It's hard to believe that the "Back To School" commercials already started playing in mid-July.  The fact is that school in many places now starts in early to mid-August, so I guess the timing of those sales is appropriate.  Also appropriate is my encouragement of people who might be interested in the Catholic Faith to make themselves be known - or you make them known to me if you are aware of people who could be encouraged and/or persuaded to step forward and start looking into the Catholic Church community and beliefs.  While I have to say we haven't produced many "new" Catholics either through Baptism or a Profession of Faith since I've been here, we need to always have the door open, and not be hesitant to invite people who are not practicing any faith to come to us to find out if the Lord is calling them to life as a Catholic and a member of our wonderful faith community.  We will offer an "inquiry session" sometime in August.  Please keep an eye on the bulletin and even more so, keep an eye and ear out for possible candidates who are at least open to discovering what it means to live as a Catholic.  Please call me at 501-209-2502 with any names and contact information you might have for people who I can touch base with in the weeks ahead.

I write this Pastor's Column after attending and participating in the Vigil Service and Funeral Mass for the oldest priest of our diocese and former pastor of many churches in Arkansas, including our parish, Monsignor Bernard Malone.  The large number of people who attended one or both services, consisted of our bishop (Anthony Taylor), an archbishop (J. Peter Sartain, former bishop of Arkansas), many priests, religious, deacons and most of our current seminarians who are preparing for priesthood for our diocese.  While much was said in these two services by Archbishop Sartain, Bishop Taylor and Monsignor Francis Malone (nephew of Monsignor Bernard) about this kind, gentle, faithful, servant of God, which I affirm and which I (and I'm sure others) wish we could have added to if given the opportunity at one of these liturgies for Monsignor, I must say I was struck by the remarks of remembrance that were written by some of our seminarians about Monsignor, that were read in between the decades of the rosary that was led by Monsignor Friend. They spoke greatly of the impact that this holy man had on more than a few of our future priests that will no doubt inspire and motivate them in their priesthood for many years to come.  I will conclude this column with the remembrance that was expressed by one of the newest seminarians, our native parishioner, Jonathan Semmler.  His encounters with Monsignor started when he was quite young, and no doubt had a very real impact on his decision to pursue the priesthood of God.

I want to say thanks to our parishioners who welcomed Monsignor back time and again to be among us over the seven years I have served as your pastor.  He looked forward to every visit, and seemed to keep a perpetual smile on his fact while he was with us.  I know I cannot appreciate right now just what an impact he has had on my priesthood and even before I was a priest - when I was an altar server and served for him in my early teens at St. Mary's in Hot Springs.  His visits at my family's home during his few years at St. Mary's in Hot Springs as Pastor, helped me to see a priest in a personal way and encouraged me to do the same in my priesthood and receive the "family" support that I believe has been so helpful and healthy to me.  I will miss him greatly, especially given his longstanding, encouraging support to me before I was a priest, and for the 31 years I have been blessed to serve as a priest of God for his people, especially in these last seven years.  Because of God's merciful love, I look forward to seeing him again in God's kingdom, and I pray you do as well!  I love you Monsignor Malone!  The following is what Jonathan Semmler wrote:

As an 85-year old priest in Hot Springs Village, Monsignor still had a special place in his heart for young people.  As a child, I worked by way to the center aisle at the end of very Mass to give him a hug while he processed out of church. Even while living at St. John's Center, he was always ready to drop everything and hear my confession.  He stopped by youth events to share his love for the Lord and the Blessed Mother with all of the kids, and to encourage us to receive the sacraments often.  I'm beyond grateful for his joyful example and now for this powerful intercession in the presence of the Lord.

We are truly living in a "Communication Age" where information is coming to us and at us in many varied ways.  This is happening in society as a whole and in the Church as well, as it seems that we know almost immediately what Pope Francis is saying or doing no matter where he is in the world at any given moment.  Locally, we have gone from providing information to parishioners by verbal announcement at Mass and through the bulletin to a website (www.hsvsacredheart.com) which can update information on a daily basis, to now, a system called "One Call" in which we have the ability to get out to all parishioners information by phone or by e-mail that we feel is helpful or even needed for you to know in between our gathering for Mass on the weekends.  These would be death and funeral announcements, especially when a parishioner dies early in the week and the funeral will take place before the weekend; also, reminders about special liturgies for holydays and seasonal Reconciliation Services, and large social happenings at the church, especially when they occur later in the week.  You might be surprised to find out that at many of our events in which people have signed up to come - usually 10-20% of those who signed up don't show up.  Some of that number has to be people who forgot about the event after signing up to come.  Our parish organizations will now be able to send voice or written messages to their members only, with information that is pertinent to them.

Before we start this system in earnest, we will soon be sending a letter by mail to all registered parishioners with the current contact information (phone numbers and e-mails) that we have for our members.  We will ask you to let us know by e-mail, mail, or through a box that will be left in the narthex if there are any changes to the information we have on you. It is also important to make you aware that when these messages start coming to you by phone or e-mail, you can opt out of getting future calls or e-mails from us if you choose to do so.  I ask you, though, to please don't do that too quickly as it will be difficult to add you back to our system if you want to come back.  We will do our best not to contact you through this system so often that you get "tired" of hearing from us.

I hope this system helps our active parishioners to stay up with what's going on and our inactive parishioners to want to get more involved in what this wonderful parish has to offer.  I pray that you will be open to this new form of communication that technology allows us to do, and keep up with what's going on in the parish with the current means we have (the bulletin and website).  Thanks in advance for your efforts to help us update our contact information on you and for your involvement in the parish at Mass and for some, in other ways.