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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.
Help provide for retired religious Dec. 1-2
The annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection will be held Dec. 1-2 in the Diocese of Little Rock. Coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO), the appeal benefits 31,000 elderly Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests whose religious congregations lack adequate retirement funding. Last year, Catholics in the Diocese of Little Rock donated $152,119.59 to this collection. In 2018, two religious communities with central houses located in Arkansas received financial support from the Retirement Fund for Religious. They are: Subiaco Abbey ... More
Diocese of Little Rock celebrates 175 years
Pope Gregory XVI established the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock on Nov. 28, 1843. The first bishop, Andrew J. Byrne, was consecrated on March 10, 1844, in New York and rode into Little Rock on horseback with two other priests on June 4. The Irish-born bishop found a scattered Catholic population of possibly 700 across Arkansas. Being formally established as a diocese did not make building the Church any easier. Bishop Byrne and all who labored with him and after him were confronted with many difficult challenges including extreme conditions, disease, poverty, war and anti-Catholicism. ... More
CCA has fewer and fewer refugees to assist
The Refugee Resettlement Office, a ministry of Catholic Charities of Arkansas, has been in the business of formally helping refugees since the 1970s. Over this time period, programs have become increasingly regulated by the U.S. Department of State, which manages resettlement efforts, and by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which offers assistance to refugees after their first three months in the United States, as well as assistance to other similarly vulnerable populations. The other vulnerable populations are asylees, victims of trafficking, ... More
Arkansas Catholics to give from the heart
One Church: Unite Arkansas in Faith and Mission is the title of a new program in our diocese. Nearly two years ago, Father Erik Pohlmeier came to me to ask a question on behalf of the diocesan Presbyteral Council: Could Catholic Charities of Arkansas handle a campaign where the parishes in the diocese were asked to help a single parish that needed a boost of assistance? This was something that Catholic Charities had been doing for a couple of years on a small scale: matching the needs of a small rural parish with the resources offered by a larger, established parish looking ... More
2018 CCHD grants help Catholics serve
Each year, the Diocese of Little Rock takes up a second collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) during the weekend before Thanksgiving. Twenty-five percent of this collection remains in the diocese and is used by Catholic Charities of Arkansas to fund the CCHD Local Grant Program. Typically, the total amount available for local grants ranges from $15,000 to $20,000. Local groups may apply for grants starting on Jan. 1 of each year. The cut-off date for grant submissions is May 31. Grant applications are considered during June and grant ... More
See plight of migrants in birth of Jesus
I have had the privilege to work with people from different countries. Most of us who live in the U.S. have heard of the horrific journeys endured to arrive here, primarily from Central American countries and Mexico. These challenging journeys raise the question: How could anyone take such a risk to come to our country? What would make someone chance everything by migrating alone or with their families, when they could possibly even lose their lives trying? I’ve grappled with this for a long time. I’ve come to the conclusion that I will probably never fully understand ... More
Hearts for Life Conference to be Jan. 19-20
The diocesan Respect Life Office will host its first Hearts for Life Conference for adults at St. John Catholic Center in Little Rock. This event, which will coincide with the Weekend for Life for high school youth, was created to offer participants pro-life speakers, time for prayer and inexpensive and convenient lodging prior to the eucharistic procession and Mass for Life on Jan. 20. The conference will be held from 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19 to 9 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 20. The cost is $40 per person, which includes lodging, dinner Saturday evening ... More
Bishop Taylor reflects on USCCB meeting
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor released the following reflection Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, about the fall general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) held Nov. 11-14 in Baltimore. "This past week the bishops of the United States met in Baltimore for our semi-annual general assembly. This year the meeting was focused principally on the current clergy sexual abuse crisis in the wake of the scandals surrounding ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the report of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury, and the allegations of Archbishop Viganò." ... More
