BARLING — Father Henry Mischkowiuski was honored Oct. 18 with a 60th jubilee Mass and reception at his former parish, Sacred Heart of Mary Church in Barling.

The Mass was concelebrated with pastor Father Matt Garrison, associate pastor Father Tuyen Do and Father Jerome Kodell, OSB. 

Father Garrison presented Father Mischkowiuski with a papal blessing, noting that the retired priest was ordained 13 years before he was born, and that the four priests on the altar had a combined total of 148 years of service. 

“I am grateful for your example of faithfulness, prayer, love and pastoral care,” he said. 

At 92, Father Mischkowiuski is the oldest diocesan priest. 

Addressing his former parishioners, he said, “Every day I realize that I have gotten where I am through God’s blessing and favor. I thank God for all the years I was able to serve in Arkansas and in Kolkata. I want to say to each of you, little ones and big ones, too, thank you and may God bless you.”

He was ordained Oct. 1, 1965, in India, but was incardinated as a priest for the Diocese of Little Rock in 2013.

Prior to coming to the United States, Father Mischkowiuski served 26 years in India as a pastor and Catholic high school principal. The Communist Party was dominant in Kolkata, and he constantly struggled with the local government’s attempts to destroy the school’s religious heritage. He was bolstered and encouraged by St. Teresa of Kolkata and the Missionaries of Charity, giving retreats and saying Mass for the sisters at the Home for the Dying.

In 1986, he toured India with St. John Paul II, a staunch opponent of Communism, who visited despite warnings of political turmoil.

In 1991, a Communist official tried to confiscate Father Mischkowiuski’s passport, and he sought asylum in the United States. While teaching at a Catholic high school near the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, he met the late Bishop Andrew J. McDonald and was offered the opportunity to serve as pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Church in Lake Village. 

In 2001, he was transferred to Sacred Heart of Mary in Barling and its mission, Sts. Sabina and Mary in Jenny Lind, and in 2014, he became a senior priest at St. Mary Church in Mountain View.

Father Mischkowiuski has lived in Mercy Crest in Barling for several years, celebrating Mass at Mercy Hospital Fort Smith weekly and participating in daily Mass at his home. He was warmly welcomed by his friends in Barling and Jenny Lind, who have become his extended family. Their reminiscences are filled with stories of his joy and faith-filled love for everyone he met. Fr. Mischkowiuski is legendary for never forgetting a name or failing to pray for each one.

Karen and Adam Weisenfels live across the street from Sacred Heart of Mary Church and have remained close to Father Mischkowiuski since their wedding. Their son Henryk, a sixth-grader at Trinity Catholic School, is named for him, and he wears his baptismal gift, a medal touched to a garment of St. Teresa of Kolkata, each day. 

Joanna Gabourri, a recent Trinity graduate, said she was baptized by Father Mischkowiuski. 

“I feel a special connection to him, and he always remembers my name,” she said. 

Jo and John Marchese, who visit Father Mischkowiuski frequently and take him to medical appointments, have witnessed God’s healing touch through intercessory prayer. 

“John was in a serious car accident, and the EMTs told the hospital they had an amputee coming in,” Jo Marchese said. “The surgeon was able to save John’s arm, but it was completely immobile. During Mass one night, Father Henry prayed over John’s arm, and a week later, he saw a specialist in northwest Arkansas and was able to move it. The MRI showed no damage, and the doctor said it was a miracle.” 

Former church secretary Julie Anderson said, “I have a little different experience with Father Henry as he was my pastor, my boss, my mentor, friend and part of my family. He has been there through good times and bad. He has been at major milestones in my children’s lives. I know he prays for each of us by name. He is so reverent celebrating the holy Mass. He is an amazing person who has suffered tremendous loss, lived through so many world changes, growing in faith and becoming a humble servant of God. He has often shared Micah 6:8 in his homilies. ’And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’”

It was standing room only at St. Patrick Church in North Little Rock as more than 400 people packed into the pews to witness a historic event for the parish — the diaconate ordination of two Vietnamese seminarians May 21. 

The Vietnamese population at St. Patrick Church has grown over the past two decades, and that growth is bearing fruit — especially with the ordinations of seminarians Tuan (pronounced Twan) Do and Joseph Nguyen, both 29. 

The Mass was livestreamed on the diocesan YouTube channel so family and friends could join the celebration virtually.

Tuan Do

The youngest of six children, Do first studied English and cultural programs in Denver.

“My parents still live in Vietnam with two of my brothers, and my three sisters are living in Florida, Colorado and Toronto (Canada),” he told Arkansas Catholic. “After completing two years of college in Vietnam, my family sent me to the United States to continue my education. My sister sponsored me to study and live in the U.S. I first studied English and cultural programs in Denver. During this time, I started discerning a call to the priesthood.”

Through social media, Do met Father Tuyen Do, who serves in Barling and introduced him to former vocations director Msgr. Scott Friend, Bishop Anthony B. Taylor, and Father Jack Vu, pastor of St. Patrick Church. 

“They welcomed me warmly. I’ve now been in seminary formation for eight years, growing through their support and the grace of God,” Do said. 

Do’s family has a strong foundation in the faith.

“Two of my mother’s cousins became priests — one of them was persecuted and died in a communist prison for his faith,” he said. “My mother also spent three years in religious life before she discerned a vocation to marriage. 

“Faith was deeply rooted in our family life. I attended Mass regularly and developed a love for the Church at a young age. I first felt the call to the priesthood while in middle school and have continued to follow that call ever since. I hope to be a priest who serves with love and faithfulness, inspired by my family’s example and the Church’s teachings.”

Joseph Nguyen

Born in Vietnam, Nguyen also comes from a devout Catholic family. While his family, including his parents, twin brother, younger brother and a sister belonged to Tam Hoa Parish in the Diocese of Xuan Loc, they currently live in McKinney, Texas, and are parishioners at Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Parish in Garland.

“My parents, Mr. Phong Van and Mrs. Lan Thi Nguyen, instilled in me a deep love for God from an early age through their prayerful lives and steadfast witness in the faith,” he said. 

Nguyen has been discerning a religious vocation since he was young.

“The call to religious life has echoed quietly in my heart since childhood. As an altar server at Tam Hoa Parish, I often felt a deep joy and mysterious attraction each time I served at the altar. I still remember attending vocation classes in the evenings, where priests, seminarians and sisters shared their journeys of religious life — stories that ignited in me a burning desire to live entirely for God,” he said. 

As the years passed, he continued to feel a persistent call from God — “a silent yet steadfast invitation.” 

“In 2013, after finishing high school, I attended my first retreat with the Redemptorist Congregation. It was a profound experience where I encountered God deeply in prayer, silence and fraternity. I was especially moved by the spirituality of the Congregation — centered on Christ and God’s love, calling people to holiness. 

“This spirituality emphasizes compassion, especially for the poor and abandoned, serving them with concrete and intimate love. From then on, community life became the setting for mission, where God’s Word is proclaimed through unity and evangelical zeal. During the three and a half years I spent living with the Congregation, my desire to dedicate my life to God and others grew even stronger. After immigrating to the U.S., I continued to pursue this vocation and applied to join the Diocese of Little Rock.”

He was accepted as a diocesan seminarian in 2018 and began attending St. Patrick Church, where the Vietnamese community worships in Central Arkansas. 

During the ordination, Bishop Anthony B. Taylor delivered a homily on love and service — two themes that have been pivotal in the discernment and formation of Do and Nguyen. 

“One of the biggest misconceptions that people have about Jesus and his teachings has to do with his commandment on love,” Bishop Taylor said. “You recall that when Jesus was asked, ‘What is the greatest commandment of all?’ We are told that the answer was to love God with all of our heart, mind and soul and our neighbor as ourselves.

“People have two major misconceptions about this teaching of Jesus. First, they act like it was a new teaching. That it was an advance over the religious teaching and understanding that prevailed prior to Jesus. The question was about the greatest commandment in the law … Second, people act like this is the greatest commandment there is. It isn’t. It’s the greatest commandment of them all. … Jesus gives us an even greater commandment. “This is my commandment. Love one another as I have loved you. And how does he love us? By laying down his life for us. As Jesus says, ‘There is no greater love than this — to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’”

Following the homily, Do and Nguyen lay prostrate in front of the altar before being ordained to the temporary diaconate. 

The greatest commandment has inspired their ministry so far, and will continue to do so. 

“I am very excited and deeply grateful to become a deacon,” Do said. “I know it comes with responsibilities, but I am ready to serve with all my heart. I look forward to proclaiming the Gospel, preaching and assisting with the sacraments. I want to serve with obedience to the bishop and with love for the people I will be assigned to accompany. It is a humbling moment, and I trust in God’s grace to guide me.”

“Being a deacon is not merely a transitional step toward priesthood, but a true mission — reflecting the image of Jesus who came to serve and give his life for all,” Nguyen said. “… I’ve also come to realize that in today’s turbulent world — where people are increasingly losing faith in themselves, in each other and in God — living out the priestly vocation is a powerful witness to God’s faithful and merciful love. 

“As a priest, I am not merely working for God but becoming an instrument through which he can be present, heal and walk with his people. I want to be someone who brings Christ to others, especially those who are suffering, lost or forgotten. That is why I’ve chosen the path of priesthood.”

This summer, Do will serve as a deacon at Blessed Sacrament Church in Jonesboro while Nguyen will serve at Christ the King Church in Fort Smith.

Vietnamese Catholics from Sacred Heart of Mary Church and mission congregations from Rogers and Siloam Springs celebrated the Vietnamese New Year Jan. 26 with firecrackers, a Dragon Dance, Mass, a luncheon, crafts and games.

“Tết, our New Year, is a holiday similar to your Thanksgiving,” Father Tuyen Do, associate pastor for Vietnamese ministry at Sacred Heart of Mary Church, said. “It is a time for families to get together, thank God and ask for blessings for the New Year.”

The holiday marks the first day of the Lunar New Year, similar to the Chinese New Year. 

In Vietnam, where Father Do lived until he was 29, everyone would gather at the parental home on the first day of the new year. He celebrated with his 11 brothers and sisters, their spouses and children. 

“After breakfast, each of us would bless our parents, and then, one by one, we would seek forgiveness for anyone we had wronged and reconcile with one another,” he said. 

Cooking the giant feast, featuring holiday delicacies like pork and green beans wrapped in sticky rice, took nine or 10 hours.

While it is not always possible to gather with one’s whole family in the United States, Vietnamese families carry on the tradition through phone calls and occasional visits. 

Sister Maria Hoa Nguyen, OP, superior of the Dominican sisters in Arkansas, was able to visit her family in San Diego for the first time in eight years. 

“We are all safe together, far from the fires,” she said. “I am so happy to be with my family this new year.”

In 2015, Father Do immigrated to the United States via Canada to study for the priesthood at Sacred Heart Seminary in Milwaukee, Wis. While the Communists reopened seminaries, churches and schools in the 1980s, there was not enough seminary space to accommodate prospective priests.

He was grateful to have been sponsored by the Diocese of Little Rock to serve the Vietnamese community and share their rich faith and traditions.

“The actual Lunar New Year took place on Jan. 29,” Father Do said, “but we began our celebration on Sunday the 26th. We began with lighting firecrackers, not fireworks. The noise and smoke are believed to ward off bad luck and evil spirits. After that, a dancing dragon came out to entertain the people. In Asian culture the dragon is believed to be a holy animal, bringing luck and prosperity. People, especially non-Catholics, sometimes pay to have the dragon visit their homes. When they open a new business, they pay the dragon to visit and bring them luck.”

2025 is the Year of the Snake. Because animals lived on Earth before humans were created, they are believed to have special powers. The snake symbolizes wisdom. 

“Although Catholics tend to associate the snake with Genesis, in Matthew 10:16, Jesus says, ‘Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves,’” Father Do said.

In his homily, Father Do strived to give the people a biblical passage that they could put on their family altar as a theme for the new year. He chose the parable of the lilies of the field found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

“We must trust in God. When we look at the lilies of the field, we see that God takes care of us. We trust in his providence not only in this world but in eternity. If we offer ourselves and our families to God, he will bless us so we can be healthy, prosperous, and happy,” he said. “If we focus on working and on this world only we may have trouble.”

After Mass, the congregation ate traditional Vietnamese foods and enjoyed the entertainment. The celebrations continued with games and crafts for children and bingo and dancing for the adults. Children received red envelopes with “lucky money” so that they would grow and prosper physically and spiritually. 

Most families following the Vietnamese tradition continue their celebration for two more days at home. The second day is dedicated to honoring ancestors by prayer and visiting their graves. The third day is dedicated to seeking God’s blessings for work, business and financial endeavors.