The Book of Judges tells Christians the story of a strong man named Samson, whose strength came from a vow not to cut his hair. But in Russellville, Mary Corkins, parish manager of St. Leo the Great University Parish at Arkansas Tech University, found strength in cutting hers off. 

“I intentionally started growing my hair longer to cut it off and donate it to a nonprofit that helps make wigs for kids,” she said. “This is the second time. … It’s been a while, maybe 10 years or so. I was teaching at Dardanelle Middle School, and another teacher and I decided to do it together. We made it into a big event for the school at the time. The winner of the contest got to cut my hair.”

Corkins has had friends and family members who have lost their hair due to illness — a situation that made her thankful and encouraged her to do what she could to help others. 

“It’s a really neat cause, to be able to help someone in a situation like that. There are so many people who have experienced, whether it be from sickness, cancer, illness, the need for a bit of normalcy by having a wig when they’ve lost their hair,” she said. “… You really don’t think about it often. … It’s a really neat thing to be a part of, and it’s a really incredible thing to be able to do for somebody else.”

Corkins was brainstorming fun hairstyles and vibrant colors that she could get after cutting her hair off for donation. 

“And then it hit me like a ton of bricks — I was like, ‘I wonder if we can make this into a cool fundraiser for St. Leo’s,’” she said. “… This would be something so fun and different, and it summarizes St. Leo’s as a whole,” she said. 

The funds raised will be used to offset the operational costs. 

“It will cover any of the St. Leo needs — it could be used for our spring break mission trip that’s going to be coming up in March, or it can be used for any of our other activities. We always feed our students — we have a lunch every Thursday that’s open to the student body, so we’re serving up to 150 students each Thursday,” she said. “So those funds can go to offset the cost for those meals that we pay for … it’s really just to offset our expenses and operating costs.”

One of the students involved in campus ministry at St. Leo is a former cosmetologist. She worked with Corkins to create several cut-and-color options. 

“She came up with three styles, and I have a family member who’s an artist. … She’s also in the cosmetology world. So I asked her to draw up pictures of this … and create a visual for everybody,” Corkins said. “And then it took off.”

Students had three hairstyles to choose from in the fundraiser. The first, “Pixie Dust,” was a brown pixie cut with blonde highlights. The second, “Peek a Blue,” was a brown shoulder-length cut with blue highlights on the underside of the hair. The third, “Pink Butterfly,” was a brown shoulder-length cut with pink highlights. 

“It’s definitely about length. I’ve been trying to get it as long as I can get it to be able to donate as much as I can,” Corkins said, saying that no matter which style would win, it would be a nice change before she starts the growing process all over again. 

“One of our students who assisted … asked me what my favorite color was. That’s why one of them is blue. … My friends know that pink is not my favorite color, so I had to throw that in there too,” to raise the stakes, she added. “The other is more normal because it’s not a bold color.”

Eager for the pink hairstyle to win, graduate student Corey Naegle, a parishioner at St. Joseph Church in Paris, was helping to lead the charge. 

“Some of my buddies who were going to school beforehand, they know Mary pretty well, and our favorite pastime is giving her a hard time,” he said with a laugh. “… We’ve all reached the consensus that she needs to go with the pink hair. So we’ve got a full plan organized to do what we can to go out and raise some more money for that pink hairstyle.”

Naegle said the fundraiser is part of a larger goal.

“Every year, St. Leo’s takes the students on a spring break trip … we’ll go somewhere and help people who are in need in the morning, and then in the afternoons, we’ll do something fun. So we’ll go to different soup kitchens or outreach services. … Students get to interact with people who are in need.”

People interested in voting for their favorite hairstyle donated on the fundraising website. The hairstyle with the most donations would win. 

The fundraiser launched Oct. 23 with a 30-day countdown.

Corkins had been secretly crossing her fingers for a chance at blue locks. In a stunning last-minute upset, “Peek a Blue” lost its enormous lead and “Pink Butterfly” narrowly took the crown. On Nov. 22, the fundraiser came to a close, with “Pink Butterfly” in the lead. The fundraiser raised more than $2,000. That same day, Corkins found herself in the stylist’s chair, with 16 inches less hair, and with a significantly more colorful hue than when she went in. 

Parker Odom, who developed the website for the fundraiser, posted a note once voting had closed. 

“I’m thrilled that my massive campaign for Pink Butterfly worked out,” he wrote. “This was my personal favorite, and I’m so excited to see Mary with pink hair!”

“I also promised that I would keep it this way for a month,” Corkins said. “I want people to get a chance to see it at some point. … Of course, it lines up with the major holidays, so it’s going to be Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I’ll be sporting it,” she added with a laugh. 

The fundraiser has also given students involved in the campus ministry an opportunity to promote themselves to others in a unique way.

Rose Gunther, a junior at ATU and a parishioner at St. Boniface Church in Bigelow, said she and many others had never heard of a fundraiser like this before.

“I like how outside of the box it is,” she said. “Plus the fact that she’s going to be sporting it so that we can see the physical result for a while. We have a sign in the very front of our building about coloring your hair for a fundraiser, and people are like, ‘What?’ I know that for sure has created more openings to talk about other things as well.”

“I want it to be something that’s fun,” Corkins said. “We do a lot of fundraisers and help other churches around here with a lot of their fundraisers, too. … I’m really competitive by nature, and so that’s what makes it fun.”

Part two of a two-part series on feeding the hungry in Arkansas

While several parishes operate their own food pantries, smaller parishes partner with other churches and organizations in their community to have a greater impact. 

St. Joseph Church in Pine Bluff collects non-perishable food year-round for Neighbor to Neighbor, a local organization in Jefferson County. 

“We have baskets in the church for donations,” secretary Pam Thornton told Arkansas Catholic over email. “During November and December, Neighbor to Neighbor gives additional food baskets to the needy for Thanksgiving and Christmas. They ask that our parishioners try to donate more non-perishable food items during these times. During December, they also ask that parishioners help sponsor a Christmas child for $60, so children will wake up on Christmas Day with toys and food on their tables.”

Deacon Mike Cumnock said St. Mary of the Springs Church in Hot Springs has been working alongside the Hot Springs Community Resource Center and the Jackson House in Garland County. He said the resource center serves as a heating center during the harshest winter days. This past winter, the center sheltered 110 people, 20 dogs and seven cats, and they’re preparing to serve even more people this winter. The situation was similar in recent weeks at the Jackson House, which provides a hot meal to those in need.

“They normally serve 130, and this Monday they topped 200 and ran out of food. Volunteers were digging through the freezer to cook more; they were down to making sandwiches,” he said.

Cumnock said there are approximately 12 food pantries in Hot Springs, and the ones he has spoken to have reported a steady increase. The City of Hot Springs has even changed the bus route to drive by the resource center. 

“17,500 people in Garland County are food insecure, and 24 percent of those, or 4,196 children, are food insecure,” Cumnock said. “587,000 people in Arkansas are food insecure. … Hot Springs is a big retirement area, so a lot of these people are living on a fixed income.” 

Holiday season

Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Hot Springs Village adopts 40 to 50 families each holiday season. 

“For Thanksgiving, our volunteers shop and deliver food items for a holiday meal,” food basket coordinator Susan Harrell wrote to Arkansas Catholic. “At Christmas, we purchase non-perishable food items from the food bank for approximately two weeks of food. All children in these families receive four clothing gifts from our Angel Tree. Our volunteers pick up the food, gifts and shop for perishable food. These are delivered to the families.”

Sacred Heart also supports local food pantries at area churches with monetary donations.

In 2022, St. Vincent de Paul Church partnered with the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank to establish the Feed Rogers food pantry. Pantry visitors select their own food as opposed to receiving pre-packed food, according to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank website. Pantry visitors can schedule an appointment online or walk in and reserve a time. First-time visitors are provided with a member card to speed up future visits.

Sacred Heart Church in Morrilton contributes a monthly amount to the County Care Center to feed the people in need, taking up a special collection for the care center.

Our Lady of Fatima Church in Benton also assists the local food pantry through the Churches Joint Council on Human Needs (CJCOHN), an ecumenical gathering of 16 churches working to address food insecurity. Parishioner Linda Cartaya has been volunteering with the organization for 25 years. 

“Our Lady of Fatima has given a second collection to CJCOHN for many, many years,” she said. 

A Boy Scouts troop affiliated with Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Fatima School are currently running food drives for CJCOHN. 

“We give out 250 boxes of food each time we work, and once it’s out, they’re turned away, because we also have our limit,” Cartaya said. “We have to be able to distribute food twice a month.”

Little free pantries

A few parishes have installed little free pantries, also known as blessing boxes. The boxes are discrete stalls, usually outside, full of nonperishable food items and hygiene supplies for anyone to freely take. The unregulated box helps to alleviate the stigma around food insecurity. 

Deanna Briggler, secretary and bookkeeper at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Lincoln, said the church has had their little free pantry for around four years. 

“We have the little blessing box behind our old church building, and we have several families in the church that try to keep it filled,” she said. “Judy Soulier is the person who started the pantry. Hank Hartman, one of our parishioners, built the box for us. It’s filled one day and empty the next now. It pretty much empties out overnight.” 

In Fayetteville, St. Joseph School started a little free pantry several years ago, and thanks to the support of the church and school community, it continues to be restocked.

“The response from families wanting to help has been overwhelming,” said principal Deacon Jason Pohlmeier. “I estimate over 50 families have offered to help. So far, the challenge has been connecting with the families who need help. We have 55 students who qualify for free and reduced lunches, so I am confident we have families who are being impacted by the shutdown. However, these families are also resilient and work hard to make ends meet. They don’t often reach out in times of need because they know how to manage their struggles. My hope is that our families in need will reach out, because the desire to help is very strong.”

Father Mark Wood, pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Malvern and St. Mary Church in Arkadelphia, said his parish is in charge of various blessing boxes around town. 

“We have one of these blessing boxes on the parish property at St. John the Baptist in Malvern. It is very visible, right on the front of the church property, next to a busy street and easily accessible,” he said. “Our parishioners keep the blessing box stocked, and I often see people from the community, either walking or maybe on a bicycle, helping themselves to the food left in the blessing box.”

He’s noticed an uptick in the number of people served.

“It’s definitely been increasing,” Father Wood said. “There are 11 churches in the area that work together. … We do a food distribution once a month … and the number of people they’ve been serving has been going up every month for the last six months, maybe nine months. In October, they set a record — they served around 398 families, almost 1,000 people.”

Father Wood is thankful for the help people have offered, and hopes more people will come forward to help fill the gaps. 

“To me, everything I know about Jesus Christ from the Gospels is he expects us to be involved in our community. That is not an option,” he said. “Part of the problem right now seems to be that people are so divided from one another in many ways. As Christians and as citizens, we should be involved in working cooperatively with our friends and neighbors. … Our faith has to be put into action.”

Part 1 of a two-part series on feeding the hungry in Arkansas.

This year has been one of uncertainty for those living on the margins. 

Broad federal funding cuts have slashed the ability of many organizations to provide charitable services and resources, and the delay in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits has many Arkansans worrying about where they’ll find their next meal. 

Parishes, schools and Catholic organizations across the state serve the vulnerable and marginalized through food pantries and soup kitchens. 

An increase in need

For months, Margaret Douglas, executive director of Helping Hand of Greater Little Rock, and Gayle Priddy, former executive director, have told Arkansas Catholic how dire the situation is for some of our most vulnerable neighbors. 

With USDA cuts, in September the organization could give out only five cans of food, compared to seven to nine in the past. On Nov. 3, Priddy said the SNAP benefit delays have stretched Helping Hand even thinner. 

“Each day we are serving more families, and several have never been to our pantry before,” she said. “With the increased families that we are serving, our inventory is difficult to maintain at a level we have become used to. Shelves are empty where once they were filled to capacity.

“We need people to donate canned goods — corn, green beans, beans, fruits, tuna or chicken, rice, dry beans, flour, sugar, peanut butter, cereal. If they can contact neighbors, friends and family to donate or do a food drive where they work, at their church or an organization they belong to. They can also donate on our website if that is easier for them.”

Many parishes and schools are answering the call to serve their communities.

Food pantries

Several parishes and schools across Arkansas operate food pantries. St. Mary of the Springs Church in Hot Springs has opened its food pantry on Mondays for the past 11 years. The parish works together with Sacred Heart Church in Hot Springs Village and St. John the Baptist Church in Hot Springs to gather food. 

Mary Kaye Olenak, who oversees the parish food pantry, said they have seen a huge spike in clients this year.

“Our numbers were pretty balanced for the first half of the year. For instance, we always see an uptick toward the end of any given year, because you have the holidays and more school closures,” she said. “So in Q4 of 2024, we served 683 families. Then, in the first half of the year, we went back to our normal rhythm and served 620 families. In Q2, we served 633 families. In Q3, we served 700 families. And now, at the end, as I track numbers for Q4, we will be well ahead of that.”

Last week, Olenak said she ran out of food. 

“I opened early because I had so many people lined up, and it was cold that morning. Normally, our hours are 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., but we opened at 9:35 a.m. that morning after we said prayer. I had to shut down at around 11:15 a.m.,” she said. “I had people coming in and sitting on chairs to wait because I had to build 15 more bags — at that point, I had no more food. I told them that if they were willing to wait, we’d make them a bag. Typically, they leave … Nobody left.”

Olenak said on Nov. 3, the pantry served 74 people, more than expected. 

“We’re on target to receive 900 families this quarter,” said Deacon Mike Cumnock, who helps oversee charitable outreach at the parish. “The third quarter numbers were before the shutdown.”

For that reason, the parish has been working closely with St. John School in Hot Springs to collect food, similar to the food collection done by schools such as Mount St. Mary during their “Robin Hood Days” in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, to donate to Helping Hand.

“All grades are running a food drive that started this week, and they’ll run it all the way through Nov. 21 in order to stock our pantry,” Olenak said.  

St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church in Bella Vista recently expanded its twice-weekly food pantry after parishioners saw more food insecurity in neighboring communities. 

“It’s been something we’ve been doing for years and years. I’ve been with the parish 11 years, and we’ve been doing it as long as I’ve been here,” said parish administrative assistant Christina Laughlin. “Within the last year, we increased our radius outside of Bella Vista, because we did see some needs that weren’t being addressed. … We try to cover some of the outliers that aren’t serviced by anyone else.”

St. Bernard’s food pantry serves residents of Bella Vista, Gravette, Decatur and Sulphur Springs, as well as Jane and Pineville, Mo. 

The parish also participates in other charitable food insecurity activities.

“Our Women’s Club does a Thanksgiving food drive each November. Families in need are identified at our local schools, and a box is created for each family. Parishioners, groups or clubs each sign out a box and fill it with the listed food items, and return to the parish where the Women’s Club puts in a canned ham and then delivers the boxes to the schools to give to the families prior to Thanksgiving,” Laughlin said. “This year, they are working on filling 80 boxes.”

At St. Theresa Church and School in southwest Little Rock, principal Kristy Dunn said there’s a lot of misconception around who can access SNAP and other governmental benefits. 

“A lot of people are saying that the undocumented population is using these benefits, and what we have noticed is that’s just not true,” she said. “Because they didn’t receive the benefit anyway. If they are undocumented, they cannot access SNAP. … We know that we serve families where some people are documented and some people are undocumented, but they are not accessing SNAP benefits. That is not a benefit that is commonly shared or accessed in the St. Theresa Catholic School community, even though we participate in the National School Breakfast Program, the National School Lunch Program, and we check and see who is eligible for those programs. We have fewer than 10 applications out of the whole student body that receive SNAP benefits, and I have 270 students.

“I know I have families who are eligible, and our families are hardworking and humble people who try not to access those benefits if they can help it,” she said.

The school began operating a small food pantry for students and their families in 2019-2020. After receiving a $ 20,000 grant from Catholic Charities USA in November 2024, St. Theresa was able to expand its food pantry area and capability by adding two commercial refrigerators and a commercial freezer. 

The pantry began when students started arriving at school in the mornings, complaining of stomachaches. 

“We realized they weren’t sick. They were hungry,” Dunn said. 

Around 70 percent of the student body is on free and reduced lunches, or qualify for either a free meal or a reduced lunch price. 

“Then we are sending home 25 backpacks every weekend, which is about 10 percent of my student body,” Dunn said. 

To minimize stigma around food insecurity, the school discreetly packs backpacks of food for students to help them get through the weekend. 

“You’re supposed to meet your community where they’re at, and so for St. Theresa Catholic Church and School, that means we’re going to use Spanish language translation. That means we offer breakfast and lunch. That means having a food pantry,” Dunn said. 

Free meals

Some parishes provide free meals and other resources to those in need. 

St. Peter the Fisherman Church in Mountain Home offers a soup kitchen to anyone needing “a good, free and fellowship” on Thursdays from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

“We began St. Peter’s Kitchen before COVID-19 and served at least 60 people then,” said parish secretary Mary Jo Rudnik. “Now we serve 40 to 50 people and families each week. It has really stayed quite steady. Our community already gives monetary donations as they can.”

The parish also has a chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, an organization that serves the vulnerable and marginalized by ensuring they have access to food and housing.
“We have wonderful, dedicated volunteers — this is such a rewarding ministry.”

Since the early 1990s, parishioners of St. Edward Church in Texarkana have prepared sack lunches every weekday for those in need in the surrounding community. The effort grew over the years, and now, the St. Edward Outreach Center serves around 250 people a day — at least 52,000 lunches a year.

Deacon Leon Pesek, who oversees the ministry, has noticed over the past month that more people in the community need help. 

“We’ve definitely had an increase, and there has been discussion among the clients and concerns about SNAP being discontinued, even though it had not been discontinued yet, but the anticipation of the discontinuation has been a matter of discussion,” he said. “We’ve also seen an increase in numbers, too. We’ve had more people calling us, asking us what other services we also have available.”

Pesek said many people have also called to ask whether there is food available for them to cook at home. He connects those callers to other organizations and agencies in the area that can help. 

For many parishes, schools and organizations across the state, Pesek said the challenge is the same. 

“You’re always trying to make sure you’re stretching your resources to the point where you’re still able to meet those needs,” he said. “We’ve seen an increase in the last six months, not only this month, where our numbers have gone up drastically. We used to average about 240 to 250 meals a day. Now, it’s right at 300 meals a day we’re serving. That’s a significant increase in trying to stretch your donation dollars.”

But Pesek is undeterred — he knows he is living out his faith. 

“We’re supposed to reach out and lift up those who are most in need. That’s what Christ taught us,” he said. “That’s what we hear in the Gospel — that we’re supposed to care for those who are less fortunate. And the way you go out and carry the Lord’s message into the world is by taking care of those who are less fortunate.” 

Before 10 a.m. Mass began at Christ the King Church in Little Rock Nov. 8, a line trailing out the door had already formed with people eager to see the reliquary holding the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. 

Pastor Father Juan Guido told those gathered that 90 percent of the bones of the “Little Flower” were resting in the reliquary, an ornate chest adorned with wood-carved flowers. 

The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was part of the 2025 Jubilee Year celebration, as the saint’s relics have been traveling across the world. St. Thérèse arrived the night before and stayed at the Carmel of St. Teresa of Jesus in Little Rock, where the Carmelites spent the night praying with her before she was moved to Christ the King early in the morning. 

The day opened with a standing-room-only Mass celebrated by Bishop Anthony B. Taylor and dozens of priests. The parish was open all day for pilgrims to visit St. Thérèse before the bishop celebrated the closing Mass at 5 p.m. Father Guido said 1,630 attended the Masses, with a total of 4,000 people visiting the parish.

St. Thérèse was a French Discalced Carmelite who lived from 1873 to 1897. Despite her youth, she had a rich faith and spiritual life, overcoming obstacles to enter the convent at 15. She is often referred to as “Little Flower of Jesus,” “St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus,” and, more simply, the “Little Flower.”

When she fell ill, St. Thérèse wrote about her rich faith life and life at the convent after the encouragement of her prioress and sister. The book would go on to become her autobiography called “The Story of a Soul,” in which she explained her spiritual practice of the “Little Way.”

St. Thérèse died Sept. 30, 1897, at the age of 24 from tuberculosis. 

She was canonized by Pope Pius XI just 28 years after her death. In 1997, 100 years after she died, St. John Paul II named her a doctor of the Church. Her feast day is celebrated Oct. 1. 

In his homily, Bishop Taylor said it is important to venerate saints — not worship them. 

“Why do we venerate the relics of saints?” he asked. “We have first-class relics, like part of a saint’s body, which we have here, or a second-class relic of clothing the saint had worn, or something that they used while in life. Or a third-class relic, which is something that came in contact with a first or second-class relic.

“But why do we venerate them? We honor them, because we honor that saint’s fidelity to Christ and his or her imitation of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice in the Mass. … Even so, the Church is clear that we honor and venerate the saints and their relics, but we do not worship them. To the contrary, the saints need us to have fuller worship in God, and in spirit and truth. By telling their stories and by honoring their bodies and their belongings, we give thanks to God for the witness of the saints.”

After Mass, Sister Cecilia Chun, prioress of the Carmel of St. Teresa of Jesus, said she never expected to have the opportunity to pray with St. Thérèse.

“When she first arrived at our monastery, I told her, ‘Oh, welcome, Thérèse,’ because she is our sister. I just felt her presence, like she was smiling,” she said. “We had special, private prayer with her as a community. She’s a great Doctor of the Church, a saint in the Church, but she’s also a dear, dear sister. And to pray together with her — I never thought that Thérèse would come to Little Rock.”

Gayle Priddy, a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church in North Little Rock, said it was her first Mass with the relics of a saint.
“I found the Mass and veneration of St. Thérèse’s relics very spiritual, and upon placing my hand (on the protective case over the reliquary), I felt a quietness, stillness, peaceful,” she said. “Even being in the presence of so many, it was as if I was alone, no noise.”

Neal Reeves, a parishioner at Christ the King Church in Little Rock who is currently in diaconate formation, called the experience “humbling.”

“It was humbling to reflect on the fact that for a state that has a relatively small Catholic population, we were able to be in the presence of the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux,” he said. “Her ‘Little Way’ is a great reminder that holiness is found in ordinary things we do in life that honor God. Hopefully, we all can see that we can make a difference with the little things we do in life through loving others.”

Reeves’ wife, Robyn, felt “in awe and deeply moved” at the opportunity to venerate the relics. 

“To be able to stand so near to a saint whose ‘Little Way’ inspires so many hearts reminded me of the beauty of simplicity, trust and love in our walk with God,” she said. “It felt as if there was a profound peace in the air at Mass, which made it seem more special. It was a blessing and a gift to be part of such a sacred moment.”

Madeline Heinz, a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church in North Little Rock who recently converted to Catholicism, was thankful for the unique opportunity. 

“It’s so special that as Catholics, we can tangibly interact with our faith. Relics help us to better understand that the saints were real people too, not just mythical figures of the past,” she said. “St. Thérèse makes the call for us all to become saints even more ordinary and approachable through her ‘Little Way.’”

As a Catholic, you’re likely to encounter someone who has misconceptions or false beliefs about the faith. 

The Catholic faith is one of the richest in all of Judeo-Christianity. How can you be expected to explain and defend 2,000-plus years of Church history in just a few moments? What are the most important points to bring up? 

Arkansas Catholic spoke with clergy and lay leaders to seek advice on explaining, defending and evangelizing the faith. 

What is apologetics?

If anyone knows about faith rooted in Scripture, it’s Cackie Upchurch. She served for many years as the director of Little Rock Scripture Study. 

“Simply put, Christian apologetics is a defense, or explanation, of the faith, but it is not about ‘proving’ anything,” Upchurch, a member of St. Joseph Church in Fayetteville, told Arkansas Catholic. “Instead, apologetics is about bearing witness to what we know to be true in our lived experience as well in the Scriptures and in Tradition.”

Upchurch said Christian apologetics first emerged in the early centuries of the Church, when Christians were a minority in the Roman Empire and were an easy target for persecution and martyrdom. 

“In that environment, apologists for the faith used the language and imagery of the dominant culture to explain Christian beliefs, rituals and customs in a way that was digestible and convincing,” she said. 

Deacon Matt Glover, JCL, chancellor and general counsel for the Diocese of Little Rock, said apologetics are an opportunity for us to represent the faith in a positive light.

“In my mind, the underlying motivation for defending our Catholic faith should be based on 1 Peter 3:15: ‘Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence.’ Another translation of this verse is to prepare to give a ‘reason for your hope,’” he said. 

1. Have knowledge and confidence

Jeff Hines, faith formation director for the Diocese of Little Rock, said continuing one’s theological education plays a big role. 

“How can we be ready, as 1 Peter 3:15 says? Encounter Christ regularly in prayer, word, sacrament and community,” he said. “Study Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church. If you are attacked for your faith, Jesus said, ‘Do not worry beforehand about what you will say’ (Mark 13:11). Trust that the Holy Spirit will speak through you.”

Father Andrew Hart, JCL, pastor of Holy Redeemer Church in Clarksville, a member of the diocesan tribunal, and a theological consultant for Arkansas Catholic, stressed the importance of knowledge of the faith and confidence as a good communicator. 

“Most Catholics have room to grow in how they share and defend our Catholic faith. If one feels unequipped to do this, often it is because of a lack of knowledge, or a lack of confidence in sharing what one does know,” he said. “There are a lot of resources out there that can help. If you want to know your faith more deeply, you might wish to attend a parish Bible study or begin a reading group of the Catechism, or perhaps check out the materials available on subscription services from various Catholic media outlets.”

2. Pray for guidance

Father Andrew’s brother, Father Stephen Hart, also knows about the pressure of defending the faith. On May 22, he defended the Church in a debate with Rev. Allen S. Nelson IV, pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Perryville, before more than 375 people at the Rialto Theater in Morrilton.

For Father Stephen, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Morrilton and St. Elizabeth Church in Oppelo, the role of prayer cannot be emphasized enough. 

“When these kinds of conversations start up, especially if they catch us off guard, we should offer a quick prayer to the Holy Spirit, asking for the gifts of understanding, prudence and wisdom,” he said. “Even if tensions rise, we must always remain cool, never returning evil for evil (1 Peter 3:9).”

Hines echoed the importance of trusting in the Holy Spirit. 

“Trust that the Holy Spirit is at work in the other person before you even get there,” he said. “By listening, asking questions and finding common ground, the Holy Spirit in you will connect with the Holy Spirit in them, and the result will be fruit that will last. Take the long-term strategy.  Don’t try to win the argument for the day. Remember that Jesus said, ‘Work for fruit that will last’ (John 15:16).”

3. Share personal testimonies

The stories that have the biggest impact are often the most personal. Father Andrew Hart said that faith is no exception.

“Sometimes we defend our faith best in a personal way, less by making arguments or explaining doctrines and more by sharing why we ourselves hold our faith to be our most precious possession,” he said. 

4. Be peaceful and civil

Being a good representative of the faith in word is just as important as making a good impression in deed, primarily by maintaining peace and civility — even if the other person is not. 

Mary Hunt, Pax Christi Little Rock president, is used to maintaining a peaceful and civil demeanor in the most heated discussions. She is also a member of Braver Angels, a nonprofit organization founded to help people engage in conversation and civil dialogue with others across the political spectrum. 

“My Braver Angels training has taught me the importance of listening first,” she said. “Trying to understand the other person’s perspective before responding to any criticisms can help me address the real issue. Then I am careful not to say that the other is wrong. … The key is not to put either of us on the defensive, but to discuss our views with respect.”

Dr. Sherry Simon, chairwoman of Pax Christi USA, echoed Hunt’s sentiments. She has led a group of more than 50 demonstrators outside of Rep. French Hill’s Little Rock office this year. 

“It’s been interesting, the evolution of this demonstration,” she said. “Because this is what we brought to the table, but Pax Christi is not the only demonstrators out there. There are other people from other faiths and non-faiths who have come, and the evolution has been towards more nonviolence.”

5. Ask questions

Father Stephen Hart said it’s important to see where the other person is in the dialogue — that means seeking their input. 

“If the opportunity comes up, asking someone a counter-question can be helpful to the discussion. For example, ‘I can see you are very concerned about this issue. Why is that?’ Or ‘What do you think about this issue?’ Jesus himself answered many questions with counter-questions in the Gospels.”

Hines said asking questions and finding common ground is the key to building a faith that attracts people.

“To defend the Catholic faith in a way that attracts, there are three things to do: listen, ask questions and find common ground,” he said. “Jesus did these things to engage people who were against him.”

6. Be reasonable, not perfect

Glover said the goal of apologetics isn’t to be the perfect theologian but to showcase that the Catholic faith is reasonable and tangible.

“Apologetics isn’t necessarily about proving something to be true with 100 percent scientific accuracy. Rather, it’s about demonstrating that our Catholic faith is reasonable — and that we have reasonable grounds for our hope in Christ,” he said. “As St. John Paul II put it, ‘Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of the truth.’”

7. Admit when we don’t know

Glover said humility is also an important tool in apologetics — and that means admitting when you don’t know something. 

“We must always be humble enough to tell someone else, ‘You know, that’s a good question, and I’m not really certain about the answer right now — but let me research that and I’d love to talk about it more later,’” he said. 

Father Andrew Hart said such an admission opens the door to learning more about ourselves. 

“It can even be OK to say ‘I don’t know’ to a particular question, because it’s an honest answer,” he said. “But maybe that question then invites us to go and learn something new, and so have our own faith deepened in turn.”

8. Discuss, not debate

“(Apologists’) purpose was never dominance or superiority, and in our world the same must be true,” Upchurch said. “In my experience, when questioned about what we Catholics believe, I try to remember that someone’s question or challenge is an opportunity for dialogue and not dominance. It’s a time for clarity with charity.”

Father Stephen Hart agreed. 

“First, we must always show charity to our interlocutors, loving them as Christ has loved us (John 15:12),” he said. “This means things like keeping our emotions under control, truly listening to questions or objections and believing the best about someone’s intentions unless they show otherwise.”

Upchurch noted that it’s best to have discussions in person. 

“I find that social media can be a place for expressing one’s faith, but it is rarely the best place to have a true and fruitful conversation when there is misunderstanding,” she said. 

In the end, Glover said the goal is not to “win.”

“The goal is truth — not winners and losers of an argument,” he said. 

For the fifth year in a row, student enrollment in Arkansas parochial schools is up from last year, continuing a trend.

“We’re up to a 4.31 percent increase,” superintendent Theresa Hall told Arkansas Catholic Oct. 31. “We’ve been increasing since 2020-2021. That’s when we really started increasing. Each year it was 2 percent, 2 percent, 2.5 percent, 3 percent, now we’re over 4 percent.”

This year, 7,104 students are enrolled across the state — up 294 from last year’s total of 6,810. 

Since the 2023-2024 school year, Educational Freedom Accounts (EFAs) provided financial support through the LEARNS Act for families to attend parochial schools, leading to a boom in enrollment in Northwest and Central Arkansas. 

While some of that growth has trickled off in Central Arkansas, it remains consistent in northwest Arkansas. 

St. Vincent de Paul School in Rogers and Ozark Catholic Academy in Tontitown hold the top slots for school growth. St. Vincent de Paul School increased enrollment by 30 students, and Ozark Catholic Academy increased enrollment by 8 percent.

OCA communications director Krissa Mentuis told Arkansas Catholic, “This school year, OCA serves 121 students, an 8 percent increase from last year’s 113, and a nearly 46 percent increase since 2022, when enrollment stood at 83. Our freshman class has reached full capacity with a waiting list, and other grade levels are quickly approaching the same.”

The school recently signed a 100-year land lease in Tontitown to relocate from rented space at St. Joseph Church. 

Eastern and northeastern Arkansas schools have also seen growth. St. Michael School in West Memphis and St. Paul School in Pocahontas enrolled more students. Last year, St. Michael School only went up to third grade. This year, the school added a fourth grade, with plans to expand to fifth grade next year. 

A growth in parochial elementary and middle school students underscores the need to prepare Catholic high schools, such as OCA, for a potential influx of students.

Jamie Groat, director of communications and marketing for Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock, said enrollment has increased over the past few years. 

“If you looked at our enrollment in August 2024, we were right at 500. This year, we have 536 students, so that is about a 7 percent increase,” Groat said. 

She said Eden Coker, director of enrollment, has been gathering feedback from parents about why they’re choosing Catholic education. 

“A large part of our growth comes from the growth the parochial schools are seeing at the lower levels,” Groat said. “We hear from families that they are searching for a specific environment — one with greater teacher and student interactions, where safety is a priority, and I think families are seeing that the parochial schools are meeting those characteristics that they are seeking for their daughters.”

Some schools in Central Arkansas, while not seeing a large enrollment surge this year, are at or near capacity. One of those schools is Our Lady of the Holy Souls School in Little Rock. 

“Our school did not see significant enrollment growth this year because we were already operating near capacity,” Holy Souls principal Amber Bagby said. “We are grateful that the state funding opportunity has allowed several parish families to join or remain at our school. Our hope is that the long-term impact will allow us to sustain a vibrant, faith-filled community that is accessible to more families. I can see this strengthening our parish and supporting Catholic education for future generations.” 

The Catholic Schools Office is working hard to ensure that schools don’t just enroll new students but also retain them. 

“Anytime I’m going to visit a school, I check how many students were in kindergarten last year and how many are in first grade this year. How many were in first grade last year and went on to second grade this year? Just to compare to see if we are retaining,” Hall said.

“What we used to see is sometimes after second grade, after they’ve received the sacrament of First Communion, they might leave,” Hall said. “But I’m not seeing that now.”

In the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, studies showed that while parochial school test scores did dip, they still remained higher than their public school counterparts, and the more consistent educational curriculum in parochial schools — in spite of the pandemic — minimized gaps, while also enlisting interventionists to help students from public schools catch up to a parochial school educational curriculum. 

All of these factors have convinced many parents in the past five years that Catholic school is the place to send their kids. But several years of increasing growth have the Catholic Schools Office planning even further ahead.  

“We have to look at our buildings and see what we can do. Is there a way we can add more classes? Is there a way within our current school buildings to have another class of the same grade?” Hall said. “… There are more challenges as our schools get larger. You have more people. You have more staff, challenges like that.”

Hall is working with educators to try to bridge the gap between parochial schools and the church pews as well. 

“We ask all of the schools to look at their baptismal records. Look at how many kids are out there in the pew in church. Is it causing our churches to grow, too?” she said. “… For instance, those new families that come in, are you really reaching out to them and making sure that they understand the culture and our mission? We have to always evangelize.”

Catholics in Arkansas can support the state’s parochial schools through the annual Arkansas Catholic Schools Appeal. 

Created in 2013 to provide scholarships to families who qualified for financial assistance, the annual Arkansas Catholic Schools Appeal has helped families who could not otherwise afford to offer a Catholic education for their children. 

Now the fund helps schools with scholarships and other essential needs.

But this year’s appeal campaign, which will officially kick off Nov. 15-16, is different from previous years. 

“Because we have the Educational Freedom Accounts now, we are switching it a little bit,” Catholic schools superintendent Theresa Hall said. “… We’ve done it for scholarships for years, and we’re still giving scholarships, but that’s not where our greatest need is now.”

According to the appeal letter from the Catholic Schools Office, “Recent events have reminded us that even our Catholic schools are not immune to threats. While some campuses have adequate safety protections in place, others need urgent upgrades to meet today’s safety standards.”

Public and private schools in the state have been assessing their safety measures, especially over the past few years. A tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and Church in Minneapolis Aug. 27, leaving two students and two parishioners dead, solidified for dioceses everywhere that safety was paramount. 

Bill Hollenbeck, former Fort Smith Public Schools’ police chief who is now the security officer of Trinity Catholic School in Fort Smith, gave a safety presentation to all parochial school principals Sept. 17. 

“He talked about some safety measures, telling us what we should do if we haven’t yet and gave us a long list of things that would be helpful,” Hall said. 

Some of the precautions on that list include: 

• Electronic access on doors. During an emergency, you’re more likely to fumble with your keys in a manual lock, wasting precious time. 
• Two-way radio systems. Many educators just use their cellphones, but this can be more complicated with passcodes than pressing a button on a walkie-talkie or simple radio system.
• Protective window covers. Should glass shatter during an emergency, these covers keep the broken glass contained.
• Visible classroom entry numbering systems. A visible number inside and corresponding outside of windows and entries helps individuals inside pinpoint where danger is during an emergency and makes it easier for first responders to reach the classroom in question. 
• Building a relationship with the local police force. In the event of an emergency — or even when there is suspicion of a possible threat — having close law enforcement relationships can be key.
• Having a monitoring platform. Cameras in the hallways aren’t the only way educators should keep an eye on students. Students who use school technology, such as Chromebooks and other laptops, should have computer monitoring software in place, such as GoGuardian or Dyno. 

These security enhancements are expensive, and other safety grants aren’t necessarily filling in gaps, Hall noticed. 

Some schools “got a safety grant last year, and it was based on the number of students,” she said. “So the bigger schools got the most money, whereas probably, to me, in my eyes, some of our small schools need more money.”

Hall spoke with the Diocesan School Board, and it agreed that safety was the primary issue. 

“When you ask people, ‘Why do you send your kids to Catholic schools?’ Not only is it because you’re Catholic, but also because they feel safe. And with that, we decided, OK, let’s look at what safety measures we really have in place, and what do we need to make sure that we have implemented? What are the really key things that we need within our schools?”

Hall said the funds raised through the appeal will be allocated to schools through grants. 

“What we’ve done in the past is, the principals have told us … who has applied for scholarships, who is in the greatest need for that scholarship. .. For this, we’ll have different tiers set up. Schools will write a grant … asking for whatever amount they need. We will sit down with our board, share the different grant applications, and from those grant applications, we’ll award what we feel is the greatest need for the schools, based on what they’re asking for.”

Hall hopes that Catholics across the state will answer the call to help protect Catholic students. 

“Hopefully (in a year), our schools will have more security measures in place,” she said. “I believe that every little layer will make a difference. And the more layers that we have in place, the safer our schools will be.”

For more information or to donate online, visit dolr.org/schools/scholarship-appeal.

Around 50 civic and faith leaders gathered under the tent in the freshly turned dirt Ocf. 20.
Outstretched feet away lay a yellow tarp covering the future foundation of the medical clinic at Providence Park, a nonprofit 20 minutes south of downtown Little Rock in Mabelvale. 

The nonprofit’s executive director, Errin Stanger, a 1994 graduate of Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock, welcomed guests to the foundation blessing. 

“It’s been a big dream of mine to create Providence Park, and one of the many exciting things is having this medical clinic,” she said as she stood in front of the construction area. “The research shows that this clinic needs to be here on site to provide the medical care and the mental health care and the dental care that’s going to be provided on site for our neighbors.”

Stanger said dental students from Lyon College in Batesville would provide dental care in a dental school on site, the staff of Divine Mercy Health Center in Little Rock would help provide medical care and mental health professionals had volunteered to provide counseling as well.

Inspired by the successful Austin, Texas, nonprofit Community First! Village, Providence Park serves as a long-term solution for homeless people in Central Arkansas. Residents will live in tiny homes and pay rent each month. The community offers several opportunities for residents, referred to as “neighbors,” to earn income, such as a community works program, plus a car care center, hair salon and community garden.

The solar-powered homes will come with various floor plans. Some units will have bathrooms, while others will be near buildings with private toilets and showers. Communal kitchens will encourage residents to develop relationships and a community with one another.

“When I was a little girl, I thought I was going to go to medical school. But God had a different plan,” Stanger said. “So instead of going to medical school and becoming a doctor, God needed me to build a medical clinic to care for some of our most vulnerable citizens in our county.” 

Arkansas Catholic reported on Providence Park in June 2024. At that time, Providence Park was beginning Phase 1 of construction, which consisted of 68 small units and 32 large units. Phase 1 also includes constructing an administrative building, health services buildings, work opportunities for community members, a garden, a community kitchen, a bus stop and a store. 

In future construction phases, Stanger hopes to build an additional 250 small units and 124 large units. She hopes to eventually house up to 400 people.

Soon, construction of the medical clinic will begin, and Stanger plans to have the first 10 homes ready before winter.

Stanger encouraged attendees to leave religious items, medals, notes and rocks covered in handwritten Scripture on the tarp, where Nabholz construction workers in hard hats and reflective vests waited to pour concrete, permanently sealing the prayers and blessings into the foundation of Providence Park. 

Steven Morris, director of spiritual life at Providence Park, was raised Catholic. He offered a reflection during the ceremony rooted in Catholic tradition. 

“About 800 years ago, a small child ran outside in a small town in Italy. She grabbed a handful of stones and took them with her to her bedroom,” he said. “She kneeled down and she started to pray. And every time she prayed, she would lay down one of the stones. And she continued to do that until her little hands cramped. 

“She made this a regular practice every night. When she was a teenager, a monk came through her town, preaching. And when she heard his message about care and sacrifice for people who needed it most, she felt her calling from God.”

The girl would go on to found a sisterhood dedicated to the poor.

“St. Clare (of Assisi) started this tradition of prayer stones as something private for herself,” Morris said. “… It’s one of those synchronicities that just felt like it really matched what we’re doing here today. It’s a practice that’s come to mean something very deep to us.”

The tradition of burying religious relics or icons in the foundation of important buildings and structures for prosperity and protection dates back at least 5,000 years in the Americas. The Great Basin people, for example, carved prayers into rocks before pressing them into the clay foundations of their structures. 

“Here, we’re establishing homes for people who have wandered long without them,” Morris said, gesturing to the construction site as a backhoe chirps in the background. “We’re founding a place of healing. … And we want this clinic to be literally founded on prayer.”

“It is such a privilege to be a part of this blessing ceremony for the new health clinic at Providence Park,” said Lori Wilbur, wife of Providence Park board member Dr. Lee Wilbur and the co-founder of Divine Mercy Health Center. “We are so excited for this community and these much-needed services that will be available. For many of us, we take access to health care for granted, not realizing all the challenges others face. Having all of these medical, dental and mental health services in one place is so important, and I can’t wait to see the impact it will have on the health of those who will live here.”

As for Stanger, she’s felt a sense of blessing over the whole project for a long time before Oct. 20.

“It’s just amazing what God can do,” she said. “Sometimes you have one idea, and then he takes it and makes it a whole lot bigger. And that’s been pretty constant and true for my life here with this project — it just keeps getting better and better.”

The zipping of the small white drone echoes throughout the Catholic High School classroom, as the lightweight technology flips, hovers and zooms through hoops and towers in the obstacle practice course on one side of the room. 

As four members of the school’s drone team take turns piloting the drone, several other students use a large monitor and airplane simulation gear to test their knowledge of piloting various aircraft models. 

Several students measure angles with protractors as they cut foam board to build airfoils — structures, like aircraft wings, designed to generate lift and minimize drag when air flows over them — and eagerly stick them inside small-scale wind tunnels to see if their hypothetical plane will be able to take flight. 

All of these new opportunities come to students through Catholic High School’s aerospace program in Little Rock.

The program, which is made possible by the school’s partnership with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), is part of a nationwide initiative to educate students about careers in aviation. The program started its fourth year at CHS, giving students the opportunity to participate in a STEM-based aerospace educational program. 

Col. Charles Johnson, a retired colonel in the United States Marine Corps who flew “Cobra” attack helicopters, is the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) instructor. He joined Catholic High more than 10 years ago to help with the ROTC program. Since then, he has coached the JROTC’s Cyber Security Team and the competition drone team and teaches two electives in the Aerospace Program: Aerospace I: Introduction to Aerospace Studies and Aerospace II: Introduction to Flight.

As electives became more prevalent at Catholic High over the past decade, Johnson knew he wanted an aviation-based elective. 

“I started doing research and came across some courseware that the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association creates,” Johnson said. “The idea is to try to generate some interest and enthusiasm in aerospace …”

In Aerospace I, students are introduced to general aerospace studies, learning about aviation history, aerospace engineering and unmanned aircraft systems. Students also learn about potential career paths, including ballooning, space travel and powered flight. 

Aerospace II focuses more on flight, with students studying aircraft structure, aerodynamics and propulsion more closely. 

The competitive drone team is part of the aerospace program, offering students the chance to code and pilot drones through obstacle courses as they compete with other schools in the region. 

Johnson is also able to bring in alumni with experience in aviation, piloting and engineering from companies and organizations to talk to the students.

“The flight simulation course is a STEM-certified course — the AOPA got it nationally certified as a STEM course. It delves into those areas, and reinforces the need — if you’re interested in this kind of work — to load up on math and science courses so that you can develop a good resume or college prep background,” he said. “We’ve had several guys who have been interested in actually piloting and are working on their private pilot’s license. …”

Students have created logbook systems to record drone flight time and battery life, while also learning about the mechanical and fine motor skills needed to properly operate and pilot a drone. 

“My entire Aerospace II class last year was prepared for the spring semester to take the first part of their commercial drone license test. … We’ve had some good success in helping guys lay a foundation for an engineering background or a technical background.”

The program is one of only a handful available to high school students in the state. 

“If you’re thinking about the world of engineering or design, if you could envision a job with a particular skill set that you’re interested in, that job is available in aviation, in aerospace — it’s a growing industry that is screaming for educated, passionate people to get into that world, and that’s exactly what I’m trying to instill.”

The growing interest in avionics and aerospace in Arkansas has been tangible. In mid-October, the University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College announced that it would launch a new avionics program with the Arkansas Aerospace Defense Alliance, thanks to a $2.5 million workforce grant. 

Arkansas Catholic visited the Aerospace I and II courses Oct. 10 at Catholic High. Sophomore Reuben Gerlach said he is planning to get a private pilot’s license after high school. He said the aerospace program has made that goal a tangible reality. 

“I’ve been in aerospace since my freshman year. I learned a lot about the history, how it came to be, the Wright brothers, the space station, the Apollo missions, and I’m the logbook manager for the drone team,” he said while practicing piloting the team’s drone through the obstacle course. 

Junior Jack Young has been practicing nonstop on the program’s flight simulator, specifically practicing with various crop dusters on a map of acreage in rural Sherrill (Jefferson County) — a map of the same farmland owned by Young’s family. 

“Right now I’m flying an Air Tractor AT-802,” he said, not breaking eye contact with the simulation monitor, hands on the steering controls. “That’s the plane I want to fly when I grow up. It’ll help our family and our farm. After a big rain, when the fields are too wet, farmers might need to dust the crops, but if they can’t get their tractors into it, they’ll have a plane come do it.”

“I’m on the drone team and I took Aerospace I,” said Wyatt Calhoun, a sophomore. “That helped me learn a little bit more about drones. In general, my whole life I’ve been around aerospace.” 

For him, flying runs in the family. 

“My great-grandad was in the Air Force as a B-17 pilot. My grandpa was always interested in planes because of that. That’s what led him to build an experimental plane, which took him nine years. My family got me into aerospace. I’ve been interested ever since I got to fly for the first time.”

For sophomore Ricky Vanegas, what once started as an enjoyment of one of his favorite movies quickly evolved into a possible future. 

“I decided to take this class because I really like ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’ I’ve always been interested in aviation, and military aviation specifically, so I want to use this class to further my career.” 

Head of School Steve Straessle said, “Boys naturally gravitate to STEM skills, and Col. Johnson’s experience with aerospace engineering provided the perfect opportunity for us to launch the program. It’s very hands-on, incredibly interesting …We’re proud to offer the course.”

More than 150 law professionals and students packed into the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock for the 31st annual Red Mass Oct. 17. At this Mass and the reception that followed, legal professionals honored attorney Paul James, a parishioner of Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock. 

The Red Mass, formally known as the Solemn Mass of the Holy Spirit, serves as a special gathering for those in public service and the legal profession to seek God’s blessing and guidance as they carry out their responsibilities in the judicial and legislative branches.

The Red Mass is hosted and organized by the St. Thomas More Society, a Catholic professional association of lawyers, judges, law professors and others involved in legal or governmental service. The society is named after a distinguished attorney from medieval England who was also a devout Catholic.

Celebrant Bishop Francis I. Malone of the Diocese of Shreveport reflected on when he presided over the first Red Mass 31 years ago, and the impact that the St. Thomas More Society has had since. He said that the St. Thomas More Society and those in the legal profession uphold justice and have throughout time.

“Historically and theologically, we are commanded by the cardinal virtue of justice to give to God and to one another what they are due. Those who occupy the bar or the bench are required to fulfill this virtue in what we do or attempt to do in these various relationships,” Bishop Malone said. “The exercise of this happening today falls upon us, not just to examine this, but to fulfill it. … I thank you and pray that justice, as God sees it, is manifested in you, your life and your work.”

James has been in private law practice in Little Rock for more than 40 years. 

After practicing law with former United States Attorney W.H. “Sonny” Dillahunty, James co-founded a firm that has been in continuous operation ever since. He was one of the founding members of the St. Thomas More Society of Arkansas and has served in the past as its president and on the board of directors. He was awarded attorney of the year in 2003 by the Arkansas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for his successful representation of mentally ill inmates in the county jails. He also served as a member and chairman of the Diocese of Little Rock Pastoral Council since 2020. He is a member and past president of the Serra Club of Greater Little Rock. 

He is married to Sarah Lewis James, who is also an attorney. Together, they have three children, Frances, Drew and Caroline James.

“When I graduated from law school, my father brought to my office in West Memphis a framed portrait of St. Thomas More,” James said. “… It’s been hanging in my law office ever since. I think the reason it sort of keeps me alive is because when I see him hanging on the wall, he’s like a mentor, so to speak. … So when Bishop Malone contacted me (in the 1990s) about the Red Mass and starting the St. Thomas More Society, I felt like that was a good cause.”

James said that as the need for justice has become more prevalent in recent years, the Red Mass and the St. Thomas More Society have become more relevant.

“My thought is even more so now than then, we’re more relevant and more important in this day and time because of all of the violence … the violence that’s being inflicted on the left, on the right and on different faiths is happening today with much more regularity. It just seems to me like the mission of the Red Mass and the St. Thomas More Society is even more important in these days.” 

Russell Bailey, president of the St. Thomas More Society of Arkansas, said that the goal of the organization is to remind others about the importance of truth and morality. 

“We can learn from St. Thomas More, whether in our personal or professional lives, that we should not compromise our faith for the sake of expediency, trendiness or earthly reward,” he said. “This rings especially true for lawyers, and is found in the closing words of the Prayer of St. Thomas More, ‘I shall not, in order to win a point, lose my soul.’”  

Connie Brown Phillips, an attorney and law professor in Little Rock, said she remembers a speech retired Archbishop J. Peter Sartain gave when he celebrated the Red Mass years ago.

“It is a ‘practice pointer’ I share with my law students — ‘Take your clients very seriously. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Be a class act,’” Phillips said. “… It is a statement that those of us present remember well.”