The AARP Driver Safety Class will be held at Sacred Heart on Thursday, August 8, from 12:30 to 5:00 p.m.  Please sign-up for the one day course in the hallway of the Administration and Education Building. Class will be held in the Upper Hall.  Bring your driver's license and AARP card and a check payable to AARP for $12.00 for each AARP member and $14.00 for each non-member.  Call Gene Widlowski at 922-5170 with questions.

Members of the Fourth Degree Assembly of the Knights of Columbus is actively working with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and the Purple Heart Association to support the above listed program.  St. Francis House is in Little Rock and has been active in the Reintegration Program since the year 1986.  Our involvement started two years ago through the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

One of the many facets of this support program is providing clothing and personal hygiene items for Veterans.  For those interested in donating items to support the program, please contact Mike Kerwin at 922-1531 or Phil Carl at 922-9045 to arrange for pick-up.  Clothing other than under garments can be used a  long as they are in reasonably good condition.  Undergarments and personal hygiene items must be new and in their original package.  Also needed are watches, alarm clocks, laundry detergent and dryer sheets, wash cloths and towels, pillows and pillow cases, sheets and blankets, cookware (pots, pans and utensils), suitcases, duffel bags and small appliances.  Thank you for helping. 

On July 17, the Knights of Columbus will present a sit-down dinner to benefit the House of Formation for the Diocesan Seminarians in Little Rock.  The diner will be specially prepared by Danny and Sandra Celestin (formerly of Danny's at Ponce restaurant.)  The menu will consist of Prime Rib, Sensation Salad, roasted fresh vegetables, shrimp corn chowder and Father Bill's nationally-acclaimed ice cream for dessert.  Ten seminarians, along with Bishop Taylor, Monsignor Friend, Monsignor Oswald and Monsignor Malone will be attending as our guests.  

Because the dinner has sold out, call Bob Honzik at 922-2702 if you would like your name placed on a waiting list. 

A BIG thank you to all parishioners who have brought in their pull tabs from soda pop, beer, soup, fruit, vegetable and pet food cans!  We started collecting in the month of November, and turned in just over 22 pounds of pop tops on March 28.  Our efforts were certainly appreciated when we presented our bags of tabs.  Thanks from the Ladies of the Sacred Heart for all your efforts and keep 'em coming!

Caroline Eisenhauer

Sarah Isaacs

Two of our Sacred Heart seniors have graduated this year. Caroline Eisenhauer, daughter of Ike and Sonya Eisenhauer, is an honor graduate with a 4.0 grade point average from Jessieville and will be attending the University of Central Arkansas on scholarship. Sarah Isaacs, an honor graduate of Mount Saint Mary's and daughter of Scott and Angela Isaacs, has a scholarship to continue her music education at National Park Community College.

These two young ladies have participated in our Parish Religious Education (PRE) program and have been an asset to our parish by their years of service as lectors, servers, and cantors at our liturgy. Caroline has also been an active member of Diocesan functions by serving on the Youth Activity Council. Both young women will be attending the Steubenville convention for Catholic High School students this summer. Congratulations to two outstanding members of our parish!

Buddy Dixon with the Arkansas Travelers team mascot, Shelley.

108 Sacred Heart Men's Club members, wives and friends participated in the second annual Take Me Out To the Ballgame trip.  The attendees gathered at the Sacred Heart Church parking lot on Monday, June 17, 2013 and boarded two buses from the Ouachita Bus Line Co., leaving at 4:30 p.m. headed for North Little Rock.  Along the way the attendees received a package of "in the shell" roasted peanuts that went along with the song "Take Me Out To the Ballgame, Buy Me Some Peanuts, etc.".  Upon arriving at Dickey-Stephens Ballpark, home of the Arkansas Travelers baseball team, a dinner consisting of hamburgers and hot dogs and all the fixings was waiting.  After a prayer, led by Fr. Bill, the attendees ate their fill and were ready for the ballgame which started at 7:10 p.m.  The Travelers were playing their arch rivals, the Naturals from Northwest Arkansas, and unfortunately lost 5-2.  After the game the attendees again boarded the buses for the trip home, arriving at 11:30 p.m.  A good time was had by all and the Men's Club thanks Buddy Dixon, and his wife Martha, for all the hard work they put in to plan and execute a great outing.

Click on Photos for more photos of this event.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Essay Winners: (l-r) Jacob Semmler, Jonathan Semmler, Ashley Bonilla and Chloe Calhoun.

The following are winners of the writing contest sponsored by the Arkansas Catholic newspaper:  Ashely Bonilla, Chloe Calhoun and Jonathan Semmler, all of the ninth grade; and, Jacob Semmler of the fifth grade.  They each answered the question, "How do you counter inappropriate TV shows and movies contrary to your faith?"  I am proud of our winners and grateful to all the students in our Sacred Heart religion classes who made the effort to submit an entry.  Be sure and look for the winners' pictures and articles in the newspaper section "Youthspeak" of an upcoming issue of your Arkansas Catholic.

The Knights of Columbus, with the cooperation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Right-to-Life Committee, will soon conclude the Baby Bottle Campaign for the Pro-Life support of our parish, the Pregnancy Centers in Garland and Saline Counties, and the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Fund that is saving the lives of babies every day.  Please give generously.  If you have not returned your Baby Bottle, please do so this coming week by placing it in the playpen in the narthex.  We need to have all bottles returned to cut costs of this campaign.  Thank you.

Fortnight for Freedom, a two-week period of prayer, study and action called for by the United States Bishops to address many current challenges to religious liberty, will come to a close Thursday, July 4. The daily 9:00 a.m. Mass will be followed by the recitation of the Patriotic Rosary.  For those who have never experienced this, it is inspirational.  Please plan to come Thursday, July 4, for Mass, the Patriotic Rosary and a reception immediately following in the Lower Hall.  Refreshments will be provided by members of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Respect Life Committee.  God bless America.

Please also go to the http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/fortnight-for-freedom/fortnight-for-freedom-reflections.cfm for more ways to enter into this 14-day observance with Catholics, and hopefully others, throughout the United States.  

Helping Hands Coordinators - Cathy Wedwick and Pat Widlowski

On April 29^th approximately 80 people gathered in the Lower Hall of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church to have dinner and to receive thanks for their efforts over the past year as Helping Hands Volunteers.  The Helping Hands ministry of the church is a volunteer activity to provide a variety of services as well as support to parishioners in need. There are over 170 active volunteers that provide transportation, visits to the homebound, respite breaks for caregivers, provide meals, operate a buddy phone chain, and send greeting cards to those on the parish prayer list.

The Helping Hands Coordinators are Cathy Wedwick and Pat Widlowski and together they served as the hostesses for the dinner that was catered by Home Plate along with a beautiful decorated “Thank You” cake from Cranford’s. Cathy and Pat thanked the volunteers for their enthusiastic responses to all the needs over the past year. This included over 5,575 miles driven taking people to doctor appointments or grocery shopping or whatever special need someone might have. There were almost 900 volunteer hours logged in providing assistance and more than 2,000 greeting cards sent by volunteers. 

The program is being expanded this year to included visits to care facilities in addition to the homebound visits. These visits to care facilities will be to provide a friendly face and will be in addition to the Eucharist Minister visits that also occur for Sacred Heart parishioners in these facilities.  Cathy and Pat thanked those attending for making the ministry very successful.  A few other Hot Springs Village churches that have become aware of the program have asked Cathy and Pat for information to help them begin a similar program.  The parishioners of Sacred Heart are very appreciative of the services that are available and benefit from the unselfish giving of time by the Helping Hands volunteers.