Gulf Pine Catholic • February 27, 2026 3 Bishop Kihneman’s Schedule Gulf Pine Catholic (ISSN No. 0746-3804) February 27, 2026 Volume 43, Issue 11 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 MARCH 13— News copy and photos: Due MARCH 3, 4 p.m. Advertising: Completed Ad and/or copy due MARCH 3 10 a.m. Feb. 28 Mass & TET Celebration, Vietnamese Martyrs Parish, Biloxi, 4 p.m. Mar. 1 Rite of Election, St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Long Beach, 2 p.m. Mar. 5 Priests Lenten Day of Reflection, St. Francis Xavier Parish, Wiggins, 9:30 a.m. Mar. 7 Confirmation, St. Michael Parish, Biloxi, 5 p.m. Mar. 11 Housing Board Meeting, 2nd Qtr, Pastoral Center, Biloxi, 3 p.m. Mar. 11 Confirmation, Sacred Heart Parish, Pascagoula, 6 p.m. Mar. 12 Seminary Board Meeting, St. Joseph Seminary, Covington Mar. 13 Diocesan Youth Conference, -15 Coast Coliseum, Biloxi Mar. 14 40th Ordination Anniversary, St. John the Evangelist Parish, Gulfport, 4 p.m. BY BISHOP LOUIS F. KIHNEMAN III Bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi The call I felt to travel again to the Holy Land was truly a call to renewal. I made my episcopal retreat in the Holy Land nine years ago, just before I was ordained your bishop. It was an opportunity to once again walk in the footsteps of the Lord and share in His life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension. I felt strongly that I needed to accept this invitation and to share with the group that accompanied me. It proved to be a very special trip. It also presented a powerful invitation for each of us pilgrims to grow in faith. We experienced many powerful moments of encounter, encountering His mercy, His healing, and His presence as we visited the places where Jesus ministered on earth. A pilgrimage is a physical journey that engages you mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. To have the opportunity to celebrate Mass and pray at the holy sites in Israel is always a blessing. Dispatches from the Holy Land We walked the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) early in the early morning and were almost entirely by ourselves. It was a moment to remember the Passion of our Lord. As we did so, we carried that remembrance with us to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where we celebrated Mass. It was a beautiful opportunity for the people to enter more fully into the death and Resurrection of Jesus. I have celebrated Mass there a couple of times before. However, this time we were able to take part in what is called the High Mass, which includes an organist and cantor. I was the principal celebrant, and entered the cave where Jesus was buried. We celebrated Mass on the place where Jesus’ body was laid, His tomb. As I celebrated Mass, I had a vivid image of Jesus rising from the dead. That image was an explosion of grace, an explosion of love, and an explosion of God’s peace for the whole world. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life (John 3:16). At the same time, praying the Mass for God to change the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, who had just risen from the dead, was a significant moment for me, one that I am still praying over. That moment, with the Holy Spirit lifting Jesus from the dead and changing the bread and wine into His Body and Blood, was united in a profound way. This is one of the great gifts we receive every time we celebrate the Eucharist, wherever we are! As we prayed the “Our Father” and the “Lamb of God,” and offered Holy Communion to the faithful, it became a powerful moment to know Jesus in His Passion, in His crucified Body, and especially in His Risen Body, giving Himself to each of us at the Holy Sepulcher. It was very moving, deeply spiritual, and a profound moment of faith, hope, and love. We crossed the Sea of Galilee by boat and reflected on the miracle of Jesus walking on the water. We celebrated Mass in the Church of the Beatitudes. There were so many moving and powerful moments throughout the pilgrimage. We celebrated Mass at Saint Peter’s house in Capernaum. The church is built directly over St. Peter’s house. The floor is made of glass, through which we could see the house where Jesus performed the miracle of healing Saint Peter’s mother-in-law. SEE BISHOP’S COLUMN, PAGE 7 Bishop Kihneman and Father Mike Austin concelebrate Mass in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. At far right is Deacon Dick Henderson. Photo/Paula Spears
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