Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • July 19, 2024 15 “Shortly after we moved here, I called Father Kitchin. He was assigned to St. Matthew in White Cypress at the time,” said Houghton. “We talked for an hour. Well, he talked for an hour. That was when we had to pay the phone bill and you got charged by the minute. Anyway, he invited me and my husband to come the next weekend to the Center of Jesus the Lord in New Orleans because they were having a meeting there for leaders of the Charismatic Renewal Movement from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. “They were all there -- all these important people -- and Father Kitchin took the two of us. We didn’t even know anything about that kind of stuff because we had just joined. I was a newbie at it from up in Philadelphia. But we spent the weekend there and it was absolutely wonderful. He included us and he didn’t even know us. He was a very inclusive per- son.” Deacon Joe McIntyre recalled Father Kitchin accompanying him on his journey to the permanent diaconate. “Father Kitchin encouraged and supported my discernment in becoming a deacon,” said Deacon McIntyre, who was ordained in 2022 and is assigned to St. Mary Parish. “He made sure to involve me in serving on the altar during my formation, and during the Covid restrictions, Father George made sure that Deacon Robert Illanne and I were able to assist him at Mass. “I also observed Father George’s generosity with many of our parishioners throughout the years. He lived by the notion that the right hand should not know what the left hand is doing.” Father Kitchin also walked closely with Deacon Rick Conason on his journey to the permanent diaconate. “I first met Father Kitchin when he was pastor of Elizabeth Seton and I was studying for the diacon- ate. He became my spiritual director and guided me through my studies and for years afterwards. When he became Pastor of St. James, we grew closer, and Father became even closer with my wife, Edwina, than he was with me,” said Deacon Conason. “Father Kitchin influenced a lot of my develop- ment as a deacon, especially in regards to my homi- lies. He also had a special gift for spiritual direction. It was always funny to talk with him in confession or in direction. He would speak a long time about history or politics or one of the other topics close to his heart, but you had to listen closely, because in the midst of his sermon there would always be a 5-min- ute interlude when he would address your problem and say brilliant and Christ inspired things that would solve your problem. I am going to miss him greatly.” Father Kitchin’s generosity extended to many young seminarians and priests. “During my time in seminary from 2009 to 2015, Father George was a powerful friend and mentor to the Diocese of Biloxi seminarians,” said Father James Smith. “He would have us over at St. Mary’s in Gautier and later in retirement, while in-residence at St. James to enjoy a hot meal, fraternal discussion and each other’s company. He did a lot to make us feel at home in our diocese in those long years of being away from family, and spending nearly all our time in the institutional environment of seminary. “He added warmth to my experience and helped connect the dots with what God’s people needed here. He was really encouraging in that way. He cared about us as persons and wanted us to be well.” When he first arrived in the United States from India in 2008, Father Peter Varghese’s first assign- ment was as Father Kitchin’s parochial vicar at St. James Parish. He credits Father Kitchin with making him feel welcome. “Those two years were really a time of enrich- ment and enjoyment with him. He was a loving and caring person,” said Father Varghese. “He never stopped talking about anything and everything. He was a man of vast knowledge, like a walking ency- clopedia. “Above all, he was a man of prayer. Amidst his busy schedules, he always found time to pray in solitude, to be alone with the Lord. I will miss him very much.” Father Kitchin had a special place in his heart for young people. He was an advocate for such minis- tries as Life Teen and XLT. “Father Kitchin had an authentic fatherly love for young people and sought to minister to them,” said Mara Russo, who served as youth minister at St. James Parish. “He fostered the development of a robust youth ministry at St. James, being present to our young people and always available to hear con- fessions. We often joked how lucky we all were to be absolved from our sins and walk away with a bonus history lesson. He was very generous, and he had a great compassion for souls that was not always seen or appreciated.” Catholic education was also near and dear to Father Kitchin’s heart. In recent years, while pastor of St. Mary Parish in Gautier, Father Kitchin was a strong supporter of Resurrection Catholic School (RCS) in Pascagoula. “The impact he made on our school is extraordi- narily significant,” said RCS High School Principal Kristal Sisson. “Father Kitchin recognized Catholic schools as one of the greatest tools for evangeliza- tion. His commitment to RCS and its mission was apparent through his actions. Of course, he support- ed RCS in obvious ways through celebrating school Masses and hearing confessions, but he also sup- ported RCS in other very meaningful and very impactful ways.” One of those ways was through paying tuition for students who otherwise could not afford it. “Over the years, he personally paid for several students to attend RCS so that -- as he always said -- they could receive a ‘gift for their soul -- a Catholic education,’” said Sisson. “He always made these gifts anonymously. He would often call me in the evenings to check on the progress of these stu- dents.” Sisson noted another example of Father Kitchen’s commitment to RCS was his involvement on its school advisory council. “Father Kitchin rarely missed a meeting and was deeply involved and interested in every aspect of our school,” Sisson said. “After one very long meeting where I was lamenting the destruction of our internet server, Father Kitchin asked me at the end of the meeting how much a new server would cost. The next morning he called me on my cell phone and said, ‘Meet me in front of the school. I am going to pull up to the curb to give you something.’ I went outside to his car, and he handed me a personal check to cover the entire cost of a new server. I said, ‘Father, this is too much! I can’t let you pay for this!’ He said, ‘You will accept it, and you will allow me to help the school because that’s what I want to do!’ Then, he quickly drove off. “RCS will truly miss Father Kitchin. He gave so freely of himself and had a unique gift for making our students feel special and valued.” Reflecting on his priestly ministry in 2020 on the occasion of his 50th anniversary of ordination, Father Kitchin said he had no regrets. “My experience is that the priesthood is strictly a personal calling,” said Father Kitchin. “The Lord calls the young man He wants. If a young man believes he is being called, he should apply for the seminary. If he is admitted to the seminary, he should continue until it becomes clear that he is not personally called by the Lord Jesus. That’s what my pastor told me. I was 16 when I asked him. “I had dozens of friends from my seminary days who were more holy, better students, more disci- plined, harder working and, frankly, more talented in the skills needed in ministry, but it became clear to me that they were not called. “That personal call became clearer each year over my ten years of seminary life. This became a conviction of faith until the day it became a certain- ty, when Bishop Brunini personally called my name in the sanctuary of my own native parish in Greenwood. My vocation is still a mystery. Each time I think I have it all figured out, the Lord Jesus shows me something new. And it is always more wonderful than I thought it could be.” Father Kitchin is survived by his siblings, Robert Kitchin (Ann) of Bolivar, Mo., John Kitchin (Susan) of Gautier, Miss., and Peggy Kitchin of Ridgeland, Miss.; his nieces and nephews, Trey Pollard (Guyanne), Justin Cohen (Eliany), Andrew Cohen, Paul Kitchin (Sarah), David Kitchin, Joseph Kitchin, Clare Kitchin, and Jonathan Kitchin (Renae) To continue to work helping families with tuition assistance, Father Kitchen’s family would prefer memorials be made to the Guardian Angel Program, c/o Office of Finance, Catholic Diocese of Biloxi, 1790 Popps Ferry Road, Biloxi, MS 39532. Father George Kitchin From page 1