of San Francisco; and from our southern border, the St. Juan Diego Route begins in the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas. These pilgrims will travel from Brownsville with our Lord through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana. They will spend four days in the Diocese of Biloxi! SEE EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL UPDATE, PAGE 6 Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III is encouraging local Catholics to paricipate in the the National Eucharistic Procession and National Eucharistic Congress. Photo/Julian Skelton