Biloxi welcomes new bishop

Tomorrow will be a big day for the nearly 60,000 Catholics on the Gulf Coast as Louis Kihneman is ordained as the bishop of Biloxi.
News 25’s Taylor Rubach caught up with the bishop elect and tells us his plans for South Mississippi.
It was December 16th, 2016 when Pope Francis named Louis Kihneman, a priest of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas, to serve as the fourth bishop of Biloxi.
Kihneman recalls the morning he received the phone call and explains it was an honor to be chosen to fill the new position.
Preparing for his big day Friday, Bishop elect Kihneman has already planned a few changes as he takes his new role on the Coast. “This point I’d like to have us as a diocese to be open to evangelizing folks. In other words, bringing them to the good news that Jesus has risen from the dead and then also to reach out to the people of the peripherals of society especially those that are in most need. That’s really what the Holy Father Francis asked us to do.”
Current Bishop Robert Morin is retiring at the mandatory age of 75. Today marks eight years Bishop Morin has been with the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi, but he says even though he’ll be retired, he will always be serving as a bishop in the community. “He asked me to help out in various ways in terms of the work that the office of the bishop has to carry out and especially traveling around the parishes and the dioceses celebrating special occasions.”
Bishop elect Kihneman is familiar with Biloxi. He used to spend summers here as a young man. He never knew he would lead the 58,000 Catholics in South Mississippi.
The ceremony takes place Friday afternoon at 2 o’clock and Bishop elect Kihneman says he’s humbled for this moment. “It’s going to be a blessed day, both for me, but also for the entire diocese in the community.”