Gulf Pine Catholic • January 30, 2026 3 Gulf Pine Catholic (ISSN No. 0746-3804) January 30, 2026 Volume 43, Issue 9 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 — Shirley McCusker —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: smccusker@biloxidiocese.org 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 for FEB. 13— News copy and photos: Due FEB. 3, 4 p.m. Advertising: Completed Ad and/or copy due FEB. 3, 10 a.m. Bishop Kihneman’s Schedule BY BISHOP LOUIS F. KIHNEMAN III Bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi When Mercy Cross Center first opened its doors in Biloxi, we did so with a carefully crafted plan. We studied best practices from across the country, listened to research and testimony, consulted experienced day-center operators, and designed thoughtful systems rooted in compassion and dignity. Our goal was clear: to offer respite from the elements and from despair -- showers, laundry, meals, phone and internet access, a mailing address, and a safe, welcoming place where partner organizations could serve people onsite. As He so often does, God had something more in mind. Through the voices and experiences of our guests, the Lord gently redirected our path. Mercy Cross Center became far more than a place to meet basic needs. It became a place of encounter, restoration, and transformation. God also sent partners we never anticipated -- individuals and organizations who stepped forward with open hearts and willing hands. His blessings continue to pour out, quietly and consistently, day after day. Bishop Kihneman A vision and a call to something more in 2026 Since opening, Mercy Cross Center has welcomed hundreds of guests -- some who stay for a season, others who pass through briefly. Each comes with a different story, a different burden, a different hope. Yet we hold fast to one core belief: no one is defined by their circumstances, and everyone is capable of a hopeful future. Along the way, we have witnessed countless quiet miracles. Often they unfold so quickly that one story is still being told when another is already underway. Consider a Vietnamese gentleman who suffered a severe stroke, leaving him with limited mobility and speech. He lost his Green Card, which made it impossible to apply for Social Security Disability benefits. With the help of a Catholic Charities case manager who speaks Vietnamese, he completed the application for a replacement card. Mercy Cross Center staff coordinated his appointment with Immigration Services and secured transportation and an escort to New Orleans. He is now awaiting his replacement card, the key that will unlock the next steps toward stability. Or think of a blind man who had lived unhoused for years and came to believe a tent was the only future available to him. Complications with his Direct Express card made accessing his disability benefits nearly impossible. Our case managers helped him open a bank account, arrange direct deposit, and gather the documentation needed to apply for housing. Last week, he moved into his own home. When he returned to visit, he spoke through tears about making a cup of instant coffee and sitting in a chair -- his coffee, his chair, his home. That moment, simple as it sounds, was sacred. There was also the young father who traveled from Florida to Louisiana after being promised a job that would support his growing family. When the job fell through, he was left stranded and broke. While trying to hitchhike home, he found Mercy Cross Center. Our team offered rest, a hot shower, nourishing meals, and safe transportation so he could return to his family and hold his newborn child again. Dignity is restored not only through big victories, but through small, human moments: someone needing a listening ear after a rough night; a bandage; reassurance that their clothes match. A grown man beaming with pride after passing a computer class and earning a certificate, asking if we might frame it. The joy of receiving a long-awaited ID in the mail. These moments matter. They remind people -- sometimes for the first time in a long while -- that they have value. This year, Mercy Cross Center welcomed Loaves and Fishes into the Catholic Charities of South Mississippi family. As a result, hot meals increased from three days a week to five. Guests now receive healthy, nourishing meals, with third meals distributed daily and weekend food bags provided through the generosity of the Knights of Columbus at St. Thomas the Apostle. SEE BISHOP’S COLUMN, PAGE 8 Jan. 25 Mass/Rosary Rally/Walk for Life, Nativity BVM Cathedral, Biloxi, 2 p.m. Jan. 28 Installation Mass for Bishop Mario Avilés, Corpus Christi, TX Jan. 30 Mass & School Visit, Nativity Elementary, Biloxi, 9 a.m. Jan. 31 Mass/Altar Server Awards, Our Lady of the Gulf, Bay St. Louis, 11 a.m.
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