MENA Sophia Vacca was an active leader in the diocese’s Youth Advisory Council and Search retreats. She was also very involved in youth events at her parish, St. Agnes Church in Mena. “My parents are the youth leaders,” the 18-year-old said. “My…
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LITTLE ROCK When Rebekah Spellins enrolled at Benedictine College in Kansas, she intended to stay near Kansas City. “I like to say that the Holy Spirit punted me back down to Little Rock,” Spellins said with a laugh. After struggling to find…
« read »JONESBORO Mary-Alice Gabe was pondering her career choices after she graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2023 with degrees in integrated marketing and communications. She instead chose to return to her hometown of Jonesboro to pursue a master’s degree at Arkansas…
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WINSLOW Although just turning the page on his 18th birthday, Oscar Burney is already discerning the next step in his life journey. Currently a senior at Ozark Catholic Academy in Tontitown, Burney is looking to enter the House of Formation in Little…
« read »NORTH LITTLE ROCK John Tobin, 18, has worked in the afterschool care program at Our Lady of the Holy Souls School in Little Rock for the past two years, plus the summer care program. A parishioner at Immaculate Conception Church in North…
« read »WYNNE By day, Jacob Hess is a single, 30-year-old property and casualty insurance agent. On the weekends and evenings, he is involved in both his church and community. At St. Peter Church in Wynne, he is an usher, Eucharistic minister and lector,…
« read »JACKSONVILLE At 22 years old, Madison Hall has become very involved at St. Jude the Apostle Church in Jacksonville. She is a youth leader for the church’s CYM group, a Sunday school teacher, an usher and Eucharistic minister and is currently starting…
« read »CONWAY Hilda Gonzales has gone to St. Joseph Church in Conway her whole life. She has always been involved in the church, becoming an altar server after her first Communion. At 20 years old, she is now the coordinator for altar servers…
« read »FORT SMITH After Fatima Bonilla finishes her day teaching fourth graders in the Fort Smith School District, her day of teaching isn’t over. After graduating from UA Fort Smith, she chose to teach in public schools in low-income areas to show poor…
« read »WYNNE As soon as she started confirmation classes, Emily Blake, an 18-year-old parishioner from St. Peter Church in Wynne, had the opportunity to do what she always wanted: be a teacher. Blake grew up Catholic, going every week to the Sunday school…
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