Members of Catholic Charities and Canopy NWA hosted a World Refugee Day event June 17 at the Arkansas Pharmacists Association offices in Little Rock. The Catholic Charities staff, including Claire Hollenbeck, Basira Faizy and seminarian Andrew Schaefer, spoke to attendees about the dignity of refugees and the value that they hold in enriching the local communities.
Catholic Charities of Arkansas is on many lists around the state as a provider of charitable assistance to help families address food shortages, temporary housing, emergency and primary care medical expenses and other critical needs.
Requests are received from all areas of the diocese. Staff respond daily to requests for food assistance and free or low-cost medical services by connecting individuals with local food pantries and non-profit charitable medical clinics.
Other common inquiries and requests for assistance are made by people seeking temporary housing at a shelter or motel, help paying their rent, help paying a utility bill or the cost of a prescription drug, and occasionally help with paying funeral expenses.
The volume of requests typically is higher around holidays and at the end of the month.
People have different reasons for contacting Catholic Charities of Arkansas for help. Some have lost their jobs, others have experienced a medical condition or injury that prevents them from working, and there are seniors living on a fixed income, sometimes with other family members to care for.
For example, it is not uncommon to receive a request from a grandparent with a disability who is providing for their grandchild because her or his parents cannot. Inflation is also a factor for people who work at low-wage jobs without health care benefits or paid sick leave.
Since the funds available to Catholic Charities of Arkansas to support this ministry are limited and come mostly from donations, only a small number of requests for financial assistance can be satisfied. To increase its capacity to help more people, Catholic Charities of Arkansas works with other helping organizations whenever possible, especially the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
An emphasis at Catholic Charities of Arkansas has been to strengthen our partnerships with the local chapters of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. These partnerships have enabled the two Catholic charitable groups with a common mission of serving the poor to combine resources and reach more families in need.
Andrew Schaefer, a diocesan seminarian who works a few days a week with the staff at Catholic Charities of Arkansas, has spent time with both groups.
“I have been blessed to work both at Catholic Charities and with St. Vincent de Paul volunteers, and these two organizations really live out the Church’s teaching of ‘the preferential option for the poor,’ he said. “They embody the corporal works of mercy and truly serve each person as if they were Jesus himself.”
To donate to Catholic Charities’ assistance program, send a check to 2415 N. Tyler St., Little Rock, AR 72207 or visit dolr.org/catholic-charities/ways-to-donate.
Two people recently joined the staff of Catholic Charities of Arkansas.
In June, Deacon Jim Goodhart shifted from full-time employment as an attorney to begin retirement. He also accepted a part-time role as project coordinator for Catholic Charities of Arkansas.
A native of Little Rock, Goodhart grew up the sixth of eight children of Aubrey and Regina Goodhart.
After graduating from Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, he moved to New Orleans and worked as an environmental engineer in the petroleum industry. In 1991, following legal training at Loyola and Tulane universities and law practice in New Orleans and Alexandria, Jim, his wife Ruthmary and their four children relocated to Little Rock.
That same year, they became parishioners at Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock, where now three of their seven grandchildren attend grade school.
Goodhart worked for 38 years as a licensed attorney in Louisiana and Arkansas — the last 27 as general counsel for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
In June 2022, he was ordained as a permanent deacon by Bishop Anthony B. Taylor. He is assigned to minister at Our Lady of Good Counsel and Our Lady of the Holy Souls parishes.
When asked why he wanted to work as a project coordinator, he answered, “Ruthmary and I have been blessed abundantly. We’re thankful and have looked for ways to serve our Lord however he invites. Catholic Charities offers such opportunities, especially for helping those in real need. It’s humbling to join efforts with others and, as St. Mother Teresa has said, ‘Together do something beautiful for God.’ Besides, my good friend Dennis Lee (Catholic Charities executive director) said he and others could use my help. I couldn’t tell Dennis no.”
Andrew Schaefer enjoys dual roles in the diocese — as a seminarian living the House of Formation in Little Rock and working in Catholic Charities.
The fifth child of Dr. George and Alesia Schaefer of Rogers, he enrolled at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, hoping to pursue a pre-med degree.
While initially reluctant, he became involved in the Vanderbilt Catholic campus ministry and accepted an invitation to help lead a campus retreat.
Following much reflection and heeding his roommates’ encouragement to read “To Save a Thousand Souls” — a guide for discerning a vocation to diocesan priesthood written by Father Brett Brannen — Schaefer knew what the next phase of his journey needed to be.
During Thanksgiving break of his sophomore year, he shared with his parents his desire to pursue formal discernment for the priesthood. He joined the House of Formation in May 2020. In May, he completed his undergraduate studies, majoring in philosophy.
Now, in the final stages of the discipleship program of seminary, Schaefer asked for an opportunity to work with Catholic Charities. Since late August, he has worked as a staff member in the Refugee Resettlement Office.
When asked how his recent experiences have affected him so far, Schaefer said, “Working with families who are new to our country is very inspiring and humbling, especially the opportunity to share in their relocation experiences. As for my formation as a seminarian, I am trusting in the Lord, and I encourage others, no matter the situation, to trust that God has a plan and watch as he works in your life.”
Three men were accepted as diocesan seminarians this fall, bringing the seminarian class to 20.
They are:
Returning seminarians are:
Ashburn and Hartnedy are scheduled to be ordained priests May 27 at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock. Eveld is scheduled to be ordained a deacon May 19 in his home parish.
Three seminarians joined the Diocese of Little Rock this summer to begin their discernment as priests.
With five priesthood ordinations in May, the total number of seminarians has decreased. The diocese nowhas 23 seminarians; at the peak in 2014 the diocese had 46 seminarians.
The new seminarians are:
All three are living at the House of Formation in Little Rock and studying at the University of Arkansas Little Rock and taking some courses online through Newman University in Wichita, Kan.
Returning seminarians are:
Wendel and Nieto are scheduled to be ordained priests May 28, 2022, at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock. Ashburn and Hartnedy are scheduled to be ordained deacons in May 2022 in their home parishes.