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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.
Penance readily available during Lent
The sacrament of reconciliation is readily available during Lent for Catholics in the Diocese of Little Rock. In addition to regular confession times, some parishes will host penance services through March 30. Reconciliation gives Catholics the opportunity for spiritual renewal within the Christian life. The Lenten penance services (not including each parish’s regular confession times) are scheduled as follows: Barling: Sacred Heart of Mary, Feb. 28, 6 p.m.; Bella Vista: St. Bernard, March 1, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.; Benton: Our Lady of Fatima, March 16, 6 p.m.; Berryville: St. Anne, March 8, 5 p.m. ... More
Pastoral appointments announced Feb. 15
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced the following pastoral appointments, Feb. 15, 2023, for the Diocese of Little Rock. Effective April 1: Rev. Nazarus Maduba appointed associate pastor of St. Peter the Fisherman Church in Mountain Home. He is relieved of his responsibilities as administrator of St. Mary Church in Paragould and Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Walnut Ridge; Rev. Aby Abraham, IMS, a priest of the Indian Missionary Society, returning to Arkansas to resume pastorate at St. Mary Church in Paragould and Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Walnut Ridge. ... More
Four rites of election to be held in 2023
The Church experiences great joy in welcoming new catechumens and candidates at the Easter Vigil. A part of this process is the yearly Rite of Election, which takes place the first two weeks of Lent. During the Rite of Election, the bishop declares catechumens ready to receive the sacraments of initiation, which are baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist. Through this process, they become known as the “elect.” At the same time, he calls candidates to continuing conversion as they prepare to be confirmed and receive first Communion. Catechumens are those who ... More
World Marriage Day is Sunday, Feb. 12
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops partners with other organizations to promote World Marriage Day each year on the second Sunday of February. This year's observance is on Sunday, Feb. 12 as a part of National Marriage Week (Feb. 7-14). World Marriage Day "honors husband and wife as the foundation of the family — the basic unit of society. It salutes the beauty of their faithfulness, sacrifice and joy in daily married life" according to its sponsor Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME). Consider the gift of time to strengthen your marriage this Valentine's Day, which can be far ... More
Pastoral appointments announced Jan. 28
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced the following pastoral appointments, Jan. 27-28, 2023, for the Diocese of Little Rock. Effective Jan. 26: Rev. Irudaya Raj Nalazala Augustine, a priest of the Diocese of Nellore, India, appointed associate pastor of St. Joseph Church in Conway, St. Boniface Church in Bigelow (New Dixie) and St. Oscar Romero Catholic Community in Greenbrier; Rev. Divya Nathan Paulin Raj Vatakali, a priest of the Diocese of Nellore, India, appointed associate pastor of the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock; Rev. Manikyaraju Kotha, a priest of the Diocese of Nellore ... More
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI remembered
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor concelebrated a special liturgy Jan. 4 to remember Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio. Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS, of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, was the presider at the memorial Mass, with concelebrants comprised of the bishops of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, who were meeting in San Antonio for their annual retreat, according to Arkansas Catholic. The prelates are members of Region X, one of 14 geographic regions in which the archdioceses and dioceses are divided for purposes ... More
Bishop responds to Arkansas synod report
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor prepared the following response, Dec. 3, 2022, about the Diocese of Little Rock synod report to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for the Synod on Synodality. "Here in Arkansas, we have spent the last year participating on the local level in the Synod on Synodality called for by Pope Francis, which will culminate in a meeting of bishops and other delegates from around the world to take place in Rome in October of 2023 and 2024. We have had meetings on the parish level throughout our state — all parishes were invited and 43% of our ... More
Eucharist is the true food of thanksgiving
As we prepare to celebrate the day set aside to grateful for our blessings, Bishop Anthony B. Taylor cautions us not to let Thanksgiving be the only day we give thanks. "When Thanksgiving is celebrated as an isolated event that does not flow from an everyday attitude of humble gratitude, it can easily degenerate into a celebration of the superiority of our nation and indeed the pride of place of certain groups of people in our national self-understanding," he said in his 2021 Thanksgiving homily. "The Puritans interpreted God's goodness to them to be a sign of God's favor for them, ... More
