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| Joan Smith, a Sacred Heart parishioner, prepares to take a load of donated clothes from Sacred Heart Church to Harvey’s Chapel Baptist Church. |
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| L to R, Wayne Kapple, Marvin Young, Bill Hurley and Bill Janser. |
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| Bill Patterson (right), President of Sacred Heart Men’s Club, and Buddy Dixon (left), Program Chairman, welcome John Paul to the club’s October meeting. |
John spent time reviewing the discussions underway on changing the course greens from Bent Grass to Bermuda Grass. Hot Springs Village is in the “transition zone” from a weather standpoint which makes this a difficult issue. There is no perfect solution, just a series of pluses and minuses depending on which way you go. At this point no decision has been made and John emphasized that any change will be made slowly and only following careful evaluation and trials.
After briefly outlining the plans for renovations and improvements projects during the coming year John took questions from the audience. Bill Patterson, President of the Men’s Club, thanked John for his presentation and for taking time to stay and answer the member’s questions.
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| Tim Keating, (left) past Men's Club President receiving past president's plaque from current Men's Club President, Bill Patterson. |
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| Father Bill Elser (center) greets visitors to the Sacred Heart open house. |
In commenting on the Open House, Father Bill said that he was pleased to offer the Hot Springs Village community the opportunity to come and see Sacred Heart, both the church and the people of the church. He was excited to share all that Sacred Heart offers for the community and for its parishioners. Father Bill also commented that the Open House was a planned, public time to visit but guests are always welcome to visit the church and to explore what Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church has to offer.
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| Sacred Heart Habitat for Humanity volunteers (l-r) Tom Townsend, Bob Gordon, Gerald & Ann Krawczynski, Dick & Diane Condon and Pat & Mike Miller. Volunteers not pictures are Bob Bowman, Dave Johnston, Tom Shields, Roland White, Ruth Kerwin, Pat Perilloux, Dave Witchger and Fr. Bill Elser. |
The Sacred Heart work schedule will continue on Tuesday, November 1 and Wednesday, November 2. This can be a fun and personally rewarding experience. If you can make any of these dates, please e-mail or call Dave Witchger at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or 922-9058. An information and organization meeting will be held in the near future. If you want to learn about the local Garland County Habitat affiliate, check their website at www.habitatgc.org.
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| Deacon John Froning gathers with Sacred Heart parishioners and their pets at the church entrance for the pet blessing ceremony. |
After the prayers of thanksgiving to God for his goodness to humankind, the blessing was bestowed on each dog with a sprinkle of holy water to convey this holy act. One adventurous Westie had already tasted the holy water before the ceremony actually began to ensure it was of the highest holiest quality.
It was obvious that the four-legged companions of Sacred Heart’s parishioners had already received the greatest blessing of being owned by very caring and devoted humans. Several of the pets were adoptees from our local HSV shelter that now live the good life, safe and cozy with owners who had seen their promise and picked them to share home and hearth.
As the dogs and owners headed back to cars after this blessing ceremony ended, if you looked very carefully you might have noticed little halos shined to perfection bobbing above each furry head. After all the excitement, owners and pets looked forward to going home for some quiet restful naps. And in their hearts, all were smiling.
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| Father Bill Elser is busy serving some of his home made ice cream assisted by students from the religious education program. |
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| Student Hazel Bonilla takes an order from Bill Patterson, Men’s Club President, and his wife Diane. |
Members of the Men’s Club prepare the dinner and also serve as waiters. Over 400 guests enjoyed a baked chicken dinner with salad, bread, potato, vegetable and coffee. Father Bill Elser, Pastor of Sacred Heart, made several flavors of ice cream that were sold and served by youngsters from the religious education program to raise money for the program. Bill Patterson, President of the Men’s Club, said following the event that the club had exceeded their goal and was very pleased with the success of this year’s Chicken Bake. The Sacred Heart Men’s Club is open to men of Sacred Heart parish and spouses of Sacred Heart parishioners.
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| Pictured (L-R) are Fr. Bill Elser, Fr. Vic Bieberle, Jonathan Semmler, Bishop AnthonyTaylor, Camille Eisenhauer, and Monsignor Bernard Malone. |
A dinner, prepared and served by the Ladies of Sacred Heart, followed the service for the families and friends of these two most recently confirmed youngsters, as well as for Megan Shaffer and Dylan Kinkade, who were confirmed earlier this year.
Bishop Taylor offered the blessing before the meal, and joined Fr. Bill Elser, pastor, Monsignor Bernard Malone, retired pastor, and Fr. Vic Bieberle in participating in the festivities. Celebratory balloons decorated the tables and Fr. Elser’s homemade ice cream and Mary Parks’ banana/chocolate cake were served as the very special dessert.
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| Father Victor Bieberle (second from right) greets parishioners and guests following his anniversary celebration mass along with (from left) Father Rossi, Father Elser and Msgr. Malone. |
Born in Bushton, Kansas 85 years ago, he entered the priesthood in the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas. After a career that included both being a pastor at various parishes as well as serving as a military chaplain, Fr. Vic retired in 1995 and moved to Hot Springs Village. Over the past 15 years he has assisted in various capacities at Sacred Heart Church. Now he has decided it is time to return to Wichita to be close to his family and truly retire. The home in the Village is sold and Fr. Vic will be heading back to Kansas in a few weeks.
Parishioners and guests gathered at the mass that was followed by a reception in the Lower Hall. Father Bill Elser, Pastor of Sacred Heart, presided at the mass and at the conclusion he presented Father Vic with a portrait that had been made in his honor and that will be hung in the church narthex. At the reception a variety of food was available for the more than 300 guests in attendance, all of which had been prepared by approximately 70 women of the Ladies of Sacred Heart Guild. John McGrail, a Sacred Heart parishioner, presented a poem that he had prepared to honor Fr. Vic which was a very moving tribute to this long serving priest. Monsignor Bernard Malone, who along with Father Raymond Rossi are past Pastors of Sacred Heart, were in attendance and thanked Fr. Vic for all of his years of service in assisting them to serve the parishioners of Sacred Heart.
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| Father Bill Elser, Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, will be welcoming visitors to an Open House on October 9th |
RCIA is a journey, not just a series of classes. It is a time for those exploring the Catholic faith to take a walk with Jesus to learn His message of love, and allowing that message to change ones heart. However, everyone who comes to explore the Catholic faith has a different faith background and some even have varying experiences with the Catholic Church. It simply doesn't make sense for everyone to be in the same setting as they discern God's call in their life. As a result and to accommodate various needs, programs will be offered to facilitate the unique needs of those wishing to explore the way and faith of the Catholic Church and the community of believers at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church.
The Sacred Heart RCIA program is open to anyone wishing to explore the Catholic faith for the first time and also to those who may have "fallen away" from the church and wish to explore what the church is today. For more information and to learn if this program fits your unique situation please call either Deacon Larry Lipsmeyer (501-922-3283) or Deacon John Froning (501-226-5506).
An Open House will be held at the church on Sunday, October 9, at 2:00 p.m. A tour of the church will be given and questions will be answered about all aspects of the faith community at Sacred Heart. Refreshments (including some of Pastor Father Bill's famous ice cream) will be offered.
Scott Randall, General Manager of the Hot Springs Village Property Owners Association, and his wife Sandi were guests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church Men’s Club at the club’s Kickoff Dinner on Tuesday, September 13th. Over 160 members, spouses and widows of deceased members attended the potluck supper meeting which included brats cooked by the members. Following the meal Scott shared with the group his observations about the Village since his arrival earlier this year and his goals for the continued success of the Village in the future.
Scott and Sandi Randall (picture at left) enjoyed the fellowship at the Sacred Heart Men's Club Kickoff meeting prior to the POA General Managers talk.
This fall, from September 28 to November 6, our community is uniting with hundreds of other cities around the world for the largest and longest coordinated pro-life mobilization in history: the 40 Days for Life campaign. Recognizing that "with God all things are possible," people of faith are praying that this effort will help bring an end to the tragedy of abortion.40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life campaign that has already mobilized over 400,000 people worldwide, saved more than 4,300 lives from abortion, led to the conversion of 52 abortion workers, and seen 13 abortion facilities close. 40 Days for Life is made up of three components:
Prayer and Fasting: believers throughout our city are invited to join together for 40 days of fervent prayer and fasting for an end to abortion.
- Peaceful Vigil: stand for life during a 40-day peaceful public witness outside the Little Rock Family Planning at #4 Office Park Drive.
- Community Outreach: help take a positive, upbeat pro-life message to every corner of our city through media efforts, advocacy, and public visibility.
Do you have a family member, relative or loved one, currently serving in the United States Military? Would you like to have him/her remembered in prayer by our parish family here at Sacred Heart of Jesus?We would like to display a Prayer Board where the names of those actively serving our country in the Military will be posted. If you wish to have a loved one included on this prayer list, please write his/her name on the paper provided and place it in the basket in the narthex. You can include the rank and branch of service for each person listed. We lift up in prayer all the courageous men and women who volunteer their service to protect our precious freedoms.
Do you look forward to receiving the Little Blue Book (for Advent) and the Little Black Book (for Lent)? Both contain scriptural reflections and other useful information for each day of these special liturgical seasons. This year we will also be getting for our parishioners, the Little White Book (for Easter Season). If you would like to purchase additional copies of any of these "Little Books" for family members who live outside of our parish (for $1.00 per copy), please sign up in the Education Building hallway or download, print and fill out the Little Books Order Form. We will send in our bulk order by the middle of September. So, place your order as soon as possible. 
It is time to sign up to meet new and old friends for a pleasant evening of food and camaraderie. A brunch or simple meal is all that a host needs to plan. We meet three times, taking turns hosting for the evening. Can 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 the protocol for this lovely social event. You will then receive your group listings and any other pertinent information in early September. We are looking forward to a wonder Fall! 
We all need a prayer warrior in times of crisis - emergencies, surgery, imminent death or the loss of a loved one.Fourteen people in our parish are prepared to offer prayers at these and other critical times. All you need to do is call Kathy Oesterle at 922-3552, Suzy Gieringer at 915-9777, or Marcia Bresnahan at 922-9190 to get intercessory prayers started for you and/or your loved one.
You can also become a member of our parish prayer warriors by calling Kathy, Suzy or Marcia.