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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.
Fr. Simpson added to Clergy Disclosure List
The Diocese of Little Rock released the following statement, Sept. 1, 2020, regarding a credible allegation of sexual abuse against the late Father Edward Simpson. "On Sept. 10, 2018, Bishop Anthony B. Taylor released a statement that included names of clergy who served in Arkansas and who had been credibly accused of sexually abusing a minor. An independent review of files was then conducted, and Bishop Taylor issued an additional update on Feb. 8, 2019. The Diocese of Little Rock has long encouraged victims of sexual abuse by clergy to come forward and be heard, ... More
Mary's crown is the promise of our crown
In popular Catholic tradition, Mary's coronation is often reenacted during the month of Mary in May crownings. Typically children, usually those who recently received their first holy Communion, carry roses and place them at the feet of a statue of Mary while placing a crown of roses on top of Mary's head. There are also numerous songs, artworks and prayers depicting Mary's queenship. The feast of the queenship of Mary was established during the universal Year of Mary by Pope Pius XII in 1954. This followed his declaration that the assumption of Mary was a dogma of faith in 1950. ... More
Bishop releases pastoral changes Aug. 14
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced the following pastoral appointments Aug. 14, 2020, for the Diocese of Little Rock. Effective Sept. 1, 2020: Rev. Martin Siebold, appointed from administrator to pastor of St. Jude the Apostle Church in Jacksonville. He remains spiritual director of the English and Spanish Cursillo in the Diocese of Little Rock; Rev. Rajasekhar Chittem, appointed from administrator to pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Booneville and St. Jude Thaddeus Church in Waldron; Rev. Francis Madanu, appointed from administrator to pastor of Immaculate ... More
Electricity will be out on campus Aug. 13
UPDATE: Entergy is now expecting the power outage to last until 5 p.m. Aug. 13. We are sorry for the inconvenience. The electricity will be out from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13 at St. John Catholic Center in Little Rock because of a scheduled outage by Entergy as part of a major project in the area. Please note that diocesan staff will not be able to answer the phone or emails while the power is out across the campus. You should be able to email a member of our staff after 5 p.m. Aug. 13. Visit our staff directory and click on the name of the person you wish to reach to send ... More
Bishop releases pastoral changes Aug. 3
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced the following pastoral appointments Aug. 3, 2020, for the Diocese of Little Rock. Effective Sept. 1, 2020: Rev. Keith Higginbotham, appointed pastoral administrator of St. Louis Church in Camden and Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Magnolia. He remains assistant spiritual advisor for the Misioneros Vicentinos Laicos (Vincentian Lay Missionaries). He is relieved of his responsibilities as associate pastor of Church of St. John the Baptist in Hot Springs; Rev. Jules Norbert “Padre Eliseo” Njopmo, appointed associate pastor of Church of St. John the Baptist ... More
Bishop Taylor to ordain seven in August
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will ordain five new transitional deacons and two new priests in one week in August for the Diocese of Little Rock. These ordinations are invitation only to safeguard against COVID-19. However, all will be livestreamed on the Arkansas Catholic Facebook page and the diocesan YouTube channel for anyone to watch online. Follow Arkansas Catholic on Facebook and/or subscribe to our YouTube channel to get notifications when the livestreams begin. These events were originally scheduled for May, but were postponed because of the COVID-19 ... More
Bishop releases pastoral changes July 15
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced the following pastoral appointments July 15, 2020, for the Diocese of Little Rock. Effective Aug. 1, 2020: Rev. Siprianus Ola Rotok, SVD, relieved of his responsibilities as pastor of St. Peter Church, St. Raphael Church in Pine Bluff and St. Justin Church in Star City to continue his ministry with the Society of the Divine Word outside of Arkansas; Rev. Eric Groner, SVD, a priest of the Society of the Divine Word, appointed pastor of St. Peter Church, St. Raphael Church in Pine Bluff and St. Justin Church in Star City. ... More
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
