Since he became our Pope, Pope Francis has been a wonderful example of humility and openness to all.  He invites us to not only open the doors of our faith community to others, but to go out to bring in those who have never encountered Christ and His Church, as well as those who once were part of our Church family and are no longer, for one reason or another.

Recently there has been reporting of the Pope's efforts to change some aspects of the annulment process so that people who have divorced, especially those who have remarried without the blessing of the Sacrament of Matrimony, may have hope that the Church wil someday bless their current union and restore them to the full practicce of their Catholic faith.

In the bulletin this week, we are inserting Bishop Taylor's recent letter that explains changes in the process of seeking an annulment that hopefully will be a blessing to those who seek the path that can lead to their return to the practice of the Catholic faith.  I hope and pray that those of you who know of people who are currently not practicing the Catholic faith due, at least in part on their marital situation, will encourage them to call me at 209-2502 or offer to accompany them to see me to learn what can be done through the annulment process to bring back to the practice of their Cathoic faith.  This pronouncement of the Holy Father on the annulment process comes in anticipation of the upcoming "Year of Mercy" which will hopefully lead more people to experience God's mercy in this and/or in other ways.

If you were at Mass last weekend, you know I shared the pulpit with Bishop Taylor by reading an article in the "Arkansas Catholic" that was penned by him on the issue of Capital Punishment.  I was touched when I first read it, by the personal witness the bishop gave about his own experiences with people who were murdered, as well as at least one person who had killed someone, whom the bishop ministered to untill he was executed by the state of Oklahoma.  I urge you to read what the bishop shared in this article through the insert in the bulletin.  I pray that you will then join me (and I hope many others) in contacting Governor Hutchinson and urging him to commute the death sentences of those in Arkansas who are on death row and are scheduled to be executed, the first one being in October.  Also urge him, and our state legislators, to propose and pass a new law outlawing executions of convicted criminals in our state.  We are called by the Gospel to promote a culture of life and to lead others to the truth that ALL human life is precious to God and should be protected from harm from all, including those who sadly believe that the death penalty is needed today.

I Googled Governor Asa Hutchinson and got a site where I could send an e-mail to him, which I plan to do.  The other option for me AND you is to send a letter to him by mail.  The address is State Capitol Room 250 at 500 Woodland Avenue, Little Rock, Ar 72201.  Remember the passage from the letter of James last weekend urges us to act on our faith.  I pray that in this and in many ways, we all will do so.  Amen.

Just before writing this pastor's column, I composed a "thanl you" note that I was asked by a staff member of 

"The Village Voice" to write to those businesses that support the Church Directory Page each week in "The Voice."  In looking at that page, I was struck by the number of church congregations we have in this area. That reality is a blessing in many ways to those who benefit from belonging to a fatih family that gives worship and praise to God and serves the Lord in many ways through their church families.  We should also be aware of the fact that there are still more than a few people in this area who have no "church family" and who would be blessed to have one that can help them find Jesus and/or to grow in relationship with Him.  

This time of year, I usually put out a request that you invite people you may know who don't have a church affiliation to join you at Mass, and at some point, encourage them to look into the Catholic faith.  Pope Francis has said that everything we do as individual believers and as a church family, needs to have an "evangelizing" element to it. Bringing people to the Lord and to His Church is one of the calls and challenges that come from our Baptismal commitment.  We are always ready to introduce someone, or a group of people, to the Good News of Jesus Christ and His Church.  PLEASE let me know of someone who might consider responding to an invitation to "Come and See" what the Lord offers here at Sacred Heart Church.  I also ask those who have a spouse who is not Catholic and who is not involved in another church family, to encourage him or her to at least look into the Catholic Church.  

The process of conversion to the Catholic Faith may not be as complicated, or as long, as you or they might think. Contact me either by phone at 209-2502 or by e-mail, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or regular mail.  I promise to be gentle and helpful to them.  Also, with the recent announcement from the Vatican of a kinder and more gentle Church when it comes to granting annulments, please encourage those with Catholic roots who are divorced and remarried, to come find out what can be done to reconcile their situation and enable them to practice their Catholic faith again.