Gulf Pine Catholic

20 Gulf Pine Catholic • July 5, 2024 National Eucharistic pilgrims end week in Mississippi ministering to the less fortunate Issy Martin-Dye, a pilgrim from Cleveland, Ohio, serves food at the Mercy Cross Center in Biloxi. Pilgrims on the Juan Diego Route spent their last day on the Mississippi Gulf Coast ministering to the clients at the Diocese of Biloxi’s newly opened facility for the homeless. Photo/Juliana Skelton BY TERRY DICKSON BILOXI -- On the final day of their weeklong trek across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, pilgrims on the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage min- istered to clients at the Diocese of Biloxi’s newly opened facility for the homeless. Biloxi Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III blessed the Mercy Cross Center on May 28. The center occupies the gymnasium and fieldhouse of the former Mercy Cross High School, which closed after Hurricane Katrina. The pilgrims spent the morning picking up trash and serving lasagna to clients, many of whom live in tents behind the facility. “I’ve never been to the South before. We’ve been met with great hospitality. I’ve been delighted by that,” said Brother Simon Mary, of the Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, a native of Belvedere, New Jersey, as he picked up trash and made conversation with a dog named Chico, who momentarily left the shel- ter of his owner’s tent to see what was happening. “It’s been a blessing to do the pilgrimage. There’s a great, deep faith among the people of this part of the United States and to witness it firsthand has been very edifying and helpful in my own journey and in bolstering my faith. It’s been super helpful and super beautiful to see all of that. Walking around with Jesus has been a very powerful experience. When you walk around with the source of love, it’s just a matter of time before you get to experience that love through people, through the poor and through some of the homeless that we have come across. They have really been struck through the beauty of the Eucharist and through our procession. It’s just been a huge delight all the way around.” Shayla Elm, a pilgrim fromMinot, North Dakota, has family on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In fact, her parents accompanied her on this part of the pilgrim- age. “This has been such a beautiful experience to walk along the ocean with our Lord and with all the people that have come out for the procession and the other events,” said Elm. “This is the greatest number of people we’ve had to join us in procession for the longest time. We had a couple of hundred people join us each day for those six mile and nine mile processions. I was blown away by the amount of faith and the amount of faithful that were coming out to walk with our Lord, even in the heat and humidity. It’s just been really beautiful to be with the people here.” Elm said it was especially meaning- ful to end the week in Mississippi by ministering to the homeless. “I currently live in Denver and work for a homeless ministry called Christ in the City so I feel very connected to our brothers and sisters on the streets,” said Elm. “To end here, real- ly means a lot to me. To get to pour ourselves out and see Jesus in our brothers and sisters really means a lot to me. After a week of being filled up, to be able to pour out is really good.” Jennifer Williams, diocesan direc- tor of Catholic Charities of South Mississippi, is grateful that the pil- grims were able to experience the good things that are happening at the Mercy Cross Center. “Their visit will hopefully bring Christ further into the lives of the people here who haven’t had the opportunity to participate in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage or who don’t know about the Eucharist, the sacrifice Jesus made and how important that is in our daily lives” said Williams. “It shows them that Jesus loves them and our actions sometimes speak louder than our words.” Since opening last month, the Mercy Cross Center has helped quite a few people to get back on their feet. “Everything is moving real fast,” said Williams. “As of June 14, we have directly or indirectly helped 22 individuals find housing and move out of tents and onto the next step of their lives. We have four more that are taking that next step next week. Some of those have moved into housing, some have moved in with family that wants them to come home, so we have purchased them bus tickets. Many, through the course of our discussions, realized that they want better for themselves and asked to go to rehab, so we’ve been helping them get into rehab. There are all kinds of different reasons that people are home- less and there are all kinds of ways to help them make the transition from homelessness. It’s really been client-centered because we give them their options, they decide and then they tell us how we can best help them.” Pray for all those who are suffering from the results of hurricanes, earthquakes, and war, especially Ukraine and Israel. Pray for peace on earth!