Dear fellow parishioners,
It has been said there is a time and place for everything.
In 2003, having reached the magic age of 75, by Diocesan Retirement Policy I was required to retire from formal and assigned ministry as a Permanent Deacon. Fortunately, our good Bishop Sartain and our pastor Monsignor Malone permitted me to continue to serve in the ministry here at Sacred Heart.
Today, almost nine years later, because of family responsibilities, it is necessary for me to activate retirement and Father Bill has graciously accepted my request.
You, the present and past members of this parish, Father Rossi, Monsignor Malone, Father Bill, my fellow deacons and their wives, and especially my dear wife Suzy have been and are a continuing source of inspiration and joy.
Suzy and I are blessed to be part of this parish family. Our plan is to remain in the Village. Fortunately, we enjoy reasonably good health and most of our family is not far away.
Thank you for the many acts of kindness, encouragement and the love and friendship you have given us. Together we have traveled with you - and will continue to travel with you - the road of our Catholic faith. May God bless you and yours always.
Sincerely in Christ,
Deacon Wally and Suzy
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| Preparing for their fist meeting of the Sacred Heart Pastoral Council are (l. to r.) Jan Winters, Marcia Bresnahan, Jan Lipsmeyer, Mary Ellen Costello, Father Bill Elser, Ed Keearns, Bill Hurley, Don Ritter, and Dave Hill. Missing is Mickey Townsend. |
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| Sacred Heart parishioners processing into church with their lighted candles. |
The possibility of having the Treasure Sale this year, and in future years, depends on a couple of things. Deacon Larry Lipsmeyer and John Bodensteiner have agreed to run the sale this year if they can get some people to work with them who will take over the running of the sale for the next couple of years. If you would like to find out what is involved, please contact Deacon Larry at 922-3283. The start of the organization needs to be scheduled in February in order to be sure that we have the hall scheduled for the sale and for the days of collection. There was a problem loading image 'images/stories/lens1847939_1232289791baby-face.gif'
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Forty Days for Life begins on Ash Wednesday, February 22. Our parish will cover praying in from of the Abortion Mill in Little Rock on Wednesday, February 28, from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. Next week a sign-up sheet will be available for those who are able to go to the clinic on our appointed afternoon. Anyone is welcome to stop and praqy for 15 minutes or longer, anytime, during these 40 days. Please call Rosemary at 501-781-6108 with any questions. 
Do you like to meet people? It is time to sign-up to meet new and old friends for a pleasant evening of food and camaraderie. Sacred Heart Sociable Six is the organization for you to join. We meet three times, taking turns hosting. A brunch or simple meal is all that a host/hostess needs to plan. We will be starting the Spring Social Six in February. Call Jan Winters at 922-0526, or e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to sign-up or get more information on this friendly social event. Your group listings and any other pertinent information will be sent to you in early February.  |
| Sacred Heart parishioner board the bus to Little Rock to participate in the March for Life. |
A nine-week program designed for individuals who have been baptized in another faith tradition and now desire to learn more about the Catholic faith and hopefully come into full communion with the Church, will begin on Thursday, February 2. The sessions will run for nine consecutive Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. If you know of anyone who might be interested, ask them to call Deacon Froning or Deacon Lipsmeyer.  |
| Fr. Bill Elser demonstrating that he can use his smart phone to down load the app for Liturgy of the Hours devotions. |
Under Father Bill’s direction, Sacred Heart has initiated a few new prayer activities recently. The first is the reciting of the Patriotic Rosary. Once a month at mass the Patriotic Rosary is recited as a prayer for our country, our leaders and those who have sacrificed for our liberty. It is usually done coinciding with an appropriate national day of recognition such as Veterans Day or Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
The second prayer activity recently initiated is to pray the morning prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours prior to the start of mass on Monday through Friday. The Liturgy of the Hours is a common prayer started in the days of the very early Christian church. The prayer grew out of the Jewish tradition of praying at specific times of the day and from Jesus’s teaching, as recorded in the bible, for all to pray at all times. Ordained priests and religious of the Catholic Church are obliged to daily pray the morning and evening prayers from the Liturgy of the Hours. In this way the Church offers a common prayer to Christ and with Christ to sanctify the entire day. The Liturgy of the Hours prayer is built around scripture and includes readings from the old and new testaments, the psalms, songs of praise and specific prayers. The Liturgy can be done in a group with a leader, such as a priest or a deacon, or privately by an individual. There are books available to help facilitate those wishing to do the Liturgy as well as an app that can be downloaded to your smart phone, which Fr. Bill then demonstrated.
Father Bill concluded his remarks by calling on the men of the Sacred Heart Men’s Club to become “prayer warriors”.
On Monday, January 9, approximately 45members of the Sacred Heart Singles gathered for their monthly meeting in the hall at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church. There was a delicious potluck dinner followed by a variety of games. After the games, Father Bill treated the group to his homemade ice cream. Everyone enjoyed the fun, good food and fellowship.
(Pictured) Father Bill (third from left), Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, joined the Sacred Heart Singles for their January meeting.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church provides food baskets to needy families at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. The program is funded by donations by various organizations within Sacred Heart Church as well as gifts by individual parishioners. This year the Sacred Heart Men’s Club was pleased to be able to donate $1,200 to the Christmas Basket Program as part of the club’s yearend donations.
(Pictured) Bill Patterson, President of Sacred Heart Men's Club, presents a check for $1,200 to Ed Keearns, Director of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church Christmas Basket program.
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| Jan Logan, Executive Director Samaritan Ministries, accepts a $1,000 donation at the ministres' Hot Springs facility from Danny Murphy, Seretary; Bill Patterson, President and Dick Hill, Men's Club member and volunteer at Samaritan Ministries. |
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| A donation of $1000 was presented by Danny Murphy to Amanda Maness, Site Director at McCauley Center in Hot Springs Village, designated for their Meals On Wheels Program. |
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| Dick Breckon addresses the December meeting of the Sacred Heart Men’s Club. |
The Sacred Heart Men’s Club meets monthly at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church. Membership is open to all men that are members of Sacred Heart Church.
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| Danny Murphy (l), club Secretary, and Bill Patterson (r), club President, present the club’s December Jackson House donation to Janie Smith, Executive Director of Jackson House. |
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| Fr. Bill Elser (seated left) joins the Sacred Heart Singles at their Christmas Party. |
The Sacred Heart Singles meets monthly and is open to anyone single that attends Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church. Ann Hooper and Eileen Boecher are the group coordinators.
Sacred Heart of Jesus will offer a four-week series entitled "Catholics Returning Home" beginning December 1, 2011. The sessions are for non-practicing Catholics who are seeking answers to questions about returning to the Church. If you know someone who has left the Church, please invite them to join us. For more information, call Ed or Pat Cudworth, 915-9122.