Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • October 11, 2024 3 Gulf Pine Catholic (ISSN No. 0746-3804) October 11, 2024 Volume 42, Issue 3 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 M c Cusker —BILLING — Shirley McCusker —CIRCULATION— Robin Peeler —PHOTOGRAPHY— Juliana Skelton —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 Photography: 228-201-2132 —EMAIL— News: tdickson@biloxidiocese.org Production / Advertising: smccusker@biloxidiocese.org Billing: smccusker@biloxidiocese.org Circulation: rpeeler@biloxidiocese.org Photography: jskelton@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 OCT. 25— News copy and photos: Due OCT. 15, 4 p.m. Advertising: Completed Ad and/or copy due OCT. 15, 10 a.m. Bishop Kihneman’s Schedule Oct 11 School Administration, Faculty, & Staff Day, Missio Institute, St. Patrick Catholic High School, 9 a.m.; Mass 11:30 a.m. Oct 12 Pastor and Parish Leadership Teams, Missio Institute, 9 a.m. Oct, 13 Red Mass, Nativity BVM Cathedral, Biloxi, 11 a.m. Oct. 20 Mass & Anniversary Celebration, Holy Rosary Parish, Hattiesburg, 9:15 a.m. Oct 24 Diocesan Directors’ Meeting, 10 a.m. Oct. 27 White Mass, Nativity BVM Cathedral, Biloxi 11 a.m. BY BISHOP LOUIS F. KIHNEMAN III Bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi On September 24-29, Bishop Joseph Kopacz, of Jackson, and I traveled to San Miguel Mission in Saltillo, Mexico. We were accompanied by Msgr. Michael Flannery, a retired priest from the Diocese of Jackson, who served at Perpetuo Socorro (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) in Saltillo from 1971 to 1974 with Father Patrick Quinn. As Msgr. Flannery explains in his history of the Saltillo Mission, Bishop Joseph Brunini adopted a mission in Saltillo, Mexico, in response to an appeal from Pope Paul VI to all the bish- ops of the world to send priests to Latin America. Father Quinn was presented to Bishop Luis Guizar y Barragan for assignment and appointed as pastor of Perpetual Help Church, located within the city of Saltillo on July 1, 1969. Prior to that Father Quinn resided at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Saltillo for six months while learning Spanish. At the time of his appointment, the population of Saltillo was 200,000. The city has quadrupled in size and is now over 800,000 population. Father Quinn served in Saltillo until his untimely death in 1997. In 1998, Bishop Francisco Villalobos created San Miguel as a parish and named Msgr. Michael Thornton, a priest of the Diocese of Biloxi, as pastor of the new mission. Msgr. Thornton died last year, but he was certain- ly with us in spirit during our visit, which coincided with the Feast of San Miguel (St. Michael). Bishop Kihneman Saltillo 2024 My visits to Saltillo are always very special. My very first assignment as a newly ordained priest in 1977 was as paro- chial vicar of San Isidro Labrador Parish in Arteaga, Mexico, which is about a 20-min- ute drive from Saltillo and I was called on to minister in the missions of Saltillo. My visits to Saltillo always stir up some won- derful memories. This year I was able to visit with a couple that I was the godfather for one of their children. We were blessed to be able to spend the week visiting numerous ranchos where we administered the Sacraments of Confirmation to 31 young people and First Communion to 11 children. Many of the celebrations begin as a pilgrimage from one mission church to another where the Mass is celebrated. One particular jour- ney began at the mission church San Pedro. Bishop Kopacz, Father David, Father Miguel, and I were vested, riding on a couch on a flatbed truck that was pulling another flatbed. Confirmation Can-didates were part of the parade as well. As we rumbled along farm roads and riverbed roads and came to a canyon, the horns would blare and the people would come out of their homes to wave us on or to get in their cars and trucks to join us on our way. It was quite a parade! Several hours later when we arrived at the mission church of Tanque de Cerro, we concelebrated a beautiful Confirmation Mass outdoors because the crowd was so large. The joy of the peo- ple, the celebration of the Mass, and the festivities were a delight to be part of. It was encouraging to see so many young people participating in the various cele- brations. During the week, Bishop Kopacz and I met representatives of different ministries in San Miguel Parish, including members of the pastoral council, choir, and cate- chists. In speaking with these men and women, it is readily apparent that they are facing many of the same challenges as we are in the Diocese of Biloxi when it comes to evangelization and engaging young peo- ple. They have dedicated catechists in each of the chapels and ranchos, as well as the main church of San Miguel. San Miguel Parish is on the outer edge of Saltillo, but still in town. They shared that it can be a challenge to get the young people to come to Religion classes due to the distractions they face with their peers at school, sports, cellphones, and the internet. (Sound famil- iar?) Getting the parents’ support is some- times part of the challenge. In the missions and ranchos there is a greater sense of intimacy as everybody knows each other and can assert a greater level of influence on one another. In the missions and ran- chos, a number of young people not only attend Religious education class, but have become catechists, which is wonderful to see. The catechists are dedicated to their ministry. We had about 40 catechists from some but not all of the chapels in the city and the ranchos who participated in the discussion -- a very encouraging sign. It is very heartening. SEE BISHOP’S COLUMN, PAGE 11