Gulf Pine Catholic

16 Gulf Pine Catholic • December 6, 2024 On November 10 at St. Joseph CYO, Gulfport, our young people were blessed with the opportunity to be in the presence of the relics of young, teenage Saints and Blesseds and some unusual relics! Deacon Karl Koberger brought these relics from the Diocese, and he provided information about what relics are and some facts about each saint/blessed. We even had an opportunity to obtain a third class relic by touching a possession of our own to any (or all) of the first or second class relics. This made our possession a third class relic! What a blessing our youth were able to experience! We appreciate you, DK, for the time and effort in bringing us a little closer to heaven and to the Saints/Blesseds! CYO in presence of relics At the end of October for Vocations Awareness Week, St. Joseph CYO, Gulfport, had the opportuni- ty to listen to Deacon Karl Koberger's vocation story. We are so grateful he took the time to share his journey of answering God's call to the Diaconate. Thank you, DK! Later, we played a fun twist on the game of tic-tac-toe! Vocations Awareness Week S t . J oseph P arish , G ulfport On Sunday, November 10, following the 11a.m. Mass, Nativity BVM Cathedral hosted its inaugural Wanna Taco ʼBout Vocations event as the culmina- tion of Vocations Week. Hosted in the Cathedral's Sacred Heart Center, the goal of the event was to promote priestly and deacon vocations, as well as all of those who help support the Church's mission. Taqueria Olvera Food Truck prepared a delicious assortment of tacos, burritos, and quesadillas for everyone to enjoy. All of the children who attended 11 a.m. Mass were given a card for a free taco. The hope of the Vocations Ministry Team was to provide a fun, family-friendly social environment where parishioners could come together and celebrate reli- gious vocations and learn more about ways in which they could pray for our priests and church communi- ty. Renae Codella and her family were excited to celebrate with other church families. ‟ For our fami- ly, this was a great way to connect with other church families and celebrate our religious leaders, ” stated Codella. Coming together as a church community is always fun, but coming together over food is always extra special. Thank you to the Nativity Vocations Ministry Team for hosting an amazing event! We can't wait to ‟taco ʼbout” vocations again, soon! N ativity BVM C athedral , B iloxi Wanna Taco ʼBout Vocations S acred H eart P arish , H attiesburg The 99 Retreat The 99 Retreat was a great time of faith sharing, fellowship and learning about having a better rela- tionship with Christ. Fifty-one women attended the retreat here at Sacred Heart. Pastor Father Sergio Balderas is grateful to the team of nine women from St. Elizabeth Parish in Ocean Springs who led the retreat. The next step of faith formation will be seven weeks of Eucharistic Revival.