More than 500 lay Catholics, clergy and men and women religious packed into every available space at Blessed Sacrament Church in Jonesboro May 13 to watch seminarian Quinton Thomas be ordained a transitional deacon. 

With this Mass and celebration, Thomas is one step closer to becoming a priest. 

For as long as he can remember, Thomas has felt a call to the priesthood. 

“I don’t remember learning that there was a God. I think by grace, by providence, I kind of knew that there was a God from very early on,” Thomas told Arkansas Catholic. 

Thomas’ mother and his devout Catholic grandparents played a pivotal role in his early faith formation. It was during Thomas’ First Communion that he felt the Lord whisper into his heart. 

“I remember after I received my First Communion, I was smiling, and I remember feeling self-conscious about it and looking over to see whether other kids were smiling to see whether I was supposed to be smiling. And I saw that they weren’t. And so I thought I wasn’t supposed to be, so I tried to stop, but I couldn’t quit smiling,” he admitted with a laugh. 

“So I ended up putting a hand over my face as I walked back, because I was kind of embarrassed. But I had a really tender kind of closeness to God as a child, but it became more mine very early on. I entered seminary right out of high school because that was what I had wanted to do, basically since my First Communion.”

But Thomas was all smiles May 13 as Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced from the altar that Thomas, 25, was the first person to be ordained from Blessed Sacrament Church — an announcement that sent murmurs of excitement through the crowd and prompted applause. 

During his homily, Bishop Taylor said Thomas’ ordination was the first of five that will be happening in May, and that the lessons he shares in each ordination homily apply to all seminarians. 

“By virtue of your ordination here today, your life becomes irrevocably a life lived for the benefit of others,” he said. “As an ordained deacon, you become a minister of the word, sacrament and charity, a servant of Jesus, his Church and indeed the entire human family.”

Thomas said he is enthusiastic about learning different languages in his spare time — a skill that will also be helpful in his priesthood. 

“I would say that my Spanish and French are proficient. We just got to go to Italy, so that was my first time to actually try Italian, to try really using it. … I can get by in Italian pretty decently well. Another language I really have fun with is Vietnamese. I was at St. Patrick Church in North Little Rock for my ministry assignment a few years ago. I was assigned there to teach kids and do catechesis, and a friend paid for Vietnamese lessons for me. I took a semester of Vietnamese through an online school in Saigon. And then I do classical languages — my Latin and Hebrew are OK,” he said with a chuckle. 

“Quinton has several traits that will make him a great priest, but one stands out. Quinton believes. He believes with Catholic faith from his whole person. Jesus is his savior, and the people under Quinton’s care will come to know that very well,” said Father Jeff Hebert, vocations director for the Diocese of Little Rock.
Thomas will be ministering this summer at St. Theresa Church in Little Rock and is looking forward to getting to know the people he serves. After his final semester this fall, in January he will begin his “vocational synthesis” at a parish before he is ordained a priest in May 2026.

Deacon Angelo Volpi, a deacon at Christ the King Church in Little Rock and a student in the Graduate Theology Program at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in Indiana, was awarded a master’s degree in theology May 10. The Graduate Theology Program offers master’s degrees and graduate certificates in theology to laypeople and permanent deacons. These studies provide a solid foundation in the Catholic tradition for those preparing for Church ministry or seeking personal growth.

Deacon William “Bill” Cranford, the longest-serving deacon in the state and a member of the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock, died May 2. He was 85. 

He was born April 15, 1940, in Bald Knob and moved to Little Rock as a teen. After graduating with a degree in chemistry, he worked for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and later as a chemistry and physics teacher in Jackson, Miss. He was ordained a deacon in 1978, serving for 19 years in Jackson. While the Diocese of Memphis ordained deacons in 1978, the first diaconate class wasn’t ordained in Little Rock until 1981.

Cranford, his wife Rose and family returned to Arkansas in 1996, and he was assigned to roles at Mount St. Mary Academy and Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock. He retired from his diaconate ministries in 2010. 

He is survived by his wife of 60 years; two sons, Kent Cranford of Asheville, N.C., and Sam Cranford of Bordeaux, France; one daughter, Kathleen Runder of Little Rock; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

The funeral Mass was held May 5 at the Cathedral of St. Andrew. Memorials can be made to Mount St. Mary Academy or the Cathedral of St. Andrew Restoration Fund. 

Arkansas Right to Life in Little Rock announced that executive director Rose Mimms will be leaving her leadership role by the end of the year. Mimms was hired in April 1993 as office manager and, after a few years, was promoted to executive director, a title she has held for 30 years. 

“I have always considered this work as a mission from God, and though I’m stepping aside as the director, my role at Arkansas Right to Life will change as the new director assumes leadership,” the member of St. Jude Church in Jacksonville said.

“I don’t call it retiring. I will be able to focus on special projects, including traveling the state, supporting and developing Arkansas Right to Life regional chapters.”

Mimms added, “It is comforting for me, as I step to the side, to know that our organization is in good hands with our new board president, Dr. Sharai Amaya, and the new executive director we know the Lord will provide.”

Linda Williams gave a presentation on behalf of the Diocese of Little Rock’s Task Force Against Human Trafficking and Pornography to more than 20 Catholic Daughters of the Americas during their 100th anniversary conference at St. Theresa Church in Little Rock April 5.

St. Theresa School in Little Rock was nominated for the Heart of the Community Award by the state’s Office of Innovation for Education. It is the only Catholic school among the 16 nominated schools. The schools were chosen for uplifting lives, fostering belonging and building strong, student-centered connections beyond the classroom. The school with the most votes wins the award. Voting ends May 2. Cast your vote at innovativeed.org/heartofcommunityaward. The winner will be announced at the Innovation Rally June 4-6 in Little Rock.

Students from Catholic schools across Central Arkansas attended the Fifth-Grade Vocations Day at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Little Rock April 8. They listened to Bishop Anthony B. Taylor and several men and women religious about the importance of religious vocations. The event was co-sponsored by the Catholic Schools Office and the Vocations and Seminarians Office.

Sessions were led by religious, deacons and priests around the state, as well as diocesan leaders, Sister Mickey Espinoza, MCP, Deacon Marcelino Luna, Deacon Chuck Ashburn, Father Jeff Hebert, Liz Tingquist, Tricia Gentry and Jeff Hines.

In the weeks leading up to Easter, things are busier than usual for our priests and clergy as they finalize plans and prepare for one of the biggest liturgical celebrations of the year. 

But despite the busy-ness of Lent, Father Juan Manjarrez, pastor of St. Edward Church and the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Little Rock, always makes the time to finish a project he has embraced for years now — painting his parish’s Paschal candle by hand. 

“I began painting the Paschal candle approximately six years ago,” he said. “It began with the desire to add to the beauty of the celebration with a candle that is more personable.”

Father Manjarrez begins preparing for the Easter celebration in the fall of the previous year to ensure that he has enough time to plan and create the design for the coming year. 

“I aim to start in the fall and complete it by Lent; however, the timeline varies based on the year and my available free time,” Father Manjarrez said. “Currently, I’m still finishing this year’s candle.”

In spite of his dedication to this artistic tradition, Father Manjarrez didn’t have much of an artistic background growing up. 

“I enjoyed doodling in middle school and took an art class in high school, but that’s the extent of my formal artistic experience,” Father Manjarrez said. 

For Father Manjarrez, one of the biggest challenges isn’t necessarily in the materials or tools he uses — it’s deciding on a design fit for adorning a Paschal candle for an entire year. 

“I pray about the design and its symbolism,” Father Manjarrez said. “I often seek inspiration from other candle makers or renowned paintings.”

Father Manjarrez begins looking for references and images with elements that he likes. 

“I just look for different pictures of Jesus, and I’d been thinking of doing the Sacred Heart, so I’ve been looking online and looking for different pictures of the Sacred Heart,” he said. “So I stumbled on one that I liked, and that’s where I got the reference.”

Father Manjarrez’s process is a meticulous one. He layers the area of the Paschal candle that he’ll be painting with gesso, which is a mixture of chalk, glue made from rabbit skin and water. Father Manjarrez adds several layers of gesso to the candle, and once they’ve dried, he sketches the design that he has decided on for the year. Once the sketch is on the gesso and provides an outline, Father Manjarrez creates the design using colorful acrylic paints. 

Another challenge Father Manjarrez faces is finding the time to work on the design, which takes months due to his busy schedule. 

“Time management is the main challenge,” he said. “I typically paint for a couple of hours at a time. I work on it on my days off and also when I have time in the evenings if I have them free and have the energy to paint.”

This year’s candle depicts the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with gesso layered and painted so that the Sacred Heart itself is three-dimensional. Radiant light shines around Christ, while the Sacred Heart is bathed in a deep crimson red. 

Father Manjarrez also painted additional altar candles with robed angels surrounded by light, praising and rejoicing. These candles will adorn the altar after Easter. 

In spite of all of the time it takes and the challenges that he faces each year throughout the process, Father Manjarrez finds peace and beauty every year in the hours he spends in the quiet, laboring over the Paschal candle. 

“Painting the candle, which represents our Lord in the liturgy, is a wonderful honor that allows me to emulate beauty itself,” he said. “Engaging in painting, especially the candle, helps me connect with beauty. Approaching God through beauty has enhanced my ability to see it in every moment of my day. 

“I often wonder how an artist views the world, and I come to believe that they see it with the eyes of a child. As Scripture suggests, we must become like children to enter the kingdom of God. Painting is a way of embracing childlike wonder, allowing me to become enraptured by the beauty of color.”

But the art of creating doesn’t just deepen his own spirituality — Father Manjarrez said art and other forms of creativity can deepen our faith and draw us closer to God — especially as we draw closer to the Easter season. 

“Creating art allows us to imitate God, the ultimate artist,” he said. “Being made in his image and likeness, engaging in artistic endeavors helps us connect with both creation and the Creator. This practice isn’t limited to ‘artists’ but is accessible to all, as we are all made in his image. Such creative expressions can deepen one’s relationship with our Heavenly Father.”

Father Manjarrez said that painting the Paschal candle is an opportunity to “share a little bit of art and a little bit of Jesus’ love.”

“This art will burn,” he said, gently touching the candle, noting the places that need just a few final touches. “It will die, just like Jesus — he died for us. The art will never last, but Jesus lasts.”

The Mass for Hope and Healing will be held at 5:30 p.m., Sunday, April 27, at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will be the celebrant. The Mass, sponsored by the diocesan Safe Environment Office, is open to everyone interested in praying for victims of sexual abuse, their families and friends. For more information, contact Susan David at (501) 663-0340 or sdavid@dolr.org.

Not everyone can say they’ve got over three decades of joyful ministry under their belt — but LaValeria Saxton-Smith can. 

And while Saxton-Smith has been the manager of the CHI St. Vincent Community Care East Clinic in Little Rock for 30 years, she has always had a powerful faith life. 

“I grew up in a little town and grew up around my parents, just loving the Lord. … With the faith that I had, I was doing the things that I felt like God had called me to. You know, you don’t really understand your direction, but you know that you’re being guided.”

That led Saxton-Smith to St. Vincent. 

“I’ve been here for three decades serving the vulnerable, the poor and absolutely loving what I do.”

Saxton-Smith’s husband, J. Denard Smith, is the pastor of Abundant Grace Christian Church in Little Rock, and she works alongside him in ministry. Her faith has always acted like a compass, leading her to where God wants her to serve next. She said her story is an example of God qualifying the called. 

“When I think about who I am and the work that I do, I think about the Scripture where it talks about, you know, that God chose me. I didn’t choose him. He chose me, and he anointed me for this time and these seasons in my life. And so I truly believe that about myself. 

“So when I came to St. Vincent’s 30 years ago, I actually had worked in a private practice. One day, I had had enough of it, and I said, ‘Lord, just lead me to a place where people need me and that will appreciate me.’ And I actually literally walked across the street to St. Vincent and ended up with a job working in the Community Care Clinic, and I’ve been here ever since.”

The Community Care East Clinic, which was founded more than 40 years ago, is a special partnership between the city of Little Rock and CHI St. Vincent. Providing health and dental care to low and moderate-income patients, the clinic offers a sliding fee scale to match an individual’s ability to pay. 

Saxton-Smith knows that the more things change, the more they stay the same. And while the world around the clinic has changed significantly in the last 30 years, the mission of the clinic, located near the Little Rock airport, remains eternal — to serve those most in need. 

“When I first came here, I had no idea I would stay here that long,” she said. “I’ve seen so many changes that have come about even in the area … as the community has changed, the patients still know that this clinic is here. They know what it’s all about. And I think that from generation to generation, for me, I’ve actually had the opportunity to take care of patients and then their children, and then even some of the young ladies and young men that have grown into adults now. 

“I like what St. Vincent’s East offers in the community,” she said. “We’ve been doing community outreach with churches and working with the city and making sure that we do all of the back-to-school physicals and things that we need to do with people that are homeless. So this clinic has been a pillar for this community, and for years, I’ve had opportunities to watch it grow.”

Saxton-Smith said that the East Clinic almost feels like a community center at times with the amount of outreach and ministry it conducts in the city. 

“One thing that I’ve watched through the years as it has continued is to be able to offer quality health care to those that are unfortunate,” she said. “And when I look at it for me and look at it for St. Vincent’s and the 30 years that I’ve been able to manage it, I like the fact that they trust me to make wise decisions when it comes to caring for this clinic and caring for this community. Just to be able to have people that have come together and know where we are and know the services we offer. And it is just a blessing to the community churches that we go out and do outreach for. … This is a place that patients can come to and get the care that they know they can get based on a sliding fee scale and their ability to pay. …”

Saxton-Smith has worked hard to take care of not only the most vulnerable in Little Rock but her staff as well. 

In 2023, she received the Sister Margaret Vincent Blandford Leadership Award. She was the only clinic manager who didn’t experience turnover during the pandemic. For many at St. Vincent, she is a leader in Catholic health care. 

“LaValeria Saxton-Smith embodies the spirit and mission of the Catholic ministry,” said media relations manager Angela Rachels Adams. “… Her kind and joyful spirit is known throughout the community, as she has personally impacted thousands of patients, ensuring they have access to the health care they need.”

Saxton-Smith is thankful to work for an organization whose ministry is rooted in faith. She said it helps her to work more authentically. 

“I work for an organization that does not have a problem with me sharing my faith,” she said. “It sees it in me when I step outside these walls, sees it in me when I’m in the hospital … I’ve never wavered from my faith. I’ve never changed who I am for anybody. I just believe that that’s what God has called me to be and to do.  … 

“(The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth who founded the hospital in 1888) had love — to go and make sure that the vulnerable people were taken care of and the faith that they had to believe that this clinic would still be standing … We’re still doing what they believed in. … When I retire, because of the faith that I have in this system and this organization and this clinic, I believe that someone will still continue to carry on this work.”