The Official Newspaper of the Diocese of Little Rock
SHERIDAN -- Holy Cross Church was the first Catholic church in Grant County and is now ready to expand for a third time since its dedication Feb. 20, 1949.
When Frank Skorcz and his family came to Sheridan in 1915 via covered wagon from Illinois, they were the first Catholics in the county.
The nearest church was in Pine Bluff, which was a two-day journey. A priest from Pine Bluff would come several times a year to celebrate Mass in the Skorcz home and administer the sacraments. Skorcz helped build St. Raphael Orphanage in Pine Bluff
"There were no Catholics in the county except us. Once we built the church, a few other families came that we didn't know about and others moved into the area," Harvey Skorcz said.
Once the roads improved, the family would travel to Pine Bluff once a month. Skorcz remembers those daylong events before Holy Cross Church was built.
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It wasn't until his aunt and cousin's wife were in St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock that the family's dream of their own church in Sheridan came to be.
The hospital chaplain, Father Jesse Cheney, befriended them and started a permanent mission. He celebrated Mass twice a month at their homes until the church was built.
Alex Skorcz bought the land on Vine Street to avoid any backlash over building a Catholic church in the area. He later deeded the property to the Diocese of Little Rock.
"We're in the midst of Protestant country here. Baptists are the majority here. A Catholic presence was, and still is, greatly needed here," said longtime parishioner Mary Hale.
The Skorczs built the church themselves, and it's something Harvey's still proud of today.
"I've been a member ever since it was built in 1949. I was 11 years old. I helped dig the footings and the well," Skorcz said. "I have the feeling of really being a part of it. Anything you're a part of means more than just a place you go."
The timber came from their farms, and they cut the lumber with a small sawmill borrowed from the Franciscan brothers at St. Raphael.
Holy Cross added a cemetery in the 1960s after parishioners donated property off Highway 35N.
In 1978, Holy Cross expanded again, building a new sanctuary and converting the original church into a parish hall, aptly named Skorcz Hall.
For the church's 50th anniversary, parishioners added a grotto at the church and built an archway, gate and fence at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Now the parish is looking to expand again to provide for much-needed classroom space. The church is a true community, Hale said, and they are excited for the future.
"This church is like family. I don't live but for about a mile from it. I can go when I want to make visits," she said. "I know everybody in church. We're a warm, welcoming parish. We just seem to enjoy each other's company. We address each other as friends and church members."
Currently, they hold classes in Skorcz Hall, but they are running out of room with the increase in children in the parish.
Hale volunteers as the director of religious education at Holy Cross among other duties, so she knows firsthand how important classrooms are. Currently, some classes have to go outside or in the church to have room.
"We're excited about the growth for our church. We can't wait to have the classroom space we desperately need," Hale said. "And we're raising funds now if anyone wants to donate."
Without the help of parishioners, she said, a small parish like Holy Cross couldn't flourish.
"That's part of our mission as Catholics," Hale said. "Part of our mission as Christians and Catholics is to help others."
Others parishioners like Beverly and Jim Searvogel tend to the grounds of the church. Bonnie McDonald heads the committee, responsible for the upkeep of Holy Cross Cemetery. Skorcz said his health keeps him from doing much at church, but his wife Sharon makes up for it by doing the church's bookkeeping among other activities.
"If we didn't have volunteers, we couldn't make it," he said. "Without the generosity of others, the church wouldn't be here now or in the future."
Holy Cross has seen growth in their Hispanic community. Their services incorporate both English and Spanish, and they offer Spanish and English Missalettes.
"We find that we're assimilated with them and they with us," Hale said. "When you have children that speak both languages fluently, it helps with any language barrier that exists for some of us. Almost all of our activities are centered around children, so I can see us only growing as a community together."
In addition to the growth of the Hispanic Catholics, the 105-member church has also benefited from more members since the highway expanded. The growth is welcome to longtime parishioners like Hale and Skorcz.
"A few years ago, we got to where not many were coming to church. We've seen it go up and down since its inception. I'm glad to see we're growing. To have the children in church is special. They are the backbone in church and the future."
To see the church full again is more than enough for Skorcz, who takes his 91-year-old mother to the church where their family is a part of its history.
"There's just a sense of belonging here, a sense of home," Skorcz said. "This is the church we helped found and built and kept up for all these years. We just hope we can keep going for the future and those children and their children."
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