Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church
Hot Springs Village, Arkansas
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Ed Voss, Dick Hill, Jim Passe, & Chuck Ralph cooking at the Men's Club Steak Dinner
Over 160 Men’s Club members, their wives, and widows of previous Men’s Club members, gathered for a year ending steak dinner on Tuesday, May 8th.  The steaks were grilled by Rick Hiemenz and his staff of 10 helpers who all received Men’s Club caps for all the hard work they’ve put in during the Men’s Club 2011-2012 year.  Fr. Bill made 6 different flavors of ice cream for the dinner with the Snickers ice cream being voted the favorite.  Fr. Bill also received a Men’s Club hat for all the hard work put in by him on behalf of the Men’s Club during the year.  Members of the Men’s Club that were leaders of the various committees were recognized, as well as the outgoing officers for this year and the incoming officers for next year.  Afterwards, the winning quartet from the Valentine Day party, lead us in a rendition of “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”, and a reminder to sign up for the Men’s Club sponsored baseball trip to Little Rock on June 4th. The evening was closed by those attending, forming a circle along the walls of the lower hall and singing the hymn “Let There Be Peace On Earth”.
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Helping Hands Ministry Co Chairs Cathy Wedwick (r) and Pat Widlowski greet Father Bill Elser, Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, prior to the recognition dinner for volunteers.
On Thursday, April 19, the Helping Hands Ministry of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church hosted a dinner to say “thank you” to the many volunteers that donate their services to the ministry.  Cathy Wedwick and Pat Widlowski, co chairs of the ministry, welcomed the 60 guests to the Lower Hall of Sacred Heart Church.  In remarks before the meal, they reported on the impact that the 145 volunteer members of the Helping Hands Ministry have in the parish.  Volunteers provide rides to medical appointments, visit the homebound, prepare meals, send greeting cards to the sick and shut ins, maintain a Buddy phone service, drive and assist in shopping and provide special needs when required.   Over the past year volunteers have logged over1, 100 hours of service as well as almost 5,000 miles driven.  Cathy and Pat also took time to give special recognition to those volunteers that have played and are playing a key role in leading the Helping Hands Ministry including Ann Bowman, Donna Brown, Marilyn Burke, Kathy Geske, Gail Harmeyer, A. J. Keating and Astrid Wolf.

Father Bill Elser, Pastor of Sacred Heart Church, also spoke to the gathering.  He thanked the volunteers for their unselfish service noting that there are always new needs arising within the parish community.  Helping Hands volunteers Sissie Arnoult, Ed Cudworth, Mike Miller and Jack Widlowski served the dinner, catered by Home Plate.  Father Bill also brought along some of his homemade ice cream which the group enjoyed as dessert served with a special cake that had been made for the event which included a big “THANK YOU” decoration.

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Paula Doyle (center) is welcomed to the Sacred Heart Men’s Club April meeting by Program Director Buddy Dixon (left) and President Bill Patterson.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus Men’s Club held their April meeting on April 10th.  The guest speaker for the meeting was Paula Doyle, a Sacred Heart parishioner and a Spiritual Director.  Buddy Dixon, the Men’s Club Program Director, introduced Paula and gave a summary of her background and education.  Paula is a trained, professional Spiritual Director having achieved her certification through a one-year internship that followed her receiving a master’s degree.  Since this is a relatively new field of spiritual activity for many of those attending the meeting, Paula explained what a person should expect from their sessions with a Spiritual Director and how the process works.  She explained that it is a “holy conversation” where the person tells his or her own story about the state of their faith journey.  It is not intended to be therapy, counseling, teaching, bible study or directive.  Rather it is an exploration to help the person explore what your life is all about and what it is that you want to achieve.  In many ways it is similar to what a personal trainer might do in a fitness center by encouraging you to achieve you best in your exercise routine to strengthen and tone your body.  Here the Spiritual Director will encourage you to achieve your best in strengthening your faith and your personal relationship with God.  It is done individually and confidentially and for Sacred Heart parishioners it is now done at no cost to the individual.  Sessions are usually held once a month.

Following her presentation, Paula answered many questions from the floor.  Paula also encouraged anyone interested in additional information or wanting to schedule an appointment to contact her at (501) 922-5771 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  The men attending the meeting were very appreciative of the time Paula gave to explain this new and interesting process.

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Father Bill Elser, Pastor, greets guest at the Sacred Heart Men’s Club Fish Bake.
Over 400 people turned out on Friday, March 30, for the Sacred Heart Men’s Club Fish Bake.  Guests enjoyed an excellent dinner of baked fish, potatoes, vegetables, Cole slaw and bread.  Again this year, Father Bill Elser, Pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, donated his now infamous homemade ice cream.  The young people from the parish took orders and served the ice cream to raise money for the CCD religious education program.  Men’s Club members spent much of the day preparing the dinners.  Guests arrived for two settings, at 5:00 and 6:30, seated by the maître d’ and waiters served their dinners.  The proceeds from the Fish Bake are donated by the Men’s Club to parish and community charities.

Check the Photos section of the Men's Club web site for more photos of this event.

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Getting ready to serve the meal at the Samaritan Ministries’ facility are (l. to r.) Bob Heisler, Kathleen Nosek, Dick Hill, Janice Spaniel, Marvin Young, Milt Spaniel and Greg Rogers.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus Men’s Club has been a financial supporter of Samaritan Ministries of Hot Springs.  Some Men’s Club members also volunteer at the ministries’ facility.  Samaritan Ministries serves homeless men in the Hot Springs community providing food, clothing, shelter, training and encouragement.  Recently the Men’s Club decided to take its’ support one more step and under the direction of Mike Kerwin will serve the dinner meal at the facility one day a month.  Club members and their spouses prepare the meal and bring it to the Samaritan Ministries facility in Hot Springs where it is served.  The March meal consisted of Cajun Chicken Jambalaya, a vegetable casserole, tossed salad, rolls, devil eggs and apple pie for dessert.  Participating for the Men’s Club in March were Bob and Colleen Heisler, Dick Hill, Bill and Kathleen Nosek, Greg and Rosemary Rogers, Milt and Janice Spaniel and Marvin and Lucy Young.

Check the Photos section of the Men's Club web site for more photos of this event.

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Father Bill Elser (left holding a bible) and Mickey Townsend look at the flyer from Little Rock Scripture Studies to be distributed by Sacred Heart at Easter.
Father Bill Elser and Mickey Townsend of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church heard the call to get God's Word to all people in all situations.  Bible study is not limited to a building or a group.  While Mickey was leading the 'Gospel of John' scripture study, a man walked in and lovingly expressed, "My wife is too sick to come here but I know she would like to have a study to do on her own. Where can I get one?" This really touched Mickey’s heart and it was obvious that there are many people who could be in this situation.  Mickey approached the Little Rock Scripture Study organization and they have put a flyer together for our church promoting individual studies done in ones home.  The flyer will be provided in Sacred Heart’s Easter weekend bulletins.  Those interested can also find information at littlerockscripture.org or by calling Little Rock Scripture Study at 501-664-6102 to obtain bible studies you can do at home on your own.

Through out the year, Mickey leads Little Rock Scripture Study Programs for women of all denominations on Tuesdays. The same study is held on Wednesdays for Catholic men and women. For more information call Mickey at 501-922-0705.

1023The Sacred Heart Singles, and interested couples, will be visiting Holly Springs, Mississippi on September 7 and 8.  This town was untouched by the Civil War and has over 50 ante-bellum homes.  We will visit the Walter Place Estate and gardens.  Walk through Hillcrest Cemetery where several Civil War Generals are buried.  We will eat some of the best "down home" cooking that this little town has to offer.

We will also visit the area where Hummingbirds migrate through Mississippi.  We will be able to witness banding and releasing of these tiny creatures.

Cost is $249 per person/double occupancy all inclusive plus 1 breakfast, lunch and dinner.

To reserve your space, please mail a $50 deposit to Eileen Boecher, 20 Vilafranca Lane, along with the name of your roommate by April 15.

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Ray Ambrozich, far right, prepares the Men’s Club volunteer crew to begin litter pickup along Highway 7.
Volunteers from Sacred Heart Men’s Club met Saturday morning, March 17, at a parking lot along Highway 7 to pick up litter along the road.  In the drizzle, the ten volunteers collected over 10 bags of litter from each side of the highway.  Under the direction of Ray Ambrozich, the Men’s Club coordinator for this activity, volunteers assist in litter pickup on the Sacred Heart designated portion of Highway 7 a few times a year.  Sacred Heart Men’s Club meets monthly at Sacred Heart Church and is open to all men of the parish and men who are spouses of parish members.

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Photo courtesy the Arkansas Catholic
The Diocese of Little Rock has raised $620,000 toward building its House of Formation for men who are discerning a vocation to the priesthood or for seminarians taking college courses in Little Rock.

The diocese announced in August that the house would be located in the former Sisters of Mercy convent at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Little Rock.  After further investigation, it was decided that it was more cost effective for the building to be torn down and a new building be erected on the site.

The 6,000-square-foot building will feature a kitchen, meeting room/library, dining room, common area, chapel, 10 student rooms with private baths and apartments for the vocations director, Msgr. Scott Friend, and assistant vocations director, Msgr. Richard Oswald.  The initial estimate for the project is $900,000, but that does not include site work, furnishings and architect fees.

Groups have come forward already to sponsor two of the rooms in the house.  The state Knights of Columbus council donated $187,000 to sponsor the chapel.  Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Hot Springs Village pledged $50,000 toward the dining room.  Catholic Extension Society has committed a $100,000 matching grant to the project and will donate $50,000 more if another $200,000 can be raised by Sept. 30.

Demolition on the old convent, which was used until 2009 for religious education classes and offices, will begin this month.  Construction is expected to be completed this fall.

In his audio homily to promote the Catholic Arkansas Sharing Appeal Feb. 4-5, Bishop Anthony B. Taylor said the diocese will borrow the remaining money needed for construction from the Seminarian Endowment Fund and repay it from CASA donations.

Msgr. Friend said he is hopeful the house will raise the profile of diocesan seminarians.  Currently, eight men are living in the temporary House of Formation at St. John Center in Little Rock.  When they are not attending classes at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock or studying, the men are able to participate in parish and diocesan events and get to know local Catholics, he said.

"It's been a great tool because I have a place (where they can come to discern)," Msgr. Friend said.  "I have had three more requests from people,  It's really sparked interest because we are here in the diocese.  It's been a real positive experience...It builds a sense of community."

Msgr. Friend said the diocese wanted the House of Formation to be based at a parish, and Good Counsel Church was chosen for the site because of its location near UALR and diversity of the parish and neighborhood.

"Good Gounsel represents well what the Church is," he said.  "We are universal.  Catholics are all over the world. This gives the guys the experience of seeing that.  I also think there is a benefit to being in that particular area because we need to be mindful of the fact that we are here to serve people.  Even though we don't take a vow of poverty, we are called to a simple lifestyle.  We want to make sure our surroundings are like that.  Having it based in a parish (is good because that is) where we work most of the time as priests.

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Dannet Botkin explains the new Resident Ambassador Program to the Sacred Heart Men’s Club at the club’s March meeting.
There were two special guests at the March meeting of the Sacred Heart Men’s Club; Dannet Botkin, Marketing Manager for the POA, and her father Dan Botkin.  Following dinner, Dannet gave a presentation to the club outlining the plans that have been put in place to market Hot Springs Village and the results achieved to date.  The marketing program that is being put in place is targeting those people 40 to 65 years of age who are planning for retirement and have money to spend.  The plan is utilizing all mediums to reach potential homebuyers including print media, direct mail and emails.  In addition 12 micro websites have been established each focusing on a different theme such as golf, fishing, entertainment, etc. to showcase the many diversified aspects of the Village.  Dannet is also using various other techniques to expose the Village including participating in trade shows and partnering with the Board of Realtors and the Chamber of Commerce to offer tours to visitors.

A survey of those who recently moved into the Village shows that over 50% chose Hot Springs Village after learning about it from a friend or family that lives here.  Recognizing this trend, a new program has been established called a Resident Ambassador.   This program is offered to encourage residents to expose their family and friends to the Village and to qualify for discounts and prizes.  There are other special and unique activities planned to gain exposure to the Village including such things as a Media Day, a Triathlon in June, States Weeks where visitors from a state can use amenities at resident rates and a Real Estate Open House Day featuring lunch at participating restaurants.

Although Dannet has been on the job for a very short time there are already some impressive results.  In addition, Hot Springs Village will be declared as one of the five best retirement centers in the US in an upcoming issue of Newsweek magazine.  Following the presentation Dannet took questions from those attending and her talk was very much appreciated.

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Father Herald Brock visited Sacred Heart Catholic Church as a Missionary Friar to lead a Day of Reflection and to ask for assistance for the people of South Sudan, Africa.
As part of its Lenten Programs in preparation for the celebration of Easter, Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church hosted a day of reflection on Saturday, March 3rd.  Father Herald J. Brock of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal was the program presenter.  Over 100 Sacred Heart parishioners and guests participated in the day which began with a mass at 9 AM.  Following mass, Father Brock led a discussion based on the life and impact of Blessed John Paul II.  He emphasized the important role that John Paul II played in encouraging the Catholic Church at a very difficult time and how he rose above the suffering in his own life to emphasize the dignity of the human person.  Participants were invited to bring a lunch and to join together eating in the church’s Lower Hall with beverages and desserts provided by the Ladies of Sacred Heart guild members.

Father Brock remained at Sacred Heart church to preach the homily at each of the weekend masses.  In his sermon Father Brock reflected on how we all face temptations which are forms of a trial.  We then emerge from these trials transfigured by having accepted and choose Christ’s way forward.  In addition, Father Brock talked passionately about his new assignment as a Missionary Friar.  He is traveling the world to bring to light the great struggles of the Christian people of South Sudan, Africa.  Having emerged from a devastating war of many years in order to remain Christian, the new country of South Sudan is desperately in need of assistance rebuilding churches, hospitals and schools. The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal have been supporting the people of South Sudan and are planning on continuing that in the future.  Father Brock asked for both the prayers and the financial assistance of the Sacred Heart parishioners to aid in this important effort.

prayershawlThe Ladies of the Sacred Heart sponsor a Shawl Ministry for the parish.  Members meet the first Tuesday of the month at 1:00 p.m. in one of the classrooms.  New knitters and crocheters are always welcome.  (We are very grateful that the parish covers our expenses).  We make shawls for anyone who is ill, old, cold or in need of spiritual comfort, and Father Bill or Deacon Bernie bless them.  We usually give them out after our monthly meeting of the Ladies of the Sacred Heart on the second Monday morning each month, September through May.  You can also call Pat Maher at 922-6258 if you need a shawl for someone or, if you need more information.
soldier_praying_by_noodleboy88Do you have a family member, relative or loved one, currently serving in the United States Military?  Would you like to have them remembered in prayer by our parish family here at Sacred Heart of Jesus?  We have a prayer board in the narthex, where the names of those actively serving our country in the military are posted.  If you wish to have a loved one included on this prayer list, please write his/her name on the slip of paper provided, and place it in the basket in the narthex.  You can include the rank and branch of service.  We lift up in prayer all the courageous men and women who volunteer their service to protect our precious freedoms.
FRONING-JOHN-161From Deacon John:  Several people have asked for a copy of last weekend’s homily and sometimes reading something on paper doesn’t have the same effect as hearing it.   So we have posted an audio file of the homily.  I suggest that you take time before listening to the homily to reread Sunday’s first reading (Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25) and the Gospel (Mark 2: 1-12).   These readings really set the stage for the homily.   I hope this provides some thoughts for the Lenten Season.

Forgive, Forget, Future{mp3}homily_2012-02-19{/mp3}

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Father Bill Elser, Pastor of Sacred Heart Church, welcomed parishioners and quests to the first Wednesday evening program and shared some stories about his recent trip to Japan.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church celebrated Ash Wednesday with two masses during which ashes were placed on the foreheads of parishioners.  The “Day of Ashes”, as it is officially known, always falls on a Wednesday 40 days before Easter, not counting Sundays.  The ashes come from the burning of the palms that were used in the prior year’s Palm Sunday celebration.  Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a period of fasting, abstinence and penance in preparation for the celebration of Easter.  The ashes also symbolize death and remind us of our mortality, calling us to repentance before this life is over.  When public penance was common back in the 5th and 6th centuries people would cover themselves in ashes and wear sackcloth as penance.  Beginning in the 8th or 9th century the custom of placing ashes on foreheads became common and continues today as a tradition in many Christian churches including the Roman Catholic Church.

In addition to the masses on Ash Wednesday, Sacred Heart kicked off a Lenten Wednesday evening program.  Each Wednesday during Lent a light supper will be served in the church’s Lower Hall.  The Parish Life Council, chaired by Mickey Townsend and Bill Hurley, coordinate the supper arrangements.  Following supper there will be a special educational program that initially will be video presentations by Michael Cumbie of the Micah Project.  These dynamic and often humorous lectures will be discussing areas of sacramental theology and liturgical worship.  A Mass will follow the lectures each Wednesday evening.  On Ash Wednesday Father Bill Elser, Pastor of Sacred Heart Church, was very pleased as he welcomed more than 300 parishioners participating in the first supper/video/mass program.

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There was a very large group for the picture of those married 50 years or more that were attending the Sacred Heart Men’s Club Valentine’s Party.
n Valentine’s Day the Sacred Heart Men’s Club held their monthly meeting as a special Valentine’s salute to sweethearts.  Approximately 120 members and their wives or girl friends along with widows of club members attended.  The ladies were presented with a decorated red rose.  Following dinner the program for the evening was “Men’s Club Men Got Talent”.  Buddy Dixon served as M.C. as four men from each of three tables selected at random came forward to sing a short oldie but goodies tune.  Those attending were asked to vote by their applause for the quartet that had the most talent.  Voted the most talented was the group that included Bernie Bauer, Ed Keearns, Bill Nosek and Milt Spaniel.  Following the program all couples married 50 years or more were asked to come forward to be recognized and a group picture was taken.  The couple married the longest was Bernie and Marilyn Bauer, celebrating 65 years of marriage and also both were celebrating their birthdays in February.

The Sacred Heart Men’s Club meets monthly at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church.  Membership in the club is open to all men that are members of Sacred Heart or whose spouse is a member.  Information about the club is available at their website, hsvmensclub.com.