The Official Newspaper of the Diocese of Little Rock
GRADY -- Dorothy Russell, 78, is a life-long resident of Grady and a fount of information about Blessed Sacrament Church.
"Grady started out as a Catholic community," she explained. "My grandfather was among the first parishioners. And according to my research, the first family to live in Grady was the John S. Hall family and they were Catholics."
The tiny church is located on Highway 11 in the middle of a cemetery, just west of town. It was dedicated in 1965 and is the third structure in Grady to house Blessed Sacrament Parish.
"The first church was a wooden building somewhere near this one," said Russell. "It was blown down by a cyclone in 1897 and a new church was built on Main Street."
This second church was dedicated in 1905.
While the Catholics in Grady have never had a resident priest, they could count on having Mass regularly. According to Russell, a Father Lucey came up from Lake Village by train in the earliest years.
"I remember my grandmother, Kate Hall Bittinger, saying that the priest used to spend the night with them when he came for Mass. I'm not sure just what year this was but she was born in 1870. He had to be away for a while in 1896 and Father Mageony came for him."
At different times the parish was a mission of McGehee and then of Pine Bluff. It is now served from St. Justin in Star City. The sanctuary has a lovely, spacious feel with rows of bleached blond pews on either side of the center aisle. A large stained glass window above the main door is echoed in smaller stained glass windows marching along both sides toward the altar. Behind the modern altar, against the back wall is an old wooden altar housing the tabernacle out of the old church on Main Street.
"We were able to get a restroom installed in what used to be the confessional," laughed Russell as she gestured to a partially open door crowded against the back of a rear pew. "You can imagine what a problem it was having a church out here on the highway without a restroom. We did that when Father Louis Frantz was over at Star City. Whenever there is a funeral in the cemetery, I unlock the church in case anyone needs to use it."
Father Frantz, was stationed in Star City at the St. Justin Mission beginning in 1985. Until 1993, he said Mass twice monthly in Star City and twice monthly in Grady. Since 1993, Sister Kathleen Miles, DC, has served as the administrator for both parishes.
"Since my arrival in Grady, the church has ministered to Hispanics with Mass being only in Spanish and religious education classes in both languages. But in the past few years the Hispanics from Grady have moved to Star City," Miles said.
Sacramental ministers over the past 15 years have included Msgr. Scott Friend, Father Jim Brockman, Father Henry Bordeaux, the Franciscans from Dumas before they left that ministry, and an occasional Spanish-speaking deacon.
Because of the dwindling number of Catholics in the area, there are no longer any Masses at Blessed Sacrament. Once each month, on the second Saturday, a Word and Communion Service is offered in Spanish at 6 p.m.
Today the parish shows only six registered members. Grady Catholics must travel to Star City, Dumas or Pine Bluff for Mass.
"Even Catholic education has always been a shared responsibility," said Russell. "We always had to travel to have PRE. Until Father Franz came, we had to go to Pine Bluff twice each week for religious education and we didn't have much money to spare for that kind of driving. Then we were able to go to Dumas once a week until 1985 when we began having classes in Star City and Grady every other week."
Parish Religious Education classes in Grady were held in the Russell home because Blessed Sacrament has no classrooms.
"My sister was the only person married in this church," Russell said.
The church remains clean and bright, linens on the altar, candles in their holders, and everything dusted and polished. A bequest from Katy Woods provides funds to maintain the church with any residual money going to the diocese for assisting other missions.
Blessed Sacrament
Please read our Comments Policy before posting.
Article comments powered by Disqus
Planned Parenthood’s report shows increase in abortions
Don’t let misconceptions cause faith to waver
Seniors, whatever storms may come, Jesus will be there
Studio 3:16 offers new approach to teaching religion
After three decades, NLR principal plans to retire
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
