The diocese’s Jubilee Cross, containing a relic of the True Cross, has added more dates this fall across the state.
The schedule includes:
Other dates for late October and November will be announced later.
Deacon Norm DeBriyn, a deacon at St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish in Fayetteville, will be inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame. He led the Arkansas Razorbacks for 32 years, beginning in 1970. The team reached the College World Series four times. The gymnasium/events center at St. Joseph Church in Fayetteville is named after the deacon.
Service has been a hallmark of the life of Dr. Jim Gorman. But deciding to enter military service at age 63 surprised even those closest to him.
On July 19, after months of preparation, Gorman, an obstetrics and gynecology physician in Fayetteville, will leave the area he has called home for 28 years to embark on an unexpected second act in his life.
His first stop will be Newport, R.I., for Officer Development School. Following those five weeks of physical and academic training, he will graduate Aug. 22 and enter the United States Navy as a commissioned lieutenant commander in the Medical Corps, stationed at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, Calif., for the next three years.
For a man who seemingly has everything, this next step seemed out of step for a man entering his golden years. His wife of 38 years, Janet, and three daughters may have envisioned retirement to be less active, not active service. But Gorman sees this next stage in his life as an opportunity to continue a life of service.
“My priorities have always been God, family and country. Up to this point, I have best served God by serving my family,” said Gorman of his decision. “Now I feel I can best serve my family by serving my country.”
In truth, Gorman’s desire to serve his country goes back as far as high school when he wanted to enlist.
“I wanted to join the Marines, but my dad suggested I go to college first,” he said.
With that advice, Gorman attended Rockhurst University in Kansas City and, after graduating, wanted to attend medical school. He was offered a three-year scholarship from the Navy but turned it down, as he needed a larger scholarship. Subsequently, he was offered a full scholarship at the University of Kansas, where he attended medical school, completed his residency and went on to practice in Kansas City for five years before moving to Arkansas in 1997.
He worked as an OB-GYN at Parkhill The Clinic for Women in Fayetteville.
“I have always wanted to be a Navy physician and have always been in awe of military personnel,” he said. “When I was a tourist at Pearl Harbor, I saw service women and men doing their jobs and that’s what impressed me. I was in total awe of their dedication.”
Father Jason Sharbaugh, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, where Gorman and his wife were parishioners, gave his blessing for this new phase.
“Jim is one of the most confident and personable individuals that I have had the pleasure of knowing,” said the pastor, who has known the Gormans for over eight years.
“He is the epitome of being both an officer and a gentleman,” said Father Sharbaugh, whose dad also served as a physician in the Army. “I feel Jim fits that mold as a military doctor and is very inspiring both in his career and as an individual.”
Still, making the dream a reality, Gorman admitted, has not been without its challenges.
Even the Navy recruiter he contacted initially was uncertain and told him he had about a 10 percent chance of accomplishing the feat at his age. Over a year later, Gorman passed the physical exam, received the age waiver and completed the necessary interviews and written applications. He was commissioned this past spring April 17 and took his oath of office April 24.
However, another hurdle of even greater significance remained — the approval of his wife and daughters.
Janet Gorman said she was initially skeptical. She remembers the morning in March 2024 after Gorman had stayed up researching the possibility of pursuing this dream.
“That morning, he said it looked like he could join the military, but I didn’t think it was going to happen. I was enthusiastic, but I wasn’t sure that it would ever happen,” she said.
His daughters also took some convincing. Two of them reside in Northwest Arkansas, with one daughter in Rogers having their first grandson and another daughter in New York is expecting grandchild number two in September. Knowing their dad would be on the West Coast serving in the military led to some heartfelt conversations.
“I wrote each of the girls a letter,” said Gorman, in the hopes it would help them understand his commitment to both them and to his country.
“Both of us were praying to come to the right decision with this,” said Janet, whose dad was a ranking officer. “My prayer was being reinforced that Jim needed to do this. I’ve never seen him so passionate about anything other than God and his family. He has always put God and his family first, but I think we will grow stronger through this,” she added.
In many ways, Gorman’s faith has prepared him for the service of his country.
“I have prayed that I do God’s will, and God helps me to use the skills he has given me to his greater glory,” he said.
“I will obey the orders of those appointed above me,” reads a section of the naval sailor’s creed.
Gorman finds these words reassuring as he has followed the providential guidance of God throughout his 63 years.
“I won’t ever be able to serve my country,” Gorman said. “But I hope I can serve those that do.”
Parishioners and students of the University of Arkansas’ campus church, St. Thomas Aquinas in Fayetteville, attended a beam signing Feb. 22. The signed beam will be one of the main structural beams to be placed in the worship space of the newly constructed church that is projected to be completed by February 2026. Nabholz Construction Corporation has plans to have the structural steel of the new church completed by the end of March.
Masses on campus are currently being held in the Arkansas Union while the new parish church is constructed.