The third cohort for the diocese’s School of Spiritual Direction was selected and began its first training Sept. 19-20 at the St. John Center in Little Rock. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor celebrated a bilingual Mass Sept. 19 for the eight new students, plus students from the first and second cohorts.

The new students are:

• Bentonville: Tom Hubbard and Ana Krus, St. Stephen
• Conway: Robert Massery, St. Joseph
• Hot Springs: Carol Ruscin, St. John
• Hot Springs Village: Cathey Raney, Sacred Heart of Jesus
• Jonesboro: Ana Castañon and Deacon Ramon Ramirez, Blessed Sacrament
• Springdale: Deacon Eduardo Andrade, St. Raphael

The three-year program began in 2023. Weekend classes are held monthly from September to May. The new class of eight students includes three Spanish speakers. Total enrollment is now 32 students, with 10 Spanish speakers. Father Daniel Velasco, pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock, is the director.

As the pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock, Father Daniel Velasco understands the importance of faith as a family. 

Since 2022, he’s implemented a series of new and unique prayer opportunities to unite different groups at the parish into solidarity as a family. 

• A special children’s liturgy is held during every weekend Mass during the readings and homily to allow children ages 4-12 to reflect on the readings and participate in activities together. Each child has a colorful sitting circle that designates their spot. 
• When the children come back into the church from children’s liturgy, there is a special children’s collection.
• Married couples are recognized during their anniversary month with a blessing.
• Attendees with birthdays each month are recognized and prayed over.
• Saints cards and spiritual books are offered regularly to Mass-goers.
• Visitors are welcomed at the end of Mass with greetings and applause.
• Father Velasco frequently offers a “marketing teaser,” encouraging children to come to Mass the next week, where they will receive small trinkets and gifts, such as “Tiny Saints” keychains.

Many of these efforts began shortly after Father Velasco was assigned to Holy Souls. Parishioner Steve Hoffman approached him, describing a children’s liturgy that his grandchildren participate in at their parish in Knoxville, Tenn. 

He and other parishioners researched the special program, called Children Celebrate, and approached Father Velasco. 

“This was during the spring semester of 2023, during my first year. It just so happened to be right before Lent, so after pondering about it, I said, ‘OK, let’s try it during Lent.’”

Father Velasco made the decision to hold the children’s liturgy during the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Masses with several parishioners who volunteered to help. Nearly 40 children attended. The demand for children’s liturgy grew, and so it was implemented at 5:30 p.m. Sunday Mass as well in the fall of 2023. By October 2024, children’s liturgy was held at all Masses. 

Father Velasco and associate pastor Father Joji Reddy Allam also get involved. Each month they rotate which Mass they lead the children’s liturgy while the other priest is celebrating the Mass. At the end of each children’s liturgy, each child receives a worksheet with activities to complete with their parents. 

All parishioners are recognized and honored during the year. 

“Of course, at first, I was just trying to get to know them, and then it developed as a way for people to know each other and to appreciate each other on those special occasions, and also to welcome the visitors,” Father Velasco said. “At the very beginning, I noticed that even though … we’re not a parish destination, we receive visitors — sometimes because of the local hospitals, or sometimes, I guess, people Google parishes when they are traveling through or coming to town. We receive visitors not just from Arkansas, but all over the U.S. and even internationally. This past Sunday, we had a family from Slovenia, visiting the U.S. and traveling to different states, and they found Holy Souls.”

Father Velasco, who earned a marketing degree before joining the seminary, is also excited about the opportunity to use his business degree. Each week, he shares a new “marketing teaser” — a riddle or puzzle with hints for what trinkets and little gifts he might give out next — to encourage youth attendance at Mass. 

“Back in Mexico, in some parishes, they will give you a candy at the end of Mass, so I wanted to do something in line with this.”

Father Velasco began giving children small gifts after Masses, such as “Tiny Saints” keychains, candy and even Nativity pieces and Christmas ornaments during Advent. 

“It’s great for the teachers, it’s great for the kids, and it’s great for the volunteers because it’s a spiritual ministry that is very important to them,” Hoffman said. 

Volunteers react

Parishioner Dorcy Corbin has been volunteering with the children’s liturgy since its inception. 

“Father Daniel wanted to expand the children’s liturgy to all Masses and asked me to recruit volunteers for the 8 a.m. Mass. Recruiting was super simple as almost everyone I asked was willing to help, and we had so many volunteers that I only had to schedule people once every six to eight weeks,” she said. “It only took a couple of weeks to get the volunteers to cover the 8 a.m. Mass. Then Father asked me to take care of getting volunteers for the 4 p.m. (Saturday) Mass … and virtually every person I asked agreed to help. Many of my volunteers actually prefer to help monthly rather than every six to eight weeks.”

Corbin said the children’s liturgy makes liturgical readings and concepts easier for children to understand. 

“The children’s liturgy sometimes has modified readings which are more age-appropriate and easier for them to understand. With the children’s liturgy, the children get to actively participate in the Liturgy of the Word. I think that knowing they will have the opportunity to ask questions and to answer questions about the readings, encourages them to pay close attention.”

Corbin said children’s liturgy also allows parents the opportunity to get more out of Mass too. 

“One of the benefits of the children’s liturgy that may not have been mentioned is the fact that the parents of the younger children can actually be more attentive to the readings and homily because they are not distracted by their child or children next to them, fidgeting or otherwise wanting something during Mass,” Corbin said. “I know that when my five children were young, it would have been great to have been able to pay closer attention to the homilies; you can always go back and read the readings.”

Support from students

Corbin’s grandchildren also weighed in. Evelyn Bearden, 5, said she enjoyed being able to ask questions. Emerson Anthony, 9, enjoys being a reader during children’s liturgy. John Sheffield Anthony, 7, said the children’s liturgy is fun.

“I like how they use words that children can understand,” said George Lehner, 8. “When I have stayed in Mass, they use words I don’t understand.”

Parishioner and volunteer Cari Britt said the community at the parish and various family-oriented events, such as children’s liturgy, have “really grown.”

“My daughter … loves to go and sit with her friends  … I think it gives them the discipline to sit there and listen, and it’s on something that’s closer to their level of understanding.”

Holy Souls School principal Amber Bagby said she is thankful that Father Velasco and Father Allam have helped grow the Catholic faith among students even more. 

“They are deeply present in the life of our school and parish. … Our priests hear confessions on the playground. This is one of my favorite things because it not only makes the habit of attending confession less intimidating, but it also reminds our children that God meets us where we are in the middle of our everyday lives. It’s a powerful example of faith woven into daily moments. … It is all of these moments that remind us that church and school are not separate parts of our lives, but one faith-filled community.”

Jeff Hines, director of the diocese’s Office of Faith Formation, said the family-oriented activities at Holy Souls are pivotal for building community. 

“We encounter Christ in four ways: prayer, word, sacrament and community,” he said. “All four of these happen in the Mass, but too often, the community aspect is neglected. Perhaps too many of us see Mass as an obligation, rather than as an opportunity to encounter Christ. We should always go to Mass expecting to meet somebody new.  

“There are a few points in the liturgy where the priest can insert things to motivate us to become more like Christ — such as welcoming visitors and recognizing people for anniversaries, birthdays and graduations. These give us an easy way to reach out and build relationships.  Follow up after Mass with ‘Welcome!’ or ‘Congratulations!’ and introduce yourself. The first step in evangelization is learning to say, ‘Hello, My name is…’”

Father Daniel Velasco, a former college tennis player and tennis coach, won the singles championship of the international priests’ tennis tournament in Kansas City, Mo., July 12. The competition was held at the Overland Park Racquet Courts. Father Velasco is the pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock and director of the diocese’s School of Spiritual Direction. Winning the doubles tournament were Father Velasco and Father Bill Elser, a senior priest who recently was the pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Hot Springs Village. This year, approximately 25 priests from six different countries, including the United States, Poland, Canada, the Philippines, India and Burma, attended.

The halfway mark of the Jubilee year was celebrated with a series of speakers discussing different aspects of hope, pilgrimages and Jubilee years for a crowd of 300 at Christ the King Church in Little Rock June 28. 

The day began with a period of prayer and music at 8 a.m., and ended with Mass at 4 p.m. 

Father Juan Guido, event organizer and pastor of Christ the King Church in Little Rock, said another Jubilee celebration was held June 14 at St. Raphael Church in Springdale for more than 600 people.

“These events are part of our diocesan celebration of the Jubilee of Hope,” he said. “The primary purpose of these gatherings is to come together around our bishop to celebrate the Jubilee and to reflect on how the virtue of hope is transforming our diocese. During the events, diocesan priests, deacons and religious will offer testimonies of hope from their various areas of ministry. Each will share how hope sustains and inspires their service to the People of God.”

Many talks explored the pilgrim-like legacy of the Bible, from the Old Testament to the New Testament, which is carried on in the universal Church today. 

Father Daniel Velasco, pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock, gave one of keynote speeches in Spanish. 

“My plan for this talk is I’m going to start with what it means to be a pilgrim, then go through the Scripture, starting with Abraham and the Israelites and how they were pilgrims from the very beginning,” Father Velasco told Arkansas Catholic as he prepared for his talk. “Then I’ll move to the New Testament, and how the disciples were pilgrims transformed by the power of Christ. The Church tells us that we’re all pilgrims.”

Hope was a popular theme tying all of the day’s talks and celebration together. 

In his keynote talk, “Hope is a Promise & Delta Blues,” Father Joseph Friend, pastor of Holy Cross Church in Crossett, Holy Spirit Church in Hamburg and Our Lady of the Lake Church in Lake Village, compared the evolution of music to the challenging situations impacting the Delta.

“Hope is a promise. It is not a prediction. Placing our trust in Christ’s promises helps us focus on the known. … Hope shines in the Delta blues. We can confess our hope without wavering. … Hope is for the poor and humble. … Hope makes you a protagonist,” he said. “Hope is not a mere act of optimism. … Hope is an expectation that’s already here. For the Christian, to hope means the certainty of being on the journey with Christ toward the Father who awaits us. Our salvation history has never been about wishful predictions or desires of what might be. Rather, our faith is a story about what is — something we should have great hope for.”

Shorter presentations were also given by various priests in English and Spanish. 

In his talk, Father John Paul Hartnedy, associate pastor of St. Theresa Church in Little Rock, said that he has experienced hope by working, living and serving his flock throughout his young priesthood. He recounted when, earlier this spring, his parishioners — many of whose homes and neighborhoods were devastated by fires — immediately began hauling buckets of water to keep the fires from spreading to the neighborhood on the other side of the treeline. Hope, he said, motivated them to act selflessly for others in spite of their own suffering. 

“Hope is a thing of dreamers. … If you’re not a dreamer, you’re lacking some aspect of hope. In the positive sense, hope inspires a different way of seeing reality,” Father Hartnedy said. “Hope says, ‘Where are we right now? What resources do I have to work with? Who are the people…? … Hope, after acknowledging the present and bringing us through the past and enlightening us, points to the future.” 

“We must remember that ‘hope does not disappoint’ (Romans 5:5),” Father Guido told Arkansas Catholic. “Hope draws us closer to Christ and deepens our love for one another. These events are an opportunity for us to gather as one Catholic family, united in faith, to celebrate this special Jubilee and renew our commitment to live as witnesses of hope.”

Mark Ives, a member of Sacred Heart Church in Morrilton, said the talks were “exceptional.”

“I loved Father Michael Johns’ talk on Acts and the importance of St. Peter and St. Paul and how they complement each other. I also loved Father Joseph de Orbegozo’s message on confession. I wish more people would take advantage of this special jubilee year.”

The Diocese of Little Rock will host a Jubilee Celebration Saturday, June 28 at Christ the King Church in Little Rock. The bilingual event, “Hope in Arkansas,” will begin at 8 a.m. and end with Mass at 4 p.m. The event is free, but registration is required by June 21 to receive the complimentary lunch. Speakers will be Father Joseph Friend of Lake Village and Father Daniel Velasco of Little Rock. The event is open to anyone 12 and up. For the complete schedule or to register, visit dolr.org/events/diocese-little-rock-jubilee-year-2025-celebration-little-rock.