Gulf Pine Catholic • May 8, 2026 3 Bishop Kihneman’s Schedule Gulf Pine Catholic (ISSN No. 0746-3804) May 8, 2026 Volume 43 Issue 16 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 CIRCULATION — Shirley McCusker —OFFICEHOURS— 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday —PHONE NUMBERS— Editor: 228-702-2126 Production /Advertising Billing / Circulatiuon: 228-702-2109 —EMAIL— News: tdickson@biloxidiocese.org Production / Advertising Billing / Circulation: smccusker@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 MAY 22 News copy and photos: Due MAY 12, 4 p.m. Advertising: Completed Ad and/or copy due MAY 12, 10 a.m. May 9 Confirmation & Blessing of New Hall, Vietnamese Martyrs Parish, Biloxi, 6 p.m. May 10 Confirmation, Sacred Heart Parish, D’Iberville, 5 p.m. May 12 Baccalaureate Mass & Graduation, Resurrection High School, Our Lady of Victories Church, Pascagoula, 6 p.m. May 13 Meeting, Association of Priests, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Madison, MS, 10:30 a.m. May 14 Baccalaureate Mass & Graduation, Sacred Heart High School, Sacred Heart Church, Hattiesburg, 6 p.m. May 15 Baccalaureate Mass & Graduation, St. Patrick High School, Biloxi, 5 p.m. May 16 Baccalaureate Mass & Graduation, St. Stanislaus College, Our Lady of the Gulf Church, Bay St. Louis, 11 a.m. May 17 Confirmation, Hispanic Community, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Church, Biloxi, 11 a.m. May 19 Confirmation, St. John the Evangelist Church, Gulfport, 6 p.m. May 20 Bishop’s Retreat, Cenacle -21 on the Lake May 21 End of Year Dinner with Seminarians, Pastoral Center, Biloxi, 5 p.m. May 22 Baccalaureate Mass & Graduation, Our Lady Academy, Our Lady of the Gulf Church, Bay St. Louis, 6 p.m. May 23 Mass Charismatic Community, St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Long Beach, 11 a.m. May 23 Confirmation, Holy Spirit Church, Vancleave, 4 p.m. May 24 Pentecost Sunday, Adult Confirmation, Nativity BVM Cathedral, Biloxi, 11 a.m. BY BISHOP LOUIS F. KIHNEMAN III Bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, offers a line that I return to often in prayer -- and one I believe the whole Church is called to reclaim: “May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to His call. What are the riches of His glory in His inheritance among the holy ones? And what is the surpassing greatness of His power for us who believe?” (Ephesians 1:18-19). May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened. Everything begins with encountering Jesus. It begins in a real, personal relationship with Him -- Jesus meeting us where we are. He says to each of us, “I love you so much that I died on the cross” (cf. John 3:16). That truth enlightens the heart. And that enlightenment leads us to understand the hope that belongs to His call. Jesus invites us to follow Him, and that call is rooted in hope -- the hope that Bishop Kihneman As we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus into heaven may the eyes of our hearts be enlightened by Him comes from His Resurrection (cf. Matthew 28:5-6). Because He rose, we too are promised life with Him forever (cf. Romans 6:5). Because ultimately, it is about heaven. The world will offer many competing priorities -- success, security, possessions -- but in the end, our lives are oriented toward heaven. As we celebrate the Ascension (cf. Acts 1:9-11), we rejoice that Jesus has gone before us, opening the way and taking His place at the right hand of the Father (cf. Mark 16:19). Yet the Ascension is not an ending -- it is a sending. Jesus established His Church to evangelize. Before ascending, He entrusted us with His Great Commission: to make disciples of all nations, to baptize, to teach all that He has commanded, and to trust that He is with us always (cf. Matthew 28:1920). This is not optional -- it is the very reason the Church exists. To evangelize is to invite others into a living, personal relationship with God that transforms them completely. This mission is both personal and communal. Each of us is called not only to witness to our faith, but to accompany others in faith. Every parish, school, and ministry shares in this same mission, and it must be at the heart of everything we do. May the eyes of our hearts be enlightened. SEE BISHOP’S COLUMN, PAGE 7
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