Grief during holidays

written by Arkansas Catholic Staff |

The Beacon of Hope grief ministry at St. Joseph Church in Conway is offering a group support session, “Grieving through the Holidays,” from 1:30-3:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26, in the Spiritan Center. The session will include speaker Father Jack Sidler, associate pastor at Christ the King Church in Fort Smith, who will share his personal story of losing his wife before he became a priest and how to cope during the holidays. The program will also include a video about grief and the holidays and a remembrance gift for participants. No one will be obligated to share, but everyone is encouraged to listen and to learn they are not alone in their grief. For more information or to register, call/text Aprille Spivey at (847) 532-0232, Barbara Dardenne at (501) 339-6317) or email sjbeaconofhope@gmail.com. Those who do not pre-register are also welcome to attend.



Father Ibebuike to retire; new Cathedral rector named

written by Special to Arkansas Catholic |

Father Elliott’s leave result of three years of discernment

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor issued this statement regarding the leave of absence of Father Tom Elliott, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in North Little Rock.

“Usually when a priest requests a leave of absence from his priestly responsibilities it produces a great deal of spiritual turmoil and even scandal, especially when the priest involved is as well respected as Father Tom Elliott. For this reason, I thought I should write to you in order to assure you that this leave of absence is not the result of allegations of misbehavior on his part but rather of what he describes as three years of discernment regarding God’s will for his future.

“I am writing you today to request your prayers for Father Tom as he prepares to enter uncharted waters with my permission, though contrary to my advice. Pray also for the people of Immaculate Conception Parish in North Little Rock and all the other places where Father Tom has served with such love and fidelity.”

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced the following pastoral appointments. They will take effect June 17.

  • Rev. Charles “Rick” Hobbs III appointed associate pastor of St. Stephen Church in Bentonville and administrator of St. John the Evangelist Church in Huntsville. He is relieved of his responsibilities as associate pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Rogers.
  • Rev. John Miranda, a priest from the Diocese of Nellore, India, appointed associate pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Rogers.
  • Rev. Chuma Ibebuike relieved of his responsibilities as pastor of St. John Church in Russellville to begin his retirement and return to the Diocese of Orlu, Nigeria.
  • Rev. Jack Sidler Sr. appointed administrator of St. John Church in Russellville. He is relieved of his responsibilities as associate pastor of Christ the King Church in Little Rock.
  • Rev. Joseph Shantiraj, a priest from the Diocese of Nellore, India, appointed associate pastor of Christ the King Church in Little Rock.
  • Rev. Matthew Garrison relieved of his responsibilities as rector of the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock to begin a five-month deployment with the Air National Guard.
  • Rev. Jack Vu appointed rector of the Cathedral of St. Andrew and minister to the Vietnamese community in Little Rock. He is relieved of his responsibilities as pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church and Blessed John Newman University Parish in Jonesboro.
  • Rev. Alphonse Gollapalli appointed pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church and Blessed John Newman University Parish in Jonesboro. He is relieved of his responsibilities as pastor of Our Lady of Good Hope Church.
  • Rev. Mariadass Vallapaneni, a priest from the Diocese of Nellore, India, appointed associate pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church and Blessed John Newman University Parish in Jonesboro.
  • Rev. Nirmalraj Kambala Mariadass, CPPS, a priest of the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood (India), appointed administrator of Our Lady of Good Hope Church in Hope.
  • Rev. Tom Elliott to begin a leave of absence from his priestly responsibilities at Immaculate Conception Church in North Little Rock.
  • Rev. John C. Wakube, AJ, appointed administrator of Immaculate Conception Church in North Little Rock. He is relieved of his responsibilities as temporary administrator of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Little Rock.
  • Rev. Joshua P. Stengel appointed pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Little Rock, with Hispanic apostolate. He is relieved of his responsibilities as pastor of St. Agnes Church in Mena, All Saints Church in Mount Ida, and Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Glenwood.
  • Rev. Michael Walsh, CM, appointed sacramental minister of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Glenwood. This is in addition to his current responsibilities as pastor of St. Anne Church in North Little Rock.
  • Rev. Luis Ariel Ramírez, CM, appointed sacramental minister of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Glenwood. This is in addition to his current responsibilities as associate pastor of St. Anne Church in North Little Rock.
  • Rev. John B. Tuyen Kim Tran appointed administrator of St. Agnes Church in Mena and All Saints Church in Mount Ida. He is relieved of his responsibilities as associate pastor of St. James Church in Searcy, St. Richard Church in Bald Knob, St. Albert Church in Heber Springs and as minister to the Vietnamese community in Little Rock.
  • Rev. George Sanders appointed administrator of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Glenwood. This is in addition to his responsibilities as administrator of St. Mary of the Springs Church in Hot Springs.