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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 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
Five to be ordained deacons in August
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will ordain five Diocese of Little Rock seminarians to the diaconate in August. They are Alex Smith, Omar Galvan, Emmanuel Torres, Ben Riley and Brian Cundall. Through this process they will become transitional deacons, which is a major step toward priestly ordination. These seminarians were scheduled to be ordained this month, but their ordinations were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The diaconate ordination Mass for Alex Smith will be celebrated at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11 at St. Jude the Apostle Church in Jacksonville. ... More
Dcs. Friend, Velasco to be ordained Aug. 15
Deacon Joseph Friend of Christ the King Church in Little Rock and Deacon Daniel Velasco of St. James Church in Searcy earned master of divinity degrees from St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in Indiana after the spring 2020 semester. They were scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Little Rock this month, but their ordinations were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will celebrate their ordination Mass for Friend and Velasco at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15 at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock. ... More
Bishop releases pastoral changes May 20
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced the following pastoral appointments May 20, 2020, for the Diocese of Little Rock. Effective May 20, 2020: Rev. Phillip Reaves, appointed temporary administrator of St. Boniface Church in New Dixie (Bigelow), St. Francis of Assisi Church in Roland (Little Italy) and St. Elizabeth Church in Oppelo to Aug. 31, 2020. This is in addition to his current responsibilities as director of prison ministry in the Diocese of Little Rock; Msgr. Jack D. Harris, appointed pastor of Catholic Campus Ministry in Conway. This is in addition to his current responsibilities as pastor ... More
Torres raps for Catholic Extension series
Serio Torres, associate director of the Office of Faith Formation in Little Rock, was one of several Catholic artists who have performed concerts livestreamed on Catholic Extension’s website and Facebook page. The aim of the online concert series is to lift people’s spirits during a time of struggle and uncertainty caused by the pandemic, while also promoting the vitality of the Catholic faith in the poor communities in U.S. mission dioceses supported by the Chicago-based organization. Torres’ rap show, which was shown May 6, can be found at catholicextension.org, or watch the video below. ... More
Seniors: Get connected to faith in college
The diocesan offices of Catholic Youth Ministry and Catholic Campus Ministry are working with Newman Connection to encourage parishes and families of high school seniors to register online to alert college campus ministers of incoming freshmen. Seniors are asked to sign up at signup.newmanconnection.com to provide some basic information on where they are attending college and their contact information. Youth and campus ministry director Liz Tingquist said, “Normally, this is done through our Catholic high schools ... More
Beware of e-mail, texting scams for money
The Diocese of Little Rock is urging parishioners to be careful in opening emails or replying to texts that appear to be from Bishop Anthony B. Taylor or an Arkansas priest using a spoofed phone number, fake gmail account or other email accounts. The convincing emails and texts could also include their full name, address and photo. Deacon Matt Glover, chancellor for canonical affairs, said, “One of these is particularly insidious since it references a priest being diagnosed with COVID-19 (which is false), in an attempt to scare the recipient into thinking that Bishop Taylor needs immediate financial help.” ... More
Bishop releases pastoral changes May 7
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced the following pastoral appointments May 7, 2020, for the Diocese of Little Rock. Effective May 7, 2020: Rev. William Burmester, appointed pastor of St. Edward Church in Texarkana, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Ashdown and Sacred Heart Church in Foreman. This is in addition to his current responsibilities as pastor of St. Louis Church in Camden and Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Magnolia; Rev. Balaraju Desam, appointed from pastor to associate pastor of St. Edward Church in Texarkana, St. Elizabeth Ann ... More
