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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.
Share your Lenten recipes by Feb. 3
Fasting and abstaining during Lent present both an opportunity for devotion and a dietary challenge, especially for family meals. Arkansas Catholic’s annual Lenten section will share recipes from readers to help meet that challenge. Please send us your best recipes for the following: vegetarian meals; and family traditional Lenten foods. Send recipes to Malea Hargett, Arkansas Catholic, P.O. Box 7417, Little Rock AR 72217. To consider your recipe for publication, it must be submitted by Feb. 3. Lent begins Feb. 10. To help you prepare for this holy season of prayer, fasting ... More
Religious educators honored for service
Two parish religious educators were honored during the annual Parish Catechetical Leaders' Banquet and Retreat at St. John Catholic Center in Little Rock on Jan. 15-16. Belinda Ortner, director of religious education and Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults coordinator for St.... More
Seminarians take steps in discernment
For the first time, the installation of reader, acolyte and candidacy for Diocese of Little Rock seminarians was held in Arkansas, instead of at the men’s seminaries. The 2015 installation was held Saturday, Dec. 19 at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Little Rock for 14 seminarians with a reception held in the gym following the 4:30 p.m. Mass. The admission to candidacy was celebrated for Martin Siebold, Stephen Hart, Michael Johns, Ramsés Mendieta, William Burmester and Luke Womack. Acolyte and candidacy was conferred on Daniel Ramos. ... More
Collection to be taken up for flood victims
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced a one-time, special collection to be taken up in all parishes in Arkansas Jan. 9-10 or Jan. 16-17 for victims of recent natural disasters. This collection is part of a nationwide effort to assist those affected by flooding and storms that began in December and continue to cause damage. In a letter to be read at all Masses, the bishop wrote, "Your contributions will assist Catholic Charities USA, the official domestic relief agency of the U.S. Catholic Church, and its member agencies, including our own Catholic Charities of Arkansas ... More
2016 MLK Memorial Mass to be Jan. 9
The 30th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Mass will be held at 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 9 at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will be the celebrant and homilist. The Mass is sponsored by the Diocesan Council for Black Catholics. During the Mass the Daniel Rudd Award will be handed out to a black Catholic who is active in his or her parish and community. To learn more, contact Rosalyn Pruitt at (501) 375-9617. Alma Stewart, a member of St. Bartholomew Church in Little Rock, received the 2015 Daniel Rudd Award. ... More
2016 Mass and March for Life to be Jan. 17
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will celebrate the annual Mass for Life at 12:05 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 17 at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in downtown Little Rock. Prior to the Mass, a Rosary for Life will be held at 11:30 a.m. Anyone who has lost a child is invited to sign the Book of Innocents in their memory. Red roses will be placed near the altar to honor these children and their families during Mass. Each year, this Mass is celebrated to mark the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions that legalized abortion in the United States. ... More
Extravaganza focuses on pro-life issues
The diocesan Catholic Youth Ministry Office will sponsor its annual Weekend Extravaganza, a "lock'in" for teens at the DoubleTree Hotel in Little Rock Jan. 16-17. This event, which is open to youth in grades 9-12, coincides with the diocese's Mass and March for Life to follow on Jan. 17. Led by the diocesan Youth Advisory Council (YAC), Weekend Extravaganza includes music, skits, prayer service and speakers that focus on right-to-life issues through a teen's perspective. This year's speaker is Monica Kelsey. She was adopted at birth and was 37 years old before she learned the news ... More
Joy to the world, our Lord has come
"The Lord has come; let earth receive her King; let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing!" Joining the angels, we proclaim "glad tidings of great joy" for our Savior has come. The Christmas season runs from Dec. 25, Christmas Day, to Jan. 10, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The word "Christmas" comes from the Middle English "Christemasse," which literally means Christ's Mass. This feast commemorates the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. In doing so, God became flesh, making the salvation of the world possible. To learn more, read the Christmas story. To learn more, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 524-528 or visit the Christmas resources of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. ... More
