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Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
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Happening Now
The following offers the latest information about events and activities happening in the Diocese of Little Rock.
Immaculate Conception is a beautiful gift
Although we celebrate the Immaculate Conception during Advent, the season during which we prepare for the birth of Jesus, this feast is NOT about the conception of Jesus. This can be confusing because the Gospel reading for this holy day focuses on the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary. "The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.'" (Luke 1:30-31) The Immaculate Conception refers to the conception of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The "immaculate" ... More
Add St. Nicholas Day to Advent traditions
Advent is full of traditions that can make this wonderful season of anticipation lots of fun for kids. At the top of the list is the feast of St. Nicholas on Dec. 6. One of the most popular ways to celebrate St. Nicholas Day is to leave your shoes outside your bedroom door or on the fireplace hearth on the night of Dec. 5 along with a plate of carrots for St. Nicholas' horse. And sometime during the night, St. Nicholas will visit and leave gifts in your shoes. What he gives may vary, but traditionally he gives gold coins or a candy cane to represent his crozier (staff carried by bishops ... More
Nearly 109,000 kids need a home in U.S.
November is National Adoption Month. The Children's Bureau, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, created this initiative through a partnership with AdoptUSKids and Child Welfare Information Gateway, to raise awareness of the need for adoption. This awareness might happen by examining our understanding of adoption, learning about the ways to adopt or discerning if God is calling us or someone we know to adopt. Adoption can be done in different ways: private, domestic or international, infant adoption through an adoption agency or attorney or the adoption of children ... More
All Saints' Day celebrates ultimate victory
All Saints' Day is the feast on which we celebrate those who have died and gone to heaven. Catholic teaching holds that all people in heaven are saints. This includes all saints, not just those who are known to us (those canonized by the Church). We, the faithful on earth, celebrate their triumph and seek to learn from their example in what it means to live holy lives. We also ask them to pray for us so that we go to heaven as well. This feast is celebrated on Nov. 1. It is so important that it is a holy day of obligation to attend Mass, except when it falls on a Saturday ... More
Pray for souls in purgatory on All Souls' Day
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, or All Souls' Day, is the feast day dedicated to praying for all those who have died and are in purgatory. Souls in purgatory "have not yet been purified" in order to enter heaven. That said, the Church teaches those in purgatory will get to heaven eventually and our prayers help them get there. "All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven." ... More
Father Edwin Graves, 84, died Oct. 6
Father Clarence “Ed” Edwin Graves, a diocesan priest for 33 years who was known for his love of art and music, died Oct. 6 in Little Rock. He was 84. Father Graves was born on Jan. 2, 1941, in Birmingham, Ala., to Clarence and Frances Graves. He had one sister, Judy Finley. He grew up in Jacksonville, Fla., before his family moved to Memphis. He earned a bachelor of fine arts in painting from the Memphis College of Arts and a master of fine arts in painting from the University of Mississippi in Oxford. His discernment of a vocation to the priesthood was nurtured in his family ... More
Pray the rosary to become more like Jesus
In addition to being Respect Life Month, October is also dedicated to the rosary primarily because the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated Oct. 7. Two years after Pope St. Pius V endorsed praying the rosary, he asked the faithful to pray the rosary and seek the intercession of the Blessed Mother during the Battle of Lepanto, off the coast of Greece in 1571. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Christian fleet prevailed on Oct. 7 and the Holy Father established the day as the feast of Our Lady of Victory. In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII changed the name of the feast ... More
St. Francis inspires care for all of creation
St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), patron saint of animals and ecology, is known for his love for God's creation. In his "Canticle of the Creatures," he reveals how all creation is connected in one family under God's loving care. His feast day is celebrated Oct. 4. In his 2015 papal encyclical, “Laudato Si’” (“Praise Be to You”), Pope Francis showed he has a lot in common with his namesake, by challenging all to care for God's creation. Last year, on St. Francis of Assisi's feast day, the Holy Father released “Laudate Deum” (“Praise God”), an apostolic exhortation to follow up ... More
