BEAUMONT — Bishop Curtis Guillory continued to celebrate his tenure with church members Thursday night, inside "Our Mother of Mercy" church in Beaumont.
Hundreds gathered for A Mass of Thanksgiving to show gratitude for Bishop Guillory, who has served the Diocese of Beaumont since 2000.
"I'm telling the people 'thank you' for collaborating, working with me and being a partner," says Guillory. "Also, to help make god present with his people, helping with his people because it's not about me."
Bishop Guillory turned 75 years old last Saturday, which meant he had to notify Pope Francis of his retirement.
To make sure the Pope received the notice before his birthday, Bishop Guillory sent the letter three days early.
"I hate to leave, but I will stay in Beaumont," says Guillory. "I'll still be active but more into ministry than administration."
According to Bishop Guillory, the process of naming a new bishop could take between six months to a year.
Catholics in Southeast Texas hope Pope Francis picks someone who understands the area.
Church member Pat Murray says "It's hard to replace someone like Bishop Guillory, but someone who is dynamic and understands that we have a diverse population here."
"Someone who is a true man of god," says Jefferson County Justice of the Peace Ransom "Duce" Jones. "Someone that we'd like to deal with, just like Bishop Guillory."
The search comes at a pivotal time for the Catholic Church.
Leaders across the country face mounting criticism for their handling of sexual abuse allegations.
People here however, say they're not concerned about the sex scandal affecting the bishop search.
"The pope is the head of the church, I believe that," says Jones. "What he does, I can go with it."
"It's not the only corporation or population that have had those problems," says Murray. "I think Bishop Guillory had done a good job getting in front of that, explaining what's going on. There's been very few problems here in Beaumont."
"I see it as overall, a purification of the church that needs to be renewed," says Guillory. "Those issues need to dealt with justly and according to the law."
Bishop Guillory still has three more masses he plans to attend.
September 7th: St. Mary Church in Orange at 6:30 p.m.
September 10th: St. James Church in Port Arthur at 6:30 p.m.
September 11th: St. Joseph Church in Livingston at 7:00 p.m.