The Official Newspaper of the Diocese of Little Rock
Since Msgr. Scott Friend took over the vocations office in 2005 he has been pushing for the Diocese of Little Rock to adopt a vocations culture and the results are paying off.
Arkansas is now considered one of the most "vocations rich" dioceses in the country, showing there is now one seminarian for every 3,771 Catholics.
According to statistics from the 2011 Official Catholic Directory, the Diocese of Little Rock is ranked 12th in the country More... 
For the first time the Diocese of Little Rock will host an ordination for three Hispanic men. The ordination Mass for Mauricio Carrasco of Springdale, Juan de Dios Manjarrez of Fort Smith and Alejandro Puello of Paragould will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 26 at Christ the King Church in Little Rock. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will be the celebrant. A reception will follow in the Family Life Center.
Eucharistic adoration and prayers for More...
Growing up in Guanajuato, Mexico, Juan Manjarrez had no plans for a vocation to the priesthood.
His grandparents in Mexico joked with him while he grew up, telling him he would be a priest. He always replied, "No way."
At 11, he moved with his family to the United States, and in 1996 they all settled in Fort Smith. One of his grandmothers was born in the United States and he had relatives already living here.
In high More...
Mauricio Carrasco hopes to use his experiences being born and raised in Mexico for 11 years and living in the United States for 16 years when he becomes a priest May 26.
Carrasco, who was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, doesn't want to be pegged as a priest who only serves the Spanish-speaking community or any specific group of parishioners.
Mauricio CarrascoClick here"I want to be a good priest," he said. "That is a hell of More...
Alejandro Puello took a leap of faith when he moved to the United States in May 2004 and Catholics in Arkansas are going to benefit from that decision.
Puello, 28, is a native of the Dominican Republic who was not connected to the Catholic Church as a child or teenager. He lived alone with his mother and dreamed of pursuing a career in business. He and his mother owned an embroidery business together.
"I was going to More...
FORT SMITH -- When it comes to vocations, the Lord works in mysterious ways. Sister Delores Vincent Bauer, OSB"s call to the Benedictines at St. Scholastica Monastery in Fort Smith began with a chance meeting between her aunt, a Dominican sister from St. Catherine"s, Ky., and Sister Danielle Wolf, OSB, who worked at St. Joseph Orphanage in North Little Rock.
"My aunt (Sister Colette Bauer, OP) met Sister Danielle at a workshop in 1970," Sister More...
Brother Edward Fischesser, OSB was bent down scratching the dirt, tending to a flower bed when when a big truck slammed to a dusty halt outside the entrance to Subiaco Abbey.
"I guess the guy was from Texas, because he had on a hat and was smoking a big cigar," Brother Edward remembers, a chuckle rumbling up from his throat. "He said, 'What is this place'? And I told him it was our monastery. He More...
The Diocese of Little Rock has seen quite an increase in the number of seminarians over the last several years, and we will see four of them ordained to the priesthood this summer. Thankfully we are not the only diocese that is experiencing growth. It appears that across the nation there are more young men entering the seminary, but it is in missionary dioceses like our own that have seen the biggest increases.
Often people More...
Plunge right in
Subiaco Abbey will host the Monastic Plunge vocation retreat for single Catholic men ages 20 to 45 years old July 4-9, 2012. The retreat will allow the men to pray and work with the monks and learn the basics of monastic life. For more information, call Father Elijah Owens, OSB, at (479) 438-9115 or e-mail vocations@subi.org.
Discernment retreat
Consider your Call Summer Discernment Week will be held July 5-9, 2012, at St. More...
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