The Official Newspaper of the Diocese of Little Rock
“I come to you with much enthusiasm and joy because God sent me to you. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t be here because I would have never dared to hope to receive the privilege of being your bishop. The honor, and, yes, the burden of being a successor of the apostles, endowed and entrusted with the fullness of the sacramental priesthood of Jesus Christ. I know that I will one day have to give the Lord an account of my stewardship of the Diocese of Little Rock. Please pray for me that I, your unworthy servant, will be a good bishop, holy and wise.”
Homily during his episcopal ordination Mass, June 5, 2008
"I learned that being a faithful Christian meant doing what Jesus did, living for something bigger than yourself, working to build God’s kingdom of truth and justice already in some measure here and now in this world, and this includes defending human rights.”
At the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Mass in January 2009
“Silence in the face of hateful behavior, these are pro-life issues too — anything impacting the life and dignity of the human person from the first moment of conception all the way to natural death and every stage in between. This is what a consistent ethic of life entails. Abortion is huge and we are resolute in our opposition to abortion, but there are other pro-life issues that are important too and boy do we have our hands full. This is not an either/or situation; it is a both/and situation.”
Mass for Life homily, Jan. 17, 2018
“People who come to this country feeling extreme poverty or oppression, do so exercising their fundamental right to life because the right to life includes the right of access to the necessities of life.”
Southerners Unified for Dignity & Reform rally,
Little Rock, Oct. 12, 2013
“You know when I was little we were 3 percent Catholic; we used to say we were weaker than the beer. But now more than 55 percent of Arkansas Catholics are Hispanic. And so we’re about 6 percent now, hopefully it’s stronger than the tequila. But people come here and for the first time they have to defend their faith or explain it in an environment that is not supportive of Catholicism and in an environment where a great deal of proselytism is going on and in that environment there’s a lot of turmoil in the Hispanic community in terms of religion.”
Panel discussion at UALR, April 13, 2017
“I don’t intend to ordain anybody I don’t know. I want to know them more than just knowing their name. I want to be supportive of them in their vocation.”
Arkansas Catholic issue Oct. 13, 2014, on his relationship with the seminarians
“I describe this to other bishops and they are amazed. Oklahoma City, where I come from, is three times the size of Little Rock and has two Catholic high schools and they don’t produce vocations like Catholic High does. I’m very proud of this school. … What this tells me is Catholic High produces men of faith who support each other in discerning and doing God’s will.”
Signing day at Catholic High School in Little Rock, May 1, 2018
“He gave himself fully to his people. He remained with them courageously in a time of darkness. When a wolf threatens a flock, the shepherd remains. He laid down his life for his people long before they came to kill him.”
July 11, 2015 issue of Arkansas Catholic
“He is not only the first beatified martyr of the United States, he was also the first beatified martyr of Guatemala. And everything I know about Blessed Stanley tells me that he would be delighted to have you as the first community in the world named after him.”
Homily at dedication of new Blessed Stanley Rother Church in Decatur, Sept. 24, 2017
“I know you often hear Catholics talk about the sanctity of life in the context of abortion, so today I need to emphasize two obvious things: 1) life does not cease to be sacred once the baby is born, and 2) no one will be fully secure until we reject everything that threatens human life or degrades human dignity.”
Statement issued Sept. 4, 2015 in light of state acquiring new drugs for executions
“We are no different than the crowd that called for Jesus’ death because we continue to call for the death of criminals.”
Good Friday rally against planned executions at the Arkansas State Capitol, April 14, 2017
“We’ve come a long way together in the last 50 years, but we’ve still got a long way to go before Christian unity can be fully restored and this wound in the heart of the Church healed.”
Oct. 30, 2017
“Many of us have experienced the recent presidential election as a mixed blessing. We are relieved that President-elect Trump opposes abortion and plans to nominate anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court. Indeed, many people voted for him for that very reason. But we are also dismayed by his divisive rhetoric. The purpose of this letter is to remind all of us that this election has not changed the mission of the Church in Arkansas. We believe in the right to life and the dignity of the human person from conception to natural death and at every stage in between. Particularly painful was the treatment of women and Hispanics during this campaign. Pro-life is more than just anti-abortion. Pro-life includes respect for women, a special concern for the poor and vulnerable, and in the present context respect for the rights of immigrants and the need for comprehensive immigration reform.”
Statement on Nov. 8, 2016, presidential election
“The DACA program has been a great success in Arkansas. Through it nearly 6,000 young adults have received assurance that they will not be immediately processed for deportation. This has allowed them to enter the workforce, start businesses and pursue an education. In short, the program has been an overwhelming benefit to our state’s economy.”
Letter to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Aug. 31, 2017
“The church is not the building. It is the people. The building is simply the envelope within which the people worship and, naturally, many memories cling to the place but the church is the people …”
Last Mass in old Blessed Sacrament Church building in Jonesboro, Oct. 1, 2017
“One of the things I’m praying for is that this V Encuentro increases our courage and our gratitude going forward. Especially among those of you who belong to the second generation and are now benefiting from the many sacrifices that your immigrant parents made to provide you a better life. And specifically that you now become courageous missionary disciples yourselves.”
Nov. 18, 2017
“This year I celebrate my 10th year as your bishop and my heart is filled with gratitude for what a blessing it has been for me personally to serve you in this capacity. I rejoice in the ways in which the Lord has blessed our local Church during this time and the many things we have accomplished together — much of which has been paid for through your generous contributions to CASA, our annual Catholic Arkansas Sharing Appeal. All of this is the fruit of your — and my — commitment to the Lord.”
Feb. 3-4, 2018, recorded homily for CASA kickoff
Please read our Comments Policy before posting.
Article comments powered by Disqus
Don’t sign new abortion petition, Bishop Taylor asks
Bishop says Hot Springs priest taking leave of absence
Relationship with God first, vocation is second
Tyler bishop says he will not resign from Texas diocese
10 things to know about upcoming Synod on Synodality
St. Paul says: How does the Bible define love?
6 steps to getting married in Diocese of Little Rock
Most frequently asked questions on Catholic marriage
St. Timothy winner recommends adoration to other teens
St. Joseph a model of solidarity with immigrants
Two gifts after Jesus’ death: Virgin Mary and Eucharist
Why we have an altar, and not just a communion table
Pope: Wars should be resolved through nonviolence
Living relationship with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist
