Parish Hand & Foot members invite all parishioners to meet each month for a fun evening of cards.  Hand & Foot is a great game that only takes a few minutes to learn.  Transmit an e-mail to Ed Harrigan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 915-0314 for more information.  Current members are asked to transmit their e-mail addresses to enhance communication.  We play September through May.  Send $8 per couple; $4 per single, $5 per substitute couple, and $2.50 for single substitute to SHHFC, Ed Harrigan, 320 Maderas Drive, 71909, before August 15.  Please include your e-mail address.

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.

Pictured in the first row are Dianne Gleason, JoAnn O’Brien and Mary Ann Honzik; second row, Dave Witchger, Chris Gleason, Mike Frantz, and Terry O’Brien; and top row, John Bodensteiner and Larry Lipsmeyer.

The parish Treasure Sale will be held on Friday and Saturday, September 28/29.  To collect donations, the following dates have been scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon:   August 8, 11, 22; September 8, 19, 22, 24, 25, 26.  Call Chris or Mike Frantz at 922-5877 or Lucy or Marvin Young at 915-8028 for more information or to arrange a pick-up of donations.  More information about the sale and volunteer sign-up forms are on a table in the hallway.

John Bodensteiner is once again coordinating the Treasure Sale with the assistance of new member and co-coordinator Chris Gleason.  Financials will be handled by David Witchger.  Terry and JoAnn O'Brien will oversee floor sales, while Tom Yerina and volunteers to his committee are in charge of setting up the church hall for the sale.  Information regarding collection dates and requests for assistance in getting donations to the church is being handled by Mike Frantz and Marvin Young.  The job or sorting and pricing donations is in the very capable hands of committee chairs Claudia Keearns and Mary Ann Honzik.  Deacon Lipsmeyer juggles all the miscellaneous matters that fall to no specific committee's oversight, and Kathy Geske is handling publicity.

With 900 plus parish households assisting with their donations, as well as by their participation in the various Treasure Sale committee activities, the 2012 Treasure Sale is promising to be another resounding success.  While the coordinators and committee chairs have a busy summer to look forward to, their dedication along with the support of willing parishioners will guarantee the end result of jobs well done. 

Join others in your parish and throughout Arkansas on a pilgrimage to the magnificent Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament of Our Lady of Angels Monastery in Alabama.  Stops include Ave Maria Grotto at St. Bernard Benedictine Abbey and EWTN Studios in Birmingham.  Enjoy Masses, spiritual talks and be on a live TV show.  It's a great time to be refreshed in mind and soul.  Cost is $220 which includes the bus trip and two night motel (based on double occupancy). Pay $100 deposit now to reserve your seat. Call Marj Hunecker at 501-568-5390.  The bus will leave from St. Theresa's Church in Little Rock.

The Rosary Makers had an outstanding year.  They sent over 9,000 rosaries this year alone.  This total is almost 2,000 more rosaries than last year and it brings their grand total since the group began to over 46,00 rosaries.  The rosaries are sent to countless missions, schools and military groups in the United States and around the world.  The Rosary Makers do not meet during the summer months and will begin again on Thursday, September 6 in classrooms C & D in the A & E Building.  For more information about this group, call Delores Griffin at 915-0826.

(Pictured l-r) Dee Griffin, Marge Newburn, Arlene Thompson, Rose Kutsch, Heidi Hubanek, Terry Heisler, Phyliss Zappala, P.J. Jendro, Mary Lucas, Barbara Shurtleff, Marguarita Butler, Betty Maier, Jean Krantz.  Missing is Carol Cruz..

The Arkansas Knights on Bikes are part of the National Knights on Bikes Catholic Motorcycle Ministry.  We are looking for new members to join us.  The only requirements to join our group include the fact that you own, or anticipate owning, a motorcycle capable of highway speed; and, be a First-Degree Knight in the Knights of Columbus.  For information, contact Michael Huber, President, Knights on Bike Arkansas, 479-387-4751.  E-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or go online for www.KnightsonBikesArkansas.

Hello Everyone,

I want to share with you some photos I recently received of the construction on the church in Lowoi, Diocese of Torit, South Sudan. These photos are already a few weeks old, and the work has likely been completed by now. The Diocese celebrated its patronal feastday on June 29 (Sts. Peter and Paul), and South Sudan just celebrated its one-year anniversary as a new nation on July 1, so it may be a little longer before I'm able to share with you photos of the completed project, which I will do as soon as I receive them.  Check  photo album for more pictures.

But as you can see the entire structure of beams to support the roof were already in place when the photos were taken, and seems to be very professionally done, praise God.

When I was in South Sudan in May, things were very peaceful, though the economy was noticeably depressed. Pressure from the international community helped both sides to back away from increasing tensions, though the north still has to comply with troop withdrawals from the Abyei region. International loans and promised investment has helped to shore up the economy a little, too. There are still many challenges for South Sudan to face, but they are an amazingly resilient people, loved and blessed by God in a special way.

Thank you again for all your assistance and collaboration in making this miracle possible for the people in Lowoi. It's a great gesture of encouragement for them and a reminder that God is still mindful of them, too.

God bless,
Fr. Herald

"I Corinthians" Little Rock Scripture Study at Sacred Heart will begin on Tuesday, June 12, for women only, from noon until 2:00 p.m.  On Wednesday, June 13, for men and women, from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.  The Scripture Study is a nine week class, with no classes on June 26/27, or July 3/4.  The last class will be on August 28/29.  If you cannot make the class every week, we would still love to have you come when you can.  Please call Mickey Townsend at 922-0705 or sign up in the narthex.  Your study guide/commentary can be purchased at www.littlerockscripture.org/en/Studies.aspx?ID=106 or purchased at class on June 12/13.

Fr. Bill presenting plaque to Mary Ann Miller.

All of us at Sacred Heart send a very warm thank you to Mary Ann Miller for her dedicated service to the music ministry.  Mary Ann has directed the Sunday Choir for over eight years and has decided it is time to officially retire.  She and Ed will be able to travel more and visit with their children and grand children.  Thank you, Mary Ann for your years of dedication to Sacred Heart and the music program.

The Young Catholic Musicians in concert at Sacred Heart.

They came.  They sang and played.  And, did they ever entertain!  They are, The Young Catholic Musicians, a talented group of musicians, from St. Louis, Missouri.  The young musicians performed an amazing Country & Western Jamboree concert at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church on Saturday, June 9 at 7:30 p.m. in front of approximately 300 parishioners and guests.  The musicians performed over seventeen selections which included “Red Hot Country Revue” with highlights from Boot Scootin’ Boogie; Your Cheatin’ Heart; Stand By Your Man; I Never Promised You A Rose Garden and Hey Good Lookin’ to “Red Hot Country Boogie” that featured Born to Boogie; Hillbilly Rock and Boogie & Beethoven.  The energy of this group was contagious and you couldn't help but join in singing The Yellow Rose of Texas and Deep In the Heart of Texas, audience participation sing-a-longs.

After the concert, The Young Catholic Musicians were provided overnight housing with fifteen Sacred Heart of Jesus families.  The Knights of Columbus provided breakfast on Sunday for the host families, the young musicians and their parent/chaperons.

Under the direction of Fr. Bruce Forman, The Young Catholic Musicians, represent over forty parishes throughout the Archdiocese of St. Louis.  There are a total of forty-two musicians that make up this group; seventeen instrumentalists and twenty-five vocalists.  They range in ages from 10-18 years old.  This group leads the liturgical music at a different church once a month, performs two concerts during the school year and takes those concerts on tour during the summer.  In the week before arriving at Sacred Heart they performed a concert at St. Pius X. Parish in Tulsa; Six Flags and City Hall in Dallas; Moody Gardens and NASA in Houston.  The musicians also led the singing of the National Anthem prior to the Cardinal/Astros baseball game on June 6.

The Young Catholic Musicians ended their program with a selection made popular by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Happy Trails.  They said they do not like to say goodbye, instead they believe in “Happy trails to you, till we meet again.”  All of us wish this wonderful, vibrant and dynamic group “Happy trails to you, till WE meet again.”