Gulf Pine Catholic • July 11, 2025 3 Gulf Pine Catholic (ISSN No. 0746-3804) July 11, 2025 Volume 42, Issue 20 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/BILLING — Shirley McCusker —CIRCULATION— Robin Peeler —OFFICEHOURS— 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday —PHONE NUMBERS— Editor: 228-702-2126 Production/Advertising: 228-702-2109 Billing: 228-702-2109 Circulation: 228-702-2100 —EMAIL— News: tdickson@biloxidiocese.org Production / Advertising Billing: smccusker@biloxidiocese.org Circulation: rpeeler@biloxidiocese.org —OFFICEAND MAILINGADDRESS — 1790 Popps Ferry Road Biloxi, MS 39532 —WEBSITE— www.gulfpinecatholic.com —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 forAUG. 15— News copy and photos: Due AUG. 5, 4 p.m. Advertising: Completed Ad and/or copy due AUG. 5, 10 a.m. BY BISHOP LOUIS F. KIHNEMAN III Bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). As we celebrate the Jubilee of Hope, we stand at a pivotal moment in the life of our Church -- a moment of reflection, renewal, and rededication to our truest identity. The Jubilee is not only a time of thanksgiving and grace, but also a time of recommitment to the mission given to us by Christ Himself. Jesus did not leave us a vague purpose. He gave us a clear, urgent commission in the Gospel of Matthew: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations… teach them to observe all that I have commanded you… and behold, I am with you always.” This Great Commission is not optional; it is the reason we exist as a Church. It is our mission and our joy -- to evangelize, to make disciples, to share the transforming love of God with every person. Evangelization is not a program or an event; it is a way of life. It begins with a personal relationship with Jesus, and it moves outward, inviting others into that same life-changing encounter. This transformation must touch every part of us -- heart, mind, soul, and strength. And it must shape every part of our communities -- parishes, schools, families, and ministries. Bishop Kihneman The Jubilee of Hope -- A Call to Mission To live this out fully, we must undergo a significant shift -- from a mindset of maintenance to one of mission. We can no longer be content with simply maintaining structures or programs that no longer bear fruit. Instead, we must align every effort, every activity, every decision with the goal of forming disciples. If something in our parish life does not serve this mission, we must ask: Can it be transformed to serve the mission? If not, does it still have a place? This shift requires formation -- beginning with leadership. We must become faith communities where accompaniment is not the exception, but the norm. This means listening deeply to one another, sharing our stories of faith, and walking side-by-side as fellow pilgrims. This is not just pastoral strategy -- it is the heart of the Gospel. Jesus accompanied people in their journeys; so must we. Small groups are a vital part of this renewal. They create space for faith to grow, for relationships to deepen, for discipleship to take root. In small groups, people can experience the Thresholds of Conversion and Faith. But for this to work, our leaders must be trained as disciple-makers -- people who live the vision, who accompany others, and who raise up new leaders in turn. Every family, every child, every adult, every person in OCIA/RCIA should have a path of formation that includes real accompaniment. No one should walk the journey of faith alone. This is where partnerships come in -- between families, schools, parishes, and ministries. Together, in our parishes, schools, and ministries, we form communities where every person is known, loved, formed, and sent. The Jubilee of Hope is not just a celebration -- it is a turning point. It is a call to embrace and reclaim the Church’s mission, to refocus our energy, and to renew our commitment to the Great Commission. Jesus has told us what to do. Now is the time to act, together. Let us be a Church of missionary disciples. Let us be people of hope. And let us trust that the One who sends us is always with us -- until the end of the age. SEE BISHOP’S SPANISH COLUMN, PAGE 4 God looks for humble, loving hearts, not perfection, pope tells world’s priests BY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a world marked by growing tension, priests need to build peace and unity together by serving others, Pope Leo XIV said. When hearts are united with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, they are capable of resolving “not only our inner conflicts but also those that are tearing apart the world in which we live,” he said in a written message to the world’s priests, released June 27, the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is also the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests. In the one-page message to his “brothers in the priesthood,” Pope Leo invited them to renew the “yes” they said to God and to His holy people on the day of their ordination, so they “may be a sacrament of Jesus’ love in the world. “Do not be daunted by your personal frailty: the Lord does not look for perfect priests, but for humble hearts that are open to conversion and prepared to love others as He himself loved us,” he wrote. Also, “only in the heart of Jesus do we discover our authentic humanity as children of God, brothers and sisters of one another,” the pope wrote. Therefore, he said, “I would make this heartfelt appeal to you today: Be builders of unity and peace!”
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