Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church
Hot Springs Village, Arkansas
In my homily last weekend, I spoke about our baptismal call to evangelize in the place we live and to the people we encounter. This missionary zeal was very much alive in Kit Nickerson, a parishioner who died last week.  She was a convert to the Catholic faith at the age of 81.  She always thanked God for the inspiration that came to her through ongoing talks with one of our parishioners.

As I pray that all of us will be inspired to share our faith, we are now looking for those who have been inspired to explore the Catholic faith and would be open to a formal formation in the Catholic Faith.  We will be starting a new RCIA formation in September.  Please call me (209-2502) or Deacon John (226-5506) if you are interested or if you know of someone who might be open to becoming Catholic.  We will meet with them to explore their interest, their faith background, and see how we can be of assistance to them in their faith journey.
A number of people recently asked if I heard the story of the person in Missouri who was in a car wreck.  While waiting to be rescued from her vehicle, a priest seemingly appearing out of nowhere, anointed her, and disappeared without much notice. Cameras and videos on the scene never could spot the priest - either before, after, or during the anointing.  People of faith quickly concluded that God had sent an angel to the scene of this accident.  If you think about it, God sends angels to many disaster scenes.  In some cases, they are unknown and largely go unrecognized by the people they help.  

While the story I told may, in fact, be a miraculous way of God intervening in a difficult situation, we should recognize and celebrate the fact that God inspires many people to act as angels who bring comfort, strength and hope to people in need.  All of us should pay attention.  God is calling on all of us to do His work of love and mercy on a regular basis.  Our positive response may lead to someone giving thanks to God for the gift of angels in our midst.
The work of Catholic Charities of Arkansas is varied and far-reaching in its scope as it reaches out a helping hand daily to the poor, the dispossessed, and those who are victims of natural disasters.  Because of recent federal mandates with regard to adoptions, mandates that we, as Catholics, could not in conscience follow, we have lost needed financial help for our Adoption services, which makes the annual Bishop McDonald Catholic Charities Golf Tournament such an important fundraiser.

The Tournament will be held on Monday, September 16, at the Maumelle Country Club in Maumelle, Arkansas.  We need our parish golfers to step-up and play in this tournament.  There is a choice of a morning or afternoon tee time. The cost for each individual person is $75 (as the parish will co-sponsor each person by paying the remaining cost of $75, for a total of $150). Our hope is to have as many as 12-15 players from our parish.  You can put together your own team (four people) or be put on a team.  Please call me (209-2502) or come to the parish office to get a registration form.  Those who turn in their registration to me or to the staff at the church office with your $75 check made payable to Sacred Heart Church (memo line: Catholic Charities Golf Tournament) will assure your participation on one of our teams.  I hope and pray that we have the largest contingency at this great fundraising (and fun) tournament.  By the way, it will pay-out first, second and third places for a least two flights.  It will be a memorable day for Catholic Charities and for those who play.  Please join me for this worthwhile endeavor to help so many who are in need.