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Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
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The following offers the latest information about events and activities happening in the Diocese of Little Rock.
Each year, Little Rock Scripture Study offers its Scholarship for Studies Preparing for Lay Ministry to support Arkansas Catholics who are pursuing undergraduate- or graduate-level degrees in the fields of theology, Scripture, sacred music, canon law, liturgy, pastoral administration, youth ministry or religious education. Four scholarships valued at $1,000 each will be awarded to qualified applicants. The deadline to apply is Friday, June 7. For detailed information or application, please e-mail Cackie Upchurch, director of Little Rock Scripture Study, or call (501) 664-6102. ... More
Mother's Day has been celebrated as a national holiday in the United States on the second Sunday of May since 1914. But Catholics have been celebrating a sort of mother's day since the first few centuries of the Church. The fourth Sunday of Lent, or Laetare Sunday, traditionally was a time to return to your mother church (home parish) and leave an offering. For this reason, it was also called Mothering Sunday. "The word "mothering" came to have other associations; it became a feast day for the mothers of families. All the children who were away from home went back ... More
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced the following pastoral appointments Monday, May 6, 2019, for the Diocese of Little Rock. Effective July 1: Rev. Benoit Mukamba, CSSp, relieved of his responsibilities as pastor of St. Mary Church in Helena, St John the Baptist Church in Brinkley, St. Francis of Assisi Church in Forrest City, St. Mary of the Lake Church in Horseshoe Lake and St. Andrew Church in Marianna to continue his ministry with the Congregation of the Holy Spirit outside of Arkansas; and Rev. Gilbert Tairo, CSSp, appointed from associate pastor ... More
The diocesan Hispanic Ministry Office will sponsor its Encuentros de Promoción Juvenil # 28 (Encounters of Youth Promotion) weekend for single, young men ages 18-27 at St. John Catholic Center in Little Rock May 30 - June 2. The deadline to register is May 12. The cost is $110 per person. To attend, download and return the registration form with fee to the address provided. Encuentros de Promoción Juvenil (EPJ) is a Catholic movement for youth to evangelize their peers to accept the Gospel, live their vocation and take on leadership roles in Christian groups ... More
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will ordain Deacon Martín Alejandro Amaro Rodriguez to the priesthood at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 11 in the Choir Chapel at St. Peter Basilica in Rome. He recently completed his studies for the priesthood at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, the seminary for American students at the Vatican. He was ordained to the transitional diaconate in Rome last September. Amaro, 27, will celebrate his first Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Altar of Heaven in Rome on May 12. After he returns to the United States, he will be the associate pastor ... More
“Surprise, Shock and Gospel: Re-Interpreting the Parables of Jesus” is the theme of the 2019 Bible Institute June 21-23 at St. John Catholic Center in Little Rock. Father George Smiga, STD, will be the keynote speaker. This nationally known author and lecturer in Scripture and homiletics is a priest of the Diocese of Cleveland. He is on the faculty of St. Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Wickliffe, Ohio and writes a monthly column for Living With Christ and contributes regularly to Give Us This Day. His website is buildingontheword.org. ... More
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced the following pastoral appointments Friday, April 26, for the Diocese of Little Rock. Effective Feb. 27: Rev. John C. Wakube excardinated from the Apostles of Jesus and incardinated into the Diocese of Little Rock. He remains pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in North Little Rock. Effective June 12: Rev. George Sanders appointed pastor of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Hot Springs. He remains chaplain of St. Vincent Hospital in Hot Springs. He is relieved of his responsibilities as pastor of St. Mary ... More
Msgr. Francis I. Malone, chancellor for ecclesial affairs, addressed the following letter to Diocese of Little Rock deacons and staff regarding the death of Msgr. John O’Donnell on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. "With faith in eternal life, I announce the death of Monsignor John O’Donnell. He entered eternal life on Saturday, April 20, 2019, in Little Rock, Arkansas. A native of Philadelphia, he was born on Jan. 29, 1928, and educated in the Catholic schools in the archdiocese there. He entered St. John Home Mission Seminary, Little Rock in 1946, and was ordained to the priesthood ... More