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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.
Bishop releases pastoral changes July 3
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced the following pastoral appointments July 3, 2020, for the Diocese of Little Rock. Effective Sept. 1, 2020: Dcn. Daniel Velasco, appointed associate pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Fort Smith and chaplain of Trinity Junior High School in Fort Smith following his ordination to the priesthood. He is relieved of his responsibilities as deacon of St. John Church in Russellville, St. Augustine Church in Dardanelle, and St. Andrew Church in Danville; Rev. Martín Amaro, appointed associate pastor of St. John Church in Russellville ... More
Bishop issues Black Lives Matter statement
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor issued the following statement to the people of the Diocese of Little Rock, July 2, 2020, about Black Lives Matter. "When I came to Sacred Heart Parish in Oklahoma City as pastor in 2003 the parish was 95 percent Hispanic and I inherited a weekend schedule with six Masses — three in English and three in Spanish. The Spanish Masses were packed, with people standing in the back, in the side aisles and at times even outside the front door of the church. The English Masses were less than half full even though they had the more desirable Sunday morning time slots. ... More
Adoption services continue in pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered our daily lives and the scope of our work at Catholic Adoption Services. Our hearts go out to all those who have fallen ill or have lost someone they loved to this terrible disease. We know that many others are suffering due to job loss, financial stress, separation from family and friends, educational challenges, child care problems, fears of what might come next and myriad other concerns. The Diocese of Little Rock made the difficult decision March 17 to close our doors to outside clients and visitors, but adoption services have continued. We appreciate the support ... More
400 families helped in COVID-19 pandemic
The coronavirus lockdown has restricted the person-to-person activities of Catholic Charities of Arkansas. We have treated the coronavirus impact on our parishes as we would a disaster. It is a disaster. In this context, each parish has addressed the particular circumstances in its own community. As usual, each parish has been a Catholic charity. Our main response has been to solicit applications from parishes for grants to respond to the immediate needs of the communities each parish serves. We have also been able to focus special assistance to groups and individuals brought ... More
Bishop releases pastoral changes June 18
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced the following pastoral appointments June 18, 2020, for the Diocese of Little Rock. Effective June 22, 2020: Rev. Jerome Earley, OCD, assigned as superior of Marylake Monastery in Little Rock; Rev. Stephen Sanchez, OCD, Rev. Bonaventure Sauer, OCD, and Rev. Henry Bordeaux, OCD, assigned as conventuals of Marylake Monastery in Little Rock; Rev. Gregory Ross, OCD, and Rev. Sam Anthony Morello, OCD, to continue their ministry with the Discalced Carmelite Fathers outside of Arkansas. ... More
Bishop releases pastoral change June 5
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced the following pastoral appointments June 5, 2020, for the Diocese of Little Rock. Effective July 1, 2020: Rev. Joshua Passo, FSSP, a priest of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, appointed associate pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Cabot. He will also be offering Latin Mass at St. Joseph Church in Tontitown. ... More
Welcoming new Catholics during COVID-19
When the Rite of Election was celebrated in the Diocese of Little Rock Feb. 27 - March 2, there were nearly 600 catechumens and candidates in Arkansas parishes preparing to enter the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) process. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and all public Masses and celebrations were suspended, including RCIA. When public Masses resumed in May, on a restricted basis, there was not a specific plan for parishes to initiate new Catholics into the Church. Father Erik Pohlmeier, diocesan director ... More
Bishop Taylor issues statement on racism
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor issued the following statement to the people of the Diocese of Little Rock, June 2, 2020, about racism. It was accompanied by the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" written by Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. in 1963. "Last Sunday we celebrated the great feast of Pentecost, the day when Jesus’ earliest followers were empowered by the Holy Spirit to go forth and proclaim to all the nations the Good News that in Jesus’ victory over the power of sin and death, the walls that separate people must now come down. The diversity of languages that day gives witness to the fact that the ... More
