Gulf Pine Catholic • March 27, 2026 3 Bishop Kihneman’s Schedule Gulf Pine Catholic (ISSN No. 0746-3804) March 27, 2026 Volume 43, Issue 13 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 APRIL 10 — News copy and photos: Due MARCH 31, 4 p.m. Advertising: Completed Ad and/or copy due MARCH 21, 10 a.m. March 28 Confirmation, Sacred Heart Parish, Hispanic Community, Hattiesburg, 10 a.m. March 29 Palm Sunday Mass, Nativity BVM Cathedral, Biloxi, 11 a.m. March 31 Chrism Mass, Nativity BVM Cathedral, Biloxi, 10:30 a.m. April 2 Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Nativity BVM Cathedral, Biloxi, 6 p.m. April 3 Veneration of the Cross, Nativity BVM Cathedral, Biloxi, 3 p.m. April 4 Easter Vigil, Nativity BVM Cathedral, Biloxi, 8 p.m. April 6-10 Bishops Retreat April 11 Confirmation, St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Moss Point, includes St. Ann, 4 p.m. April 12 Confirmation, Holy Family Parish, Holy Family, Pass Christian, 5 p.m. BY BISHOP LOUIS F. KIHNEMAN III Bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi What a grace-filled time it is for those being received into the Church and for those being baptized. Throughout the Lenten season, we have prayed for our Catechumens and Candidates, trusting that God, in His love, will lead them to the Easter Vigil and full communion with the Catholic Church. And that is truly what we celebrate at the Easter Vigil: the love of Jesus Christ that draws us together and makes us new (cf. John 12:32). At the Easter Vigil, we begin in darkness -- a powerful reminder of the world before Christ (cf. Isaiah 9:2). Without Him, we walk in shadow. But with His coming, light breaks forth (cf. John 8:12). The Easter candle, the candle of the Resurrection, stands among us as a sign of Christ crucified and risen (cf. Revelation 1:17-18). Marked by the wounds of His Passion (cf. John 20:27) and radiant with resurrection light, it proclaims the victory of life over death (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:54-57). As we enter the church, we hear the great story of salvation unfold. In the Book of Genesis, we are reminded that God created each of us out of love (cf. Genesis 1:27; Wisdom 11:24). Your very existence is an expression of that love. Even now, God continues to bring us into being in a Bishop Kihneman Drawn from Darkness into Light: The Gift of New Life in Christ personal and profound way (cf. Psalm 139:13–14). In Exodus, we hear of God delivering His people from oppression (cf. Exodus 14:13–14). This is not only history -- it is our story. We, too, experience forms of bondage, not only from the world around us but from our own sinfulness (cf. Romans 3:23). Yet Jesus comes to deliver us, to free us, and to give us life (cf. John 10:10; Luke 4:18). As some are baptized, we witness a powerful symbol of that new life. Whether by immersion or the pouring of water, baptism unites us with Christ. As St. Paul writes in his Letter to the Romans, we are baptized into Christ’s death so that we may rise with Him to new life (cf. Romans 6:3-4). Our old selves are buried (cf. Colossians 2:12), and we emerge renewed -- just as Christ rose from the tomb. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that God longs for a relationship with us (cf. Isaiah 55:1–3; Isaiah 54:10). He desires to share His love with us each day (cf. Jeremiah 31:3). In response, we are called to be a people of prayer (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:17), a people rooted in the Word (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16–17), and a people nourished by the Eucharist (cf. John 6:51). In the Gospel of St. Matthew, we hear the proclamation of the Resurrection (cf. Matthew 28:5-6). For weeks, we have reflected on Christ’s suffering and death (cf. Philippians 2:8). Now, we rejoice in His rising, the source of our hope and our life (cf. 1 Peter 1:3). A young student once asked me, “How many times have you met Jesus?” My answer was simple: many times. We encounter Him in every sacrament. In baptism, we are reborn (cf. John 3:5). In confirmation, we receive the Spirit of the Resurrection (cf.Acts 1:8). In the Eucharist, Christ gives Himself to us -- His Body and Blood, risen and alive (cf. Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). In the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, husbands and wives are called to love each other as Christ loves His church (Ephesians 5:23:32); and similarly, through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the deacons, priests, and bishops love Christ, and love his spouse, the Church. We meet Him, too, in reconciliation, where He offers mercy and forgiveness when we fall (cf. John 20:22-23). In the anointing of the sick, He comes with healing power (cf. James 5:14-15) -- the same power that restored sight to the blind (cf. Mark 10:46-52), healed the suffering (cf. Mark 5:25-34), and raised Lazarus from the dead (cf. John 11:43-44). This is the Jesus who loves us, who seeks us, and who never abandons us (cf. Romans 8:38-39). SEE BISHOP’S COLUMN, PAGE 4
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