Seated in front of 14 seminarians are (l-r) Monsignor Bernard Malone, Bishop Anthony Taylor, Monsignor Scott Friend, and Father Bill Elser.

The Knights of Columbus sponsored a lasagna dinner Saturday evening, July 21, with the purpose of raising funds to furnish the dining room in the diocesan House of Formation in Little Rock. Sacred Heart of Jesus Church had already donated $50,000 towards the construction of the dining room.  Prior to the dinner, Bishop Anthony Taylor celebrated the 5:00 p.m. Mass for parishioners with concelebrants Vocation Director Monsignor Scott Friend, former Sacred Heart of Jesus Pastor Monsignor Bernard Malone, and current Pastor Father Bill Elser.

Following the dinner, the 200 attendees received special envelopes for their individual donations.  The Hot Springs Village 300-member Knights of Columbus Council will conduct additional fundraisers to help equip the dining room. As a start, Grand Knight Bill Roe presented a $2,000 check to Bishop Taylor.  He also gave a $1,000 check to Monsignor Friend to be used in assisting individual seminarians as needed.  Again this fraternal year, the Council has committed $500 to each of four seminarians, and the 4th degree Assembly will do the same for two seminarians.  It should be noted that the Arkansas State Knights of Columbus has already donated $187,000 for construction of the chapel.

Each of the clergy involved in this event has a nephew who is either a priest or a seminarian.  Monsignor Friend has two. The seminarians at the dinner included: David Aguilar, Joseph and Patrick Friend, Juan Guido, Kardly Isidor, Thomas Johnson, Jose Luis Quijada, Daniel Phillips, George Sanders, Emmanuel Torres, Taryn Whittington, and Luke Womack.  Please click on Knights of Columbus to view photos of the House of Formation Dinner.