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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.
Calix Society helps Catholics in recovery
The Calix Society of Central Arkansas helps Catholics in recovery or family members of those in recovery come together to find support and spiritual healing through the Catholic tradition. It is a unit (chapter) of the national organization, originally founded in 1947 in Minnesota to help alcoholics in recovery. In more recent years, meetings have also included those in recovery from other addictions such as drug use, gambling, sex addiction and more. All are welcome to attend Calix Society meetings, which are typically held the first Tuesday of each month. Chaplain Father Andrew Hart ... More
Pastoral appointments announced April 22
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced the following pastoral appointments, April 22, 2022, for the Diocese of Little Rock. Effective July 1, 2022: Rev. John Connell, VG, relieved of his responsibilities as pastor of St. Joseph Church in Tontitown. He remains pastor of St. Raphael Church in Springdale and vicar general of the Diocese of Little Rock; Rev. Omar Galván, relieved of his responsibilities as associate pastor of St. Joseph Church in Tontitown. He remains associate pastor of St. Raphael Church in Springdale; Rev. Arokiasamy Madhichettyirudayaraj, appointed pastor ... More
Mass for Hope and Healing returns in 2022
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will celebrate a Mass for Hope and Healing for survivors of child sexual abuse on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 24, at 5:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock. This event was not held in 2020 or 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Anyone who wishes to pray for victims, their families and friends is welcome to attend. The Mass is being held in April for National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which is dedicated to raising awareness of and preventing child abuse (whether sexual, physical or emotional). This event is sponsored by Safe Environment Program ... More
Pray for peace on Divine Mercy Sunday
The celebration of Christ's resurrection continues with Divine Mercy Sunday, which recognizes that God's love and mercy endure forever and overcome any sin that separates us from him. This year, we celebrate this feast on April 24. St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun, wrote in her diary that she witnessed a vision of Jesus on Feb. 22, 1931, while she was living at a convent in Plock, Poland. She wrote that Jesus had one hand raised in benediction and the other resting over his heart, from which emanated two rays of light. The apparitions to St. Faustina formed the ... More
Easter: All faith flows from the Resurrection
"We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:9-11) St. Athanasius called Easter "the Great Sunday." The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls it the "Feast of feasts" and the "Solemnity of solemnities." Easter is the celebration of the Jesus' resurrection from the dead. This moveable feast falls on the Sunday following the first full moon ... More
New life in Christ celebrated at Easter Vigil
While Christ is in the tomb on Holy Saturday, he did something very important that often gets lost in the celebration of the Easter Vigil that evening. In the Apostles Creed we pray: "He descended into hell." Hell in this sense has a very different meaning than how we understand the term today. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: "Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, 'hell' — 'Sheol' in Hebrew or 'Hades' in Greek — because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God." At this point in time, all those who had died ... More
Good Friday puts us face to face with cross
On Good Friday we relive Jesus' suffering and death so we never forget God's unconditional love and desire for us to be saved. "He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all." (Isaiah 53:5-6) We do not celebrate Mass on this day because it is a solemn day of prayer and mourning, which includes fasting and abstinence from meat. The Good Friday service includes ... More
Holy Thursday: Come, stay awake for Jesus
During the Mass of the Lord's Supper, we mark the institution of the Eucharist and priesthood and re-enact the washing of feet. This Holy Thursday evening liturgy brings Lent to a close and begins the celebration of the Easter Triduum. Holy Thursday is traditionally known as Maundy Thursday. The word, “maundy,” comes from the Latin, “mandatum” and means “commandment” or “mandate." During the Last Supper, Jesus commanded the disciples to: "Do this in remembrance of me," (1 Corinthians 11:24) referring to the celebration of the Eucharist and "love one ... More
