Official Website of the
Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
Five men to be ordained priests May 29
Published: May 14, 2021
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will ordain five men to the priesthood for the Diocese of Little Rock at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 29 at Barton Coliseum located on the Arkansas State Fairgrounds in Little Rock. They are: Deacons Alex Smith, Emmanuel Torres, Omar Galván, Brian Cundall and Ben Riley. A holy hour to pray for these men and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life will be held the night before at 6:30 p.m. at St. Edward Church.
This will be the first time the diocese has hosted an ordination at Barton Coliseum. Bishop Francis I. Malone of Shreveport and Archbishop J. Peter Sartain will concelebrate the Mass. They will be joined by priests, deacons and seminarians from across Arkansas.
In a video played at weekend Masses May 8-9, Bishop Taylor invited everyone to attend "this great event in the life of our diocese." | Watch the video below.
"We reserved the coliseum because, at the time, the requirements of physical distancing would have prevented most people from attending if the ordination were to take place in one of our churches. With the coliseum we have a venue for these ordinations that seats about 10,000 people. But look how the Lord provides for us. All indications are that the worst of the pandemic is now behind us and these ordinations provide us with a golden opportunity to gather as a diocese — with plenty of room to spread out," he explained in the video. "I’ll bet most of you have never been to a priesthood ordination. And what a joy it will be to do so after this dark year of so many restrictions." | Read "What happens at an ordination?"
Doors will be open from 8:30-9:15 a.m. for parishioners with invitations, to guarantee their seating. Anyone without an invitation should arrive after 9:15 a.m. Reserved seating is available for immediate family members, close friends and Catholic groups. Ushers will assist attendees with seating. For general parking on the west side, guests should enter from West Roosevelt Road onto Howard Street. Accessible parking is on the east side. People who need accessible parking should come in via South Schiller Street and enter through Gate 7. | Read Arkansas Catholic to learn more.
As announced by Bishop Taylor May 8-9, masks will be optional but encouraged. The Cathedral of St. Andrew and St. Edward Church choirs from Little Rock will provide music. After Mass, attendees will be able to greet the new priests and get a blessing. No reception will be held. For people who are unable to attend in person, the Mass will be livestreamed on the diocesan YouTube channel. Subscribe to the channel to get notifications when new videos are posted. Learn more about the men to be ordained below.
Deacon Brian Cundall
Cundall, 26, will celebrate his first Mass Sunday, May 30 at 8 a.m. at Christ the King Church in Little Rock. He will begin his first assignment June 15 as associate pastor of St. Joseph Church in Conway and St. Oscar Romero Church in Greenbrier. Cundall is the son of Yancy and Rose Cundall of Little Rock. He received his Master of Divinity degree, May 8, from St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in Indiana, completing his studies for the priesthood.
"I had many good people in my life that helped me discern and the best way to discern is to first strive for the universal call to holiness. Once we grow closer to God we are able to hear God’s guiding voice in prayer leading us to our particular vocation," Cundall wrote in his vocation story. To learn more, read his story or read about him in Arkansas Catholic.
Deacon Omar Galván
Galván, 28, will celebrate his first Mass Sunday, May 30 at 10 a.m. in English and at noon in Spanish at Immaculate Conception Church in Fort Smith. He will begin his first assignment June 15 as associate pastor of St. Raphael Church in Springdale and St. Joseph Church in Tontitown. Galván is the son of Baltazar and Florinda Galván of Fort Smith. He received his Master of Divinity degree, May 8, from St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in Indiana, completing his studies for the priesthood.
"The kindness of the people of the diocese encourages my commitment to my vocation and makes me desire the priesthood more than anything. Being present with the people during a parish event is beyond describable," Galván wrote in his vocation story. To learn more, read his story or read about him in Arkansas Catholic.
Deacon Ben Riley
Riley, 27, will celebrate his first Mass Sunday, May 30 at 9:30 a.m. at Christ the King Church in Little Rock. He will begin his first assignment June 15 as associate pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in North Little Rock. Riley is the son of Dr. Richard and Melanie Riley of Little Rock. He received his Master of Divinity degree, May 8, from St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in Indiana, completing his studies for the priesthood.
"The Lord did not call me to be a seminarian, but to serve him as a priest, and I am ready to start putting into practice what I have learned in the seminary," Riley wrote in his vocation story. To learn more, read his story or read about him in Arkansas Catholic.
Deacon Alex Smith
Smith, 26, will celebrate his first Mass Sunday, May 30 at 10 a.m. at St. Jude Church in Jacksonville. He will begin his first assignment June 15 as associate pastor of St. Joseph Church in Fayetteville and Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Lincoln. Smith is the son of Gilda and Jessie Elizondo of Jacksonville. He received his Master of Divinity degree, May 8, from Assumption Seminary in San Antonio, completing his studies for the priesthood.
"My time in seminary has helped me appreciate the necessity of being multicultural. My studies have helped me to serve every person God presents to me. In formation, I have come to appreciate my Filipino roots, the joys of serving our Hispanic brothers and sisters, and recognizing the efforts it takes to build our Catholic faith at home," Smith wrote in his vocation story. To learn more, read his story or read about him in Arkansas Catholic.
Deacon Emmanuel Torres
Torres, 34, will celebrate his first Mass Sunday, May 30 at 9 a.m. in English and at 11 a.m. in Spanish at St. Edward Church in Little Rock. He will begin his first assignment June 15 as associate pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in North Little Rock (Marche) and St. Mary Church in North Little Rock. Torres is the son of Juan and Maria Torres of Little Rock. He received his Master of Divinity degree, May 8, from St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in Indiana, completing his studies for the priesthood.
"Throughout these years in formation, I felt this call from God to the priesthood and have learned to love my vocation. I am discovering how to love and serve the people of God as a priest," Torres wrote in his vocation story. To learn more, read his story or read about him in Arkansas Catholic.
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Two other seminarians will be ordained to the transitional diaconate this month in preparation for ordination to the priesthood in 2022. For more information, contact the Vocations and Seminarians Office at (501) 664-0340. To learn about others studying for the priesthood, visit our Seminarian Directory.
