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“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)
Many Catholics will remember 2023 as a year of rebuilding. Whether it was recovering from tornadoes that tore across the state in March, or the return to parochial schools following a decrease during COVID-19, Catholics in Arkansas worked together to rebuild and pave the way for the future.
Locally, many parishes saw renovations and growth, demolishing small and outdated buildings to replace with newer, larger parishes. A hunger for a deeper sense of faith grew across the state as Catholics joined the seminary and diaconate. Lay Catholics were eager to join every spiritual education opportunity offered by the Diocese of Little Rock.
Internationally, all eyes turned to Rome in October as clergy and lay Catholics from across the world discussed the future of the Catholic Church. Catholics in Arkansas went to Portugal for World Youth Day and went on pilgrimages around the world.
There were plenty of hardships, too. But whether they faced war, tornados or hurricanes, Catholics this year made sure to offer their neighbors a helping hand while deepening their own faith.
Here are our top five stories that summarize an eventful 2023.
Pope Francis remembers Pope Benedict XVI
Thousands gathered in St. Peter Square at the Vatican Jan. 5 to celebrate the life of Pope Benedict XVI. It was the first time in 200 years that a pope celebrated the funeral of the pope who came before him. Pope Benedict XVI died Dec. 31, 2022, at 95. He retired in 2013 and requested a small and simple funeral. Many were moved by the pope’s humility.
More than 1,000 media personnel attended the funeral, as well as more than 50,000 people from around the world, bearing their native country’s flag and sharing their devotion to the faith and Pope Benedict XVI. The Mass was concelebrated by more than 120 cardinals, 400 bishops and 3,700 priests.
"Benedict, faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your joy be complete as you hear his voice, now and forever!" Pope Francis said to conclude Pope Benedict’s funeral.
Catholics unite, aid one another in tornado aftermath
More than 50 tornadoes tore across the south and midwest March 31 and April 1, killing more than 32 people and destroying thousands of homes and businesses. More than 25 Catholic families in Arkansas lost their homes during the series of storms, and tens of thousands of others were left without power. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency following the severe weather event.
Parishes in cities and towns impacted by the tornadoes immediately began to rally around their surrounding communities. Many parishes canceled their Lenten devotions for Friday on March 31, instead helping friends and neighbors salvage belongings and find shelter. Catholics in Wynne fed survivors. The diocese’s statewide Catholic Youth Convention was delayed, but only for a day. Catholics and Knights of Columbus in North Little Rock cleared fallen trees and removed debris. Many Catholics lost their homes, but they did not lose their faith.
Cursillo movement relaunches
Catholics across the state hungered for a deeper faith in 2023. The Cursillo movement relaunched on June 15 with a Hispanic retreat for 34 men at St. John Center in Little Rock. The relaunch was the first Cursillo retreat in Spanish since 2017.
Spiritual director Deacon Jose Fabio Cruz announced that a retreat for Spanish-speaking women would also be held a month later. Cruz also shared that the movement plans to have at least two Spanish retreats for men and two for women in 2024. Retreat in English will resume in January.
Diocese relaunches its School of Spiritual Direction
The Diocese of Little Rock resumed the School of Spiritual Direction for lay Catholics eager to grow in their faith and help others do the same. The relaunch came after a seven-year hiatus. The School of Spiritual Direction is a three-year program designed to help people, “grow their relationship with God so that they can be companions for people who want to deepen their life of prayer,” according to the school’s director, Father Daniel Velasco, pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock.
The bilingual program welcomed a class of 12 students and five instructors, who attend Mass together, participate in small group sharing, silent prayer and spiritual direction practice. The graduates will go on to serve Catholics in their local communities and help them grow in their faith. Each year, a new cohort is added to the program. The first cohort is expected to graduate in 2026.
Schools see most students in five years
Following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s LEARNS Act, Catholic schools in Arkansas saw the highest student enrollment numbers in five years at 6,599 students. Theresa Hall, superintendent of Catholic schools, said student enrollment increased 2.29 percent in the 2023-2024 school year, and 2.88 percent in the 2022-2023 school year.
Enrollment increased for students going into kindergarten, first grade, third grade, fourth grade, sixth grade, seventh grade, ninth grade, 11th grade and 12th grade across the state. Hall added that growth was even more prevalent in central Arkansas, as families prepared to send formerly public school children to parochial secondary schools, and in the northwest corner of the state, where economic opportunity and growth have drawn more families to the area.
