Being a pastor is future bishop’s first love

Bishop-designate  Kihneman joins in a selfie with Elsa Ortiz and her children during Mass of Thanksgiving reception. The reception was held in St. Joseph Hall in Corpus Christi Cathedral on Jan. 13.

Ervey Martinez for South Texas Catholic
 

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Louis Kihneman, III has been called a son, a brother, a friend, a fisherman, a fisher of men, a pastor, a mentor, a teacher and a holy man. He has answered to deacon, father, monsignor and now he will be bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi, Mississippi. 

Sophie Perkins from Sacred Heart parish in Rockport first remembers Bishop-designate Kihneman as an altar boy at Ss. Cyril and Methodius Parish where she and her husband were married and later as an “excellent pastor at Sacred Heart,” where she said “he ran a really good ship and was a good listener.” 

Perkins said Msgr. Kihneman believed in short homilies. He said his homilies were  between seven to eight minutes, because that “was as long as he could keep people’s attention, after that you were just talking to the walls.” 

He was also a great teacher. When he taught Bible classes, he made it easily relatable to everyday life. 

According to Perkins, Sacred Heart School is in pretty good shape thanks to Bishop-designate Kihneman. “One of the biggies he did is he started an endowment fund for our Catholic school. I think it’s one of the few schools to have an endowment. He wanted the kids to have the best education they could and he wanted to make it happen,” she said.

Many parishioners from Sacred Heart remember Msgr. Kihneman as a great fisherman. Mary Berkenkotter said that the fact that he was a great fisherman in the Gulf waters made the men parishioners “true believers.” 

After serving the Diocese of Corpus Christi for 40 years, Bishop-designate Kihneman will become the next Bishop in the Diocese of Biloxi Mississippi on Feb. 17 at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Bishop Kihneman visits with sisters of Missionaries of Christ’s Charity after his Mass of Thanksgiving at Corpus Christi Cathedral on Jan. 13.  Ervey Martinez for South Texas Catholic

Speaking of her 11-year friendship with Bishop-designate Kihneman, Berkenkotter said the relationship could be summarized with the phrase “be careful of the quiet ones.” 

“When he is getting to know you, he does not talk a lot; he lets you talk. He doesn’t give advice quickly; he lets you self–reflect because he knows answers often come from silence when no words are spoken. And that is how friendships evolve,” she said.

“On rocky hills that are difficult to climb, we saw him walking down backwards listening to people he was shepherding. At personal crisis, in illness, his spiritual message was truly healing.” 

Msgr. Kihneman did not have to ask when his parishioners welcomed the opportunity to assist with his aging father. He knew the caregivers would get more out of the experience than his dad even needed. 

“He truly changed the quality of our spiritual life and we will miss him,” Berkenkotter said.

Her husband, Tom Berkenkotter, remembers seeking advice from Msgr. Kihneman before getting involved in jail ministry. Msgr. Kihneman recommended that he visit the jail with a seasoned jail minister to help determine if that ministry was right for him.

After about six months with the ministry, Tom Berkenkotter felt something was missing. “Although we brought ‘The Word’ to the incarcerated, we did not offer them the opportunity to participate in Holy Communion,” he said.

Msgr. Kihneman informed him that communion would only be possible if the incarcerated had the opportunity to confess their sins, which required a priest. A month went by when Msgr. Kihneman called and told him to let the inmates know he would be visiting those seeking the sacrament of reconciliation. 

“The willingness and dedication exhibited by Msgr. Kihneman in responding to my request was most memorable. But that was just the beginning,” Tom Berkenkotter said. 

Tom Berkenkotter visited the jail on Saturday mornings and collected the names of those seeking confession. He delivered the list to Msgr. Kihneman who in turn visited them in jail. This procedure took hours, and sometimes days, to accomplish. All so the inmates could receive Holy Communion the following Saturday. 

“His willingness to partner with a layman like myself left a long lasting impression that I was ministering with a totally dedicated and holy man. Later experiences with Msgr. Kihneman further proved that my first impressions were spot on. Somehow, Pope Francis must have known of these same attributes when he appointed Msgr. Louis Kihneman III, bishop of Biloxi.”

Norma Lozano has known Bishop-designate Kihneman since 1998 and considers him to be part of her family. “He’s a wonderful man. He’s funny, witty, compassionate, warm, giving, loving and he’s fun to be around. He has great respect for everyone–doesn’t matter how big or small,” she said.

A few times she remembered Msgr. Kihneman’s Father, “Mr. K,” raising his hand during Mass, signaling to his son that his homily was running over time.

“He’s got a great heart. Biloxi is going to be blessed to have him. He was a wonderful son and friend. Whatever he does he puts God first in his life. He loved his mom and his dad and he loves his Church. First of all he’s a priest and a spiritual leader, but he’s a best friend. He’ll make a fine bishop,” Lozano said.

Father Julian Cabrera, now pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Alice, asked Msgr. Kihneman for advice on a number of occasions. “He is very level headed and peaceful,” said Father Cabrera, who was parochial vicar at Sacred Heart in Rockport and Msgr. Kihneman was his pastor. The patience of his mentor helped the young priest grow into his ministry. 

Father Cabrera recalled a day when he had been so frustrated on a case he had been working on that Msgr. Kihneman called him to his office and told him to bring the case and his Bible. 

Cathedral parishioners Debbie Shae, left, and Ellen Flood congratulate Bishop-designate Kihneman on his new appointment as Bishop of Biloxi, Mississippi. Ervey Martinez for South Texas Catholic

“I thought he was going to be mad at me, because I had kind of gotten upset. We prayed and he asked me to read a Scripture–I can’t remember which one it was–and he started to explain how we set the tone to bring healing and we don’t know how many people in this case are going to be affected by the healing process. He taught me that I have to be very patient. He wasn’t upset. He was above my frustration and he was seeing clearly,” Father Cabrera said. 

Rachel Muñoz has been a parishioner at Our Lady of Guadalupe parish for 36 years. Father Kihneman was the first priest she knew when she became a parishioner there.

“He was always so kind and very welcoming–that’s what made us come to this church,” Muñoz said. “It’s so nice and homey and that’s how he made us feel. That’s why we have stayed here.”

Our Lady of Guadalupe parish loved Father Kihneman so much they dedicated a building to him–the Father Kihneman Hall used for religious education classes. 

Another parishioner from Our Lady of Guadalupe parish, Dorothy Villarreal, has known Bishop-designate Kihneman since 1980. She recalled when Father Kihneman gave her family spiritual guidance through some very difficult years and molded them to become more involved in the life of the parish. 

During tough times, “he always encouraged us to look ahead,” she said. His guidance cemented their faith formation and they all became more involved in the Church, starting with her three sons who first joined the youth ministry, and later served on several retreats. “He took my boys under his wings,” she said. 

“He always kept us on firm ground. Doing good for others–you forget your own misery and feel that you have some value or worth,” Villarreal said. “We were not very churchgoing people, but his personal interest and care molded us into the people we are. He is an angel to me.”

Dave Wyrwich from St. Philip the Apostle has known Msgr. Kihneman for 10 years. When Wyrwich was managing the diocese’s Legacy of Faith, Future of Hope campaign, he answered to Msgr. Kihneman in his position as Vicar General and continues to do so as business manager at St. Philip’s. 

“He is a very pastoral priest. When he was the Vicar General many people saw the business side of him. I have always heard that his heart is in the parish and since I’ve been at St. Philip’s–I can tell you his heart is in the parish. Being with people is where he’s the most joyous and I think the most comfortable and, I think, that in his mind–it’s where he does the most good.

“He’s very comfortable in his own skin when it comes to the decision-making process, which will greatly help him as a bishop…,” Wyrwich said.

Betty Berry, who works at Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi and the Mother Teresa Shelter, also taught at Ss. Cyril and Methodius School in 1975 where she first met the seminarian and later Deacon Kihneman. She witnessed his ordination to the priesthood in 1977. “My first thought was–he was glowing with the Holy Spirit. It was beautiful and amazing,” she said. 

When he was Vicar General in 2012-15 and before he became pastor at St. Philip the Apostle, Msgr. Kihneman, helped serve breakfast at the Mother Teresa Shelter every Friday. He took time out to talk and minister to the homeless. “He knew nearly every one of them on a first name basis. He always held Catholic Charities close to his heart. If we needed anything or I needed anything he was always the first to do it or to make sure it got done or to guide us to help us get something done,” Berry said.

When Donald Harris, office manager at the Corpus Christi Cathedral parish, first met Bishop Kihneman as a seminarian 42 years ago he was left with a good impression, but it was not until 2010 when Msgr. Kihneman became Vicar General and was living at the Cathedral rectory that he realized what a great priest and administrator he was. “I enjoyed his homilies while he was in residence here at the Cathedral and his gifts didn’t end when he left the altar,” Harris said. 

“He is a very capable administrator. By that I mean, he always listens and allows people to vote, before he makes a decision. He is a man of his word and keeps his promises and he doesn’t make promises he can’t keep. He has a very good sense of the broader impact that decisions can have. I was not surprised when Msgr. Kihneman was named a bishop. I am very excited for our Church there. I think Pope Francis made a wonderful choice,” Harris said.