Gulf Pine Catholic

12 Gulf Pine Catholic • August 2, 2024 S acred H eart P arish , H attiesburg This year the Altar Society at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Hattiesburg, invested their time monthly to begin teaching and training a new Junior Altar Society. Patricia Brewer headed the committee because of her beautiful memo- ries of her own Junior Altar Society when she was young and attended Sacred Heart School, 1-12 grades. The class is part of Theresa Moore’s sixth grade Religion class at Sacred Heart Catholic School. Through monthly sessions, the new members have learned why to care for the altar; how to change out and care for the candles; how to care for the altar cloths; how to care for the holy water fonts and receptacle; liturgical vestments, seasons and colors; and a hands-on class. The girls were treated to a Christmas party and an end of the year tea party in honor of the founding members. Junior Altar Society The members the Altar Society are: Front Row, l-r: Sophia Leal, Audrey Bounds, Kennedy Rhodes, Ber- gen Teneyck, and Zoey Ziegler; middle row l-r: Amelia Hays, Macay- la Cargill, Gabby Marengo, Camila Guzman, Lillian Nicovich, Rylee Sechrest, and Father Tomasz Powroznik; and back row: Hattie Phalen, Abby Crosby (Altar Society ice president), Patricia Brewer (foundress), Marcia Meyers (Altar Society president), Theresa Lester (past president 2022-2023), Carol Slye, Libby Simmerman (secretary), and Kay Bucciantini. Left, Father Tomasz Powroznik instructs the Junior Altar Society on how the water becomes holy. He demonstrates and gives instruction on how the priest prays and blesses the ordinary water, and how and why it then becomes Holy Waterfor God’s Church to use in various ways. Right, he also teaches them about the Holy Oils blessed at Chrism Mass each year and dispensed to our local parishes. N ativity BVM C athedral , B iloxi “Fun in the Son” Vacation Bible School From June 24-29, Nativity BVM Cathedral host- ed its annual “Fun in the Son” Vacation Bible School. The focus this year was on vocations, with a “call to holiness” being the central theme. Lauren Ellis, director of religious education for Nativity parish, and her entire team of volunteers worked with over eighty children from Nativity and neigh- boring parishes with the help of over thirty adult and teen volunteers. The children began their week with a visit from Father Godfrey and Father Bart and attended Mass at the Marian Chapel where they were able to learn about the new relic display. They supported the local farmer’s market and were treated to numerous guest speakers. The week ended with a water day, pizza and snow cones. Thank you to everyone that helped make the 2024 Nativity VBS a success and thank you to the parents who shared their children with this wonder- ful program. The 2024 Nativity BVM Cathedral VBS Class Teen volunteer, Porter Theo- bald, explains the relics locat- ed at the Marian Chapel to Anne Mark Watts, Sutton Glisson and Emma Gnapp. Lauren Ellis explains Jesus in the E u c h a r i s t VBS participants.