“Jesus said: ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it form him, and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice.’” On Bishop Kihneman’s crest is the moto: ‘The Lord is My Shepherd’. Bishop Kihneman is the ‘Shepherd of the People of the Diocese of Biloxi’. On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we renew our trust in Bishop Kihneman’s leadership. I would like to share some news from Bishop Kihneman. Bishop Kihneman has made the decision to assign me as Pastor of St. James in Gulfport. I will have a month to prepare for the move and should be moved into St. James by the first week of June. The summer is a usual time for making assignments for new pastors. Fr. Charles Nutter, JCL, has served 6 years at St. James and was up for reassignment. I accepted the assignment as Pastor of St. James. We hear the words from the Gospel of John on this Good Shepherd Sunday, “…He walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice.”
During this month of transition, I have been very grateful for the opportunity to shepherd the people of St. John the Evangelist. Reflecting on the past 4 years, I remember Bishop Roger Morin assigning me as pastor to St. John the Evangelist in February 2016. St. John the Evangelist was my first parish as a pastor. I was excited about the opportunity to bring the Sacraments to the parishioners. The St. John the Evangelist family welcomed me with open arms. This month of May will be a time of reflection. Reflecting on the trust extended to me by many people in the parish. Trusting me to join your family celebrations. Trusting me to help grieve a loss. Trusting me to walk through the pain of forgiveness and conversion. Trusting me to handle your heart. The Blessed Virgin Mary provides us a model of trust. Jesus trusted her to handle him in her arms. So, I invoke the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary to continue to wrap the mantle of protection around the parishioners of St. John the Evangelist. I am honored to be able to live out the passage from John, “But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it form him, and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
St. John the Evangelist will be receiving a new pastor, a new shepherd. The parish will continue to be a Next Generation Catholic Parish. Under this program, the Catholic Leadership Institute will continue to work with the new pastor in building up the parish. I am hoping to continue the lease with Ovation Learning Center as a source of rental income for the parish. I invite the parishioners of St. John the Evangelist to begin to pray for their new pastor and his transition from his current parish to St. John the Evangelist.
I am aware that we are still in the middle of the lockdown from the Coronavirus. The Wuhan Coronavirus has truly turned our lives upside down. I am very aware that I am recording this homily in the parish office and posting it to the website. I wish I could make the announcement to you at the regularly scheduled Sunday Mass. On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we renew our trust in the Good Shepherd, Jesus. We renew our trust in the Shepherd of the Diocese of Biloxi, Bishop Kihneman. We are all traveling together on a journey. We cannot control the events in the journey like the canceling of public Mass or my new assignment as pastor of St. James. However, Jesus gives us the love and support to handle the unforeseen events in the journey. The key word is trust. I will be practicing the word trust during this month of May. We trust in the ‘One Who Can Save Us’, Jesus Christ. “Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.”