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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!
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| Buddy Dixon with the Arkansas Travelers team mascot, Shelley. |
Click on Photos for more photos of this event.
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| Sacred Heart of Jesus Essay Winners: (l-r) Jacob Semmler, Jonathan Semmler, Ashley Bonilla and Chloe Calhoun. |
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.
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| Helping Hands Coordinators - Cathy Wedwick and Pat Widlowski |
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.
Thank you to all the parishioners who made a commitment to participate in the ADOPT A BABY PROGRAM. Parishioners who have not already done so, still have an opportunity to "spiritually" adopt a child who is newly-conceived this month. You see, not all newly-conceived babies are allowed to be born. In fact, almost 4000 babies lose their lives to abortion each day. It is these babies, who are in danger of having their lives ended before birth, that you are being asked to "adopt".The "spiritual adoption" commitment cards are on the display table located in the narthex, and will be available through the end of April. You will be asked to name the child for whom you will be praying, thereby giving the child the humanity he or she deserves. Please take a card home, and pray a short prayer each day for the next nine months.
You will receive monthly reports in the bulletin describing your baby's development, and your child will be born in January, 2014. At that time we will have a baby shower and all Sacred Heart of Jesus parishioners will be invited to bring gifts, which will be donated to local Pregnancy Centers. Call Mary Ellen Costello at 922-3915 for more information.
On April 19, a Mass was concelebrated at the House of Formation in the Saint John Vianney Chapel by Father BIll Elser, State Chaplain for the Knights of Columbus, along with Monsignor Bernard Malone, Monsignor Richard Oswald, and Father Ruben Quinteros.The Arkansas Knights of Columbus donated the Chapel and Sacred Heart of Jesus financed the dining room.
Parishioner Diego Miceli prepared an Italian menu for the evening.
Click here to view additional photographs in the Photo Album.
The Village Interfaith Council invites members of all churches in the Village to attend an ecumenical program, Gospel Without Borders. This documentary film helps churches and participants rediscover the Bible's moral message and learn compelling stories about Christians of goodwill. The event will be held on Tuesday, April 23, 2013 from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in the Lower Hall of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church. Pastor, Father Bill Elser, welcomes all Villagers to come to the presentation. Refreshments will be served. The program will start with the viewing of a 31-minute film "Gospel Without Borders", followed by a panel discussion of prominent ecumenical leaders including the Most Reverend Anthony B. Taylor, Bishop of Little Rock and the Reverend Stephen J. Copley, Executive Director of Arkansas Interfaith Alliance.Gospel Without Borders puts a human face on the issue of immigration. It separates myth from fact, examines what the Bible says about treatment of the "stranger". It provides information for people of faith as they continue their quest for understanding and resolution for this matter. The documentary highlights stories in five states: Arizona, Arkansas, North Carolina, Alabama and Iowa. Each story has its own message, but they all come together and show that the Christian gospel is indeed without borders. For more information about Gospel Without Borders, go to:
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| Ann Bowman, League Secretary; (l-r) 1st Place Team The Travelers: Father Bill, Mary Eisenhauer, Diego and Teresa Miceli. |
Do you have a busy schedule with no time for yourself? Would you like some comfort and solace for today, and inspiration for tomorrow? We have many books and DVD's in our church library to fulfill that need. Watch or read on your own schedule...many of the books have short chapters (great for tired eyes and bedtime reading). Fight off the negative news of the day, while bolstering your faith. We will have many examples on display daily. Come in and check us out. You won't regret it! Easy entry from the narthex, next to the Chapel.  |
| Sacred Heart volunteers at the Habitat Apostle Build work site. |
Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church will start a new golf program for all parish members. This program will replace our monthly Choir Golf Outing and is open to everyone who would like to play golf and socialize. We will play nine holes the second Sunday afternoon of each month starting Sunday, April 14, and ending October 13, weather permitting. Couples and single players are welcome. If you have an interest in playing, please sign the sheet in the narthex with your name, e-mail address, and phone numbers. When we get a head count, we will e-mail you with more information. We will need seven days notice, prior to play date, in order to schedule all players. Call Bob Lennen at 922-1606 or Kent McAllister at 226-5094 with questions. 
Our weekend bulletin is an important way for us to communicate with you. Producing it every week could be very costly, but through our arrangement with the J. S. Paluch Company, the parish does not pay for the printing, saving thousands of dollars each year. The Paluch Company arranges for the bulletin to be supported through the generosity of the businesses that you see advertised on the back cover. Most of these advertisers are members of our local community, and many belong to our parish. So, please support these advertisers with your patronage. Tell the business owners that you appreciate their support of our parish through their advertisements in the bulletin. This is one small way that we can work within our own community to weather the economic challenges we face. A strong and vibrant parish is good for our community and a thriving business community is good for our parish. 
The messages of Our Lord to St. Faustina in private revelation were recorded in the saint's diary. She noted that Jesus told her:"My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. The soul that goes to Confession and receives Holy Communion will obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment."
The Divine Mercy continues with public recitation for the Chaplet of Divine Mercy immediately following the 9:00 a.m. Mass, Monday through Saturday, this week. If you can't join us, pray the novena intention and Chaplet on your own or as a family in your home.
We will celebrate the Feast of Divine Mercy with a Holy Hour at Sacred Heart of Jesus beginning at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 7. There will be song, solemn blessing and veneration of the Image of Mercy, adoration of the blessed Sacrament, praying the Chaplet of Mercy, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
A plenary indulgence has been attached to devotions in honor of Divine Mercy Sunday. This indulgence removes all the temporal punishment for sin.
In addition to the promises of Jesus, as related by Saint Faustina, for complete forgiveness of sin and punishment, a special plenary indulgence (under the usual conditions of a sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion, and a prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father) is granted to the faithful who are in the state of grace, having interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin, and who take part in the prayers held in honor of the Divine Mercy before the Blessed Sacrament. This means complete remission before God of the temporal punishment for sin, the guilt of which is forgiven. The faithful can gain these indulgences for themselves, or apply them for a soul in purgatory.
Our Finance Council is investigating the possibility of installing something called a "Hearing Loop" in our church which would allow some people with hearing aids that have an embedded T-coil, to receive an amplified sound from our speaker system directly to their individual hearing aid. The council would like to get an idea of how many parishioners have hearing aids with an embedded T-coil.Since the cost to the church is significant, the question is: How many parishioners would benefit from this endeavor? Please contact your hearing aid provider and ask if your model hearing aid has this T-coil. Then, ask them to activate the T-coil.
We will have a demonstration of the Hearing Loop technology followed by a question-and-answer session on Friday, April 5, at 9:45 a.m. in Classroom C/D in the Education Building. Please consider attending this short demonstration of this new technology if you wear a hearing aid.