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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 to ordain monk to priesthood
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will ordain Brother Patrick Boland, OSB, to the priesthood on Saturday, June 20 at St. Benedict Church at Subiaco Abbey. Abbot Leonard Wangler, OSB, and other priests in attendance will concelebrate the 10 a.m. ordination Mass, which will be followed by a reception in the PAC Lounge. The newly ordained priest will celebrate his first Mass at St. Benedict Church on Sunday, June 21 at 10:45 a.m. Brother Patrick earned a master's degree from Saint Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Penn. on May 8. He earned a bachelor's degree in theology from St. Gregory's University in Shawnee, Okla. through the Little Rock Theology Institute in 2011. He began discerning the priesthood after he professed his solemn vows as a Benedictine monk and permanent member of Subiaco Abbey in 2010. Brother Patrick, 52, is originally from ... More
Scholarships available for pro-life camp
Scholarships are available for Catholic students to attend Camp Joshua at Cross Heirs Retreat Center in Humphrey. This pro-life camp is open to youth in grades 9-12 and is sponsored by Arkansas Right to Life. It will be held July 24-26. The $100 fee includes meals, accommodations, T-shirt and transportation to and from Little Rock. To apply for a scholarship, contact Rebecca Mullican in the diocesan Respect Life Office at (501) 664-0340, ext. 326. Camp Joshua is a three-day camp designed to teach students how to be pro-life leaders. It includes informative workshops and activities on a variety of pro-life issues such as abortion and euthanasia. Just as Joshua brought down the walls of Jericho, participants of Camp Joshua are charged with leading their generation in the bringing down ... More
New spiritual direction class forming
The School of Spiritual Direction, a three-year bilingual program, offered by the diocesan Office of Faith Formation, will begin a new class in the fall of 2016. Adults interested in applying must be at least 35 years old, have 10 credit hours in theology and have been in spiritual direction for at least one year. Applications will be accepted beginning this fall. The current class has 31 students who will graduate next spring. Classes are held in English and Spanish once a month from September to June on a Friday night and all day Saturday at St. John Catholic Center in Little Rock. The first two years focus on academic classes on spirituality. The final year is a practicum where the students are supervised while they meet regularly with their own spiritual directees. Students who have attended the first year of ... More
Four to be ordained deacons in May
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will ordain four diocesan seminarians to the transitional diaconate in May. They include Norman McFall May 20; Dr. Joseph Chan May 26; and Taryn Whittington and Mario Jacobo May 28. These will bring the total to five diaconate ordinations so far in 2015. Deacon Stephen Gadberry was ordained to the diaconate March 27. McFall will be ordained at St. Joseph Church in Pine Bluff, on Wednesday, May 20. Guests are invited to come early for eucharistic adoration and vespers to pray for him and an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life at 4 p.m. The ordination Mass will be celebrated at 6 p.m. with a reception to follow. McFall will serve his first Masses in the role of deacon Saturday, May 23 at 5 p.m. and Sunday, May 24 at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph Church. ... More
Encounter Jesus at Bible Institute in June
Encounter "The Jesus of the Gospels" with Father Donald Senior, CP, at the 2015 Bible Institute June 19-21 at St. John Catholic Center in Little Rock. Father Senior is president emeritus and professor of New Testament studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He will speak five times throughout the weekend on the following themes: Jesus and the Word of God: The Gospels in the Light of Faith; Jesus as Healer; Jesus as Teacher; Jesus as Crucified and Risen; and Jesus as Incarnate Word and Revealer of God: The Compelling "Logic" of John's Gospel. In addition to Father Senior's talks, this event includes prayer, small group discussion and Mass. Check-in begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday, June 19 with the opening session at 7 p.m. The weekend concludes after the ... More
Appointments to take effect in April, June
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor recently announced the following pastoral appointments: Effective April 15 — Father John Antony, appointed administrator and chaplain of Trinity Junior High in Fort Smith. He remains pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Fort Smith; Father Andrew Hart, relieved of his responsibilities as administrator and chaplain of Trinity Junior High in Fort Smith. He remains associate pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Fort Smith; Father Joseph Archibong, appointed to celebrate African Mass at St. Augustine Church in North Little Rock. He remains associate pastor of Christ the King Church in Little Rock; Msgr. Richard Oswald, relieved of his responsibilities as associate pastor ... More
Apply for men's EPJ team by April 17
The diocesan Hispanic Ministry Office will sponsor an Encuentros de Promoción Juvenil (Encounters of Youth Promotion) weekend for young men ages 18-25 at St. John Catholic Center in Little Rock on July 23-26. The cost is $110 per person. The deadline to register is July 2. To attend, download and return the registration form. To apply for the retreat team, download and return the team application by April 17. For more information, contact Rocio Montes in the Hispanic Ministry Office at (501) 664-0340, ext. 364. Modeled after Cursillo and presented in Spanish, this Catholic movement was developed to teach young adults to evangelize their peers to accept the Gospel, live their vocation and take on leadership roles in Christian groups in their communities. ... More
Special collection to benefit seminarians
The Holy Thursday Collection for seminarian education will be held April 2. The money from this diocesan collection will support the educational and housing expenses for the diocese's 41 seminarians. It costs the diocese $1.3 million to educate these men annually. Msgr. James E. O’Connell started an endowment fund for diocesan seminarians more than 50 years ago. This fund has been invested through the years and was able to cover the costs of educating the seminarians until recently when the number of young men studying for the priesthood increased dramatically. Today the cost of educating one seminarian is $32,000 per year, which includes tuition, room and board, health insurance, and other needs. ... More
