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After a week of stormy weather, it was all blue skies and sunshine May 25 at Christ the King Church in Little Rock, as Deacon Cody Eveld awaited his ordination to the priesthood. 

The Eveld family sat closest to the altar among the crowd of 250 attendees, consisting of clergy and members of Catholic organizations in full regalia, watching as Eveld nervously — but excitedly — counted down the minutes before lying prostrate in front of the altar. 

The Mass was moved from the Cathedral of St. Andrew days before the ordination after the air conditioning failed.

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>Eveld, 28, grew up attending Sacred Heart Church in Charleston with his parents, Doug and Kelly Eveld, and four siblings. 

“It is surreal for sure,” Kelly Eveld told Arkansas Catholic May 23, two days before her son’s ordination. “It’s crazy. Emotionally, I’m not really sure how I feel. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s crazy.”

She recalled how her son had called her late one night in 2017 to talk. As a mother, she immediately began to worry that something bad had happened, but was both relieved — and surprised — when he told her his intentions to pursue the priesthood. 

“We can finally see true happiness in him. It’s amazing,” Kelly said. “His goal was to become an attorney. For the first three years at Lyon College, that’s what he was pursuing career-wise. I never felt like he was very happy. He was missing something, obviously. It didn’t happen all of a sudden — it was a gradual change in him over the years. But it’s amazing to see how that’s happened. 

“It has flown by — seven years. I remember Msgr. (Scott) Friend (former director of vocations) telling us that at the very beginning, that it’ll go by fast. I thought, ‘No, it will not.’ Because it seemed like the first three years of college were a lifetime. But he was right.”

Among the special guests at the Mass were Bishop Erik Pohlmeier of St. Augustine, Fla, formerly of Paris, Ark., who was the best man in Doug and Kelly’s wedding April 23, 1994, at St. Joseph Church in Paris; and Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, who returned to Arkansas to retire.

Father Eveld said it was exciting to see so many familiar and influential faces on the altar at his ordination Mass.

“Bishop Pohlmeier, we’re from the same hometown, so it was really cool for me to have him here,” Father Cody said, explaining Bishop Pohlmeier’s close relationship with the Eveld family. “ … It’s crazy that he came from so far. It was great to have his support. And Archbishop Sartain, he’s awesome too. … He’s so personable and such a good father figure. Also, Abbott Elijah (Owens, OSB, abbot of Subiaco Abbey), he was my morality teacher when I was in high school at Subiaco. He let us use Subiaco last year for my (diaconate) ordination. I’m so thankful so many people got to come — so many priests too, my brother priests who got to come, that was beautiful — all the support from all of these people who have been fathers to me.”

The theme of father figures and shepherds continued in Bishop Anthony B. Taylor’s homily. Bishop Taylor spoke about the importance of shepherds caring for the flock. (See homily page 15)

“One of the most cherished images in the Bible is that of the shepherd and his sheep. And so I’m pleased that in one of the readings for your ordination, Cody, we have a portion of the Good Shepherd discourse in the Gospel of John,” Bishop Taylor said. “Throughout the Bible, we find that God is the true shepherd … he leads, accompanies and protects the flock. In time, he chooses others to help with the shepherding.”

Bishop Taylor told Eveld about how Jesus chooses others to help with the shepherding of the flock each day, warning him of the dangers of shepherding. 

“Some of (the shepherds) even lay down their lives literally for their sheep, like Father (Blessed Stanley) Rother did, who insisted that the shepherd cannot run when the wolf attacks the flock,” Bishop Taylor said. “And Cody, I need to warn you that there are wolves in Arkansas, including the two-legged kind.”

Bishop Taylor explained the importance of a flock in his homily.

“The destiny of every one of those sheep is to get sheered, and part of the role of the shepherd is to accompany the sheep in their time of sheering, which the sheep find very disconcerting, especially when it involves loss,” Bishop Taylor said. “But this sheering serves the true shepherd’s purposes — God’s purposes. He sheers us clergy, too. For we shepherds with a small ‘s’ are the Lord’s sheep as much as anyone else.”

Bishop Taylor ended his homily by giving Eveld advice just minutes before laying hands on him to ordain him. 

“If we trust in Jesus, he is our good shepherd and will lead us to the green pastures we long for, and the table will be prepared for us in the land of the living,” Bishop Taylor said. “He will accompany us through the valley of the shadow of death … and he will protect us with his rod and his staff. … Cody, you’ve responded to God’s call to share with Jesus in his ongoing work of shepherding his flock today. 

“Lead others while being led by the Lord yourself. Accompany others in their time of sheering and loss, even as the Lord accompanies you in your own times of sheering and loss. And protecting others, to the extent of laying down your life for the flock, just as Jesus laid down his life for you.”

After the homily, Eveld was presented for ordination by vocations director Father Jeff Hebert. Following the litany of the saints and laying on of hands, Father Cody Eveld was ordained to the priesthood. As the Mass drew to a close, Father Eveld gave his first blessing to his family. 

“There was one part that I was praying with before the ordination,” Father Cody said, referring to the presentation of offerings in the ordination worship aid. “Whenever the chalice and paten are handed over, and (Bishop Taylor) is holding the chalice and the paten, and I’m holding it too, so we’re holding the chalice and the paten together, that was pretty powerful. At the end of that, he says, ‘…conform your life to the mystery of the Lord’s cross.’ That was what I was praying with before the ordination, so that part, too, was pretty powerful. … It emphasizes the sacramental character of the priesthood, by conforming your life to the cross.” 

Father Eveld will begin his first assignment June 17 at Blessed Sacrament Church in Jonesboro, where he will be the associate pastor alongside pastor Msgr. Friend. 

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In 2025, Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will ordain his 50th diocesan priest. But things have changed a lot in vocations and the priesthood since 2008 when Bishop Taylor became bishop. Three diocesan priests shared the data with Arkansas Catholic, as well as their perspectives on how things have changed.

 

Making vocations visible

Father Jeff Hebert, director of the Vocations Office and prefect at the House of Formation, was one of the priests ordained by Bishop Taylor. Since his ordination in 2018, he has worked closely with seminarians, preparing them for the priesthood.

Father Hebert said before 2008, there was growing concern in the diocese about the low number of ordinations to the priesthood. 

“It was pretty doom and gloom,” Father Hebert said. “They were looking at really consolidating parishes and were trying to plan because things looked pretty grim.”

But something incredible happened, Father Hebert explained, as Msgr. Scott Friend took over vocations from 2005 to 2021.

“The spirit has really been moving quite a bit.”

Soon, in the 2000s, 11 priests were ordained. Then 35 in the 2010s. So far, there have been 12 priests ordained in the 2020s. 

“As the vocation director now, people ask me, ‘What are y’all doing?’” Father Hebert said. “And sometimes I have to tell them, it’s not really anything we’re doing — God is the one who calls these young men. It’s the Holy Spirit that’s moving in their hearts. It’s not like I give a clever speech, and then all of a sudden, someone wants to be a priest. 

“It’s way more about creating a culture of vocations, which is to say that men are being called by the Lord. When the Lord is moving in their lives, we’ve created a culture that is actually very receptive to those young men. … The thing that’s changed the most is that our diocese and our people, they just love vocations. … it’s a little less scary when you’re a young man, and you’re feeling the call … to make that public and tell someone about it.”

One of the most pivotal ways Father Hebert has been working to create a culture of vocations is by attending youth events and bringing seminarians with him. 

“They’re there, and the young people can talk to them,” Father Hebert said. “They see they’re young people who kind of look like they could be in high school.”

Father Hebert also encourages seminarians to go to parishes and visit Catholic schools as well. 

“It’s just the idea that it’s visible and that it’s the young people … telling them they might want to consider this for their lives,” Father Hebert said. “It’s someone who’s actually already taken a step in that direction and they’re joyful and they’re happy. … 

“The thing that really opens up the young people’s hearts, in my opinion, is when (seminarians) share their own story … when they start describing what that experience was, the experience in prayer of how they feel called and how they want to serve — they want to give themselves in this way. And they’re honest about both the fears involved with that, but also the excitement and joy that comes along with it.”

As young seminarians mingle with other young Catholics their age and share their stories, other young men begin to realize that God may be calling them, too. 

The number of seminarians peaked at 46 in 2014 but has hovered between 20-30 for the last eight years. This fall, the diocese will have 24 seminarians. 

With Father Mauricio Carrasco joining the House of Formation staff, Father Hebert will now have the time to plan more retreats and travel around the state to boost the presence of seminarians and recruitment. He plans to visit youth groups, parishes and Catholic schools as well to “put the image of the priest out there and see whose hearts respond.”

“To me, it doesn’t seem like things have slowed down,” Father Hebert said. “…Maybe that’s just because I’m in the midst of it. … Even if you have a lot of seminarians, the thing that really gives you a sense of the health of vocations is how many guys are making it all the way to ordination.”

Fortunately, Father Hebert said, when the diocese is as supportive of vocations as the Diocese of Little Rock is, seminarians are more likely to become ordained because Catholics give them encouragement and support.  

 

Bearing fruit

Father Joseph de Orbegozo, rector of the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock and faculty member at the House of Formation, like Father Hebert, was ordained in 2018. He has noticed a growing interest among younger men in a vocation and a shifting culture that allows for such discernment. 

“What I find fascinating is that more and more young people are asking questions more deeply and at an earlier stage … thanks to God, the working of the Holy Spirit and the interaction of lay people and priests in their life,” Father de Orbegozo said. “They are responding earlier. I think in some ways that may have to do with the fact that I think people, especially who are in that youngest generation, are asking questions about meaning and purpose earlier in their lives in a world where they feel like their purpose is their meaning.”

Father de Orbegozo praised seminarian signing days at Catholic High School and in parishes for having a tangible impact. 

“This is something that Father Jeff (Hebert) has raised a flag on. … When you’ve got so many seniors at Catholic High having a signing day for so many young people, it makes it easier for other young people to consider themselves pursuing a vocation. It becomes more tangible when the folks who are seminarians look like you, act like you and went to your school.”

Father de Orbegozo said the “Come and See” vocation discernment retreats across the state are also bearing fruit, as more young people see the increased importance and visibility surrounding vocations. Father de Orbegozo said as seminarians get younger and younger, he is trying to find new ways to make content relevant to them. 

“I can relate to (the seminarians) in many ways, but I can’t relate to them as peers,” Father de Orbegozo said. “When I started teaching, there were still a lot of guys who were guys I’ve been in seminary with. There’s a sense of connection to them. Whereas now, the guys that I’m teaching are truly a generation different from me. And so I am noticing the ways in which they interact differently. The values that they have are different.”

But Father de Orbegozo said this is a good thing, as it creates an opportunity to build good rapport in the continuity of priests, seminarians and vocations. 

 

Look at the numbers

Father John Connell, vicar general, moderator of the curia and pastor of St. Joseph Church in Conway, keeps up with seven decades of data on priests in the Diocese of Little Rock. He provided Arkansas Catholic with a glimpse at the changes in vocations and diocesan priests over time. 

Since the 1960s, the Diocese of Little Rock has seen 91 priests ordained. Of those, seven were ordained in the 1960s, six were ordained in the 1970s, 13 were ordained in the 1980s, seven were ordained in the 1990s, 11 were ordained in the 2000s, 35 were ordained in the 2010s, and 12 have been ordained so far in the 2020s. 

With the ordination boom since 2008, the average age of diocesan priests has dropped. Right now, most priests are in their 30s, 40s and 60s. 

Of all the priests in the diocese, two are in their 90s, seven are in their 80s, 11 are in their 70s, 17 are in their 60s, nine are in their 50s, 18 are in their 40s, 23 are in their 30s and four are in their 20s. 

The average age of all diocesan priests is 54, while the average age of the 71 active diocesan priests is 50. Of these priests, 45 were born from 1975 to 1997. 

Father Connell said having priestly role models has helped inspire young men in high school and college to pursue vocations. 

“There are young men that are coming into the priesthood … right out of high school and somewhere in college,” Father Connell said. “You have people like Father Patrick Friend over at Catholic High, and this huge amount of young guys inspires other young guys to think about the priesthood. 

“So it hasn’t really changed where we’re drawing them from, but … when a young person thinks about the priesthood, and he sees a lot of young priests, for example, Bishop Taylor having a signing day (at Catholic High School in Little Rock), you think, ‘Maybe it’s not so bad after all,” Father Connell said with a laugh. 

He said the Diocese of Little Rock has created a sense of brotherhood among priests. 

“We are a fraternity of priests. We all are here in the Diocese of Little Rock, serving the Church here in our diocese, and we’re all priests, so we’re all part of fraternity,” Father Connell said. “We do a good job in encouraging the young guys to do things together, spend time together, which they do, and they’ve got their groups going on. They’re taking care of one another.”

Father Connell said it can also be hard when seminarians are ordained to say goodbye to close friends they’ve made and move to the other side of the state for an assignment. 

“If it’s all about fraternity, that can be detrimental … so I always say, yeah, it’s good to be a fraternity, but you also have to nurture that vocation of what you’re really there to do, and that is serve the people. And I think we do a good job with that as well, so that the priests don’t get burned out or depressed when they’re far away from everybody else.”

One of the primary concerns of vocations is ensuring there are always enough young priests who can continue to sustain diocesan operations as priests age and begin to retire. Fortunately, vocation numbers are healthy.

Father Connell acknowledged the number of seminarians has dropped over the past eight years.

“That’s just the normal ebb and flow of data and statistics,” Father Connell said. “… The fruit of the work of our vocation directors, both Msgr. Friend and Father Hebert, is that we are having at least one (priest) ordained every year and sometimes two, sometimes three, on an outlier year you have five or six or you have eight. 

“For the most part, this year is a small year. Next year’s a small year. Then for 2026, right now we’re scheduled to have five. If they all get ordained, that’s another big year, but then it’s followed by one. … I can’t tell you why it happens that way but just be grateful when it does.”

Father Connell has noticed a difference in priest ages and generations. While he is used to working with priests who are millennials, he is now seeing more priests who are Generation Z. Now, he said, as did Father de Orbegozo, the challenge is crafting the message in a way that is relevant to priests from a new generation, given that their experiences are different. 

Regardless of generational differences, one thing remains the same — praying and listening to hear God’s call. 

“Sometimes vocations are just maybe a passing thought or a possibility, and a little bit of time, a little bit of reflection will discern it as just that — or maybe, it’s something more,” Father Connell said. “Listen intently to the Lord. Listen carefully to him.”

Father John Paul Hartnedy and Father Nathan Ashburn shared similar paths to their priestly ordination May 27.

The Little Rock residents attended Christ the King School and graduated from Catholic High School and Assumption Seminary in San Antonio. Both of their fathers are deacons, ordained together in 2012. On May 28 the new priests celebrated their first Masses with their fathers assisting on the altar.

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor ordained his 47th and 48th priests during a Mass at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock. The Rite of Ordination includes several steps, including the congregation praying the Litany of Saints while the elect are prostrate before the altar, the bishop and all priests laying their hands on the elect, prayer of ordination while they are kneeled before the bishop and anointing their hands with chrism oil. During the sign of peace, the bishop and 50 priests warmly hugged the new priests.

For the investiture of the stole and chasuble, Father Ashburn chose former vocations director Msgr. Scott Friend of Jonesboro and Father Ruben Quinteros of North Little Rock. Father Hartnedy selected Father Stephen Gadberry of Little Rock and Father Joe Friend of Morrilton to invest him in his liturgical vestments.

In his homily, Bishop Taylor told the new priests, “You should seek to be so intimately united to Jesus that his mission becomes your mission, with special concern for those who need us the most.” (See bishop's complete homily)

Bishop Taylor noted special concern should be made for the poor, those who need pastoral counseling, prisoners and those who are grieving. 

Father of one of the new priests Deacon Danny Hartnedy, a teacher at Christ the King School, said the most moving moment for him was the laying on of hands.

“The laying on of hands when all the priests went through,” he said. “And, of course, the blessing of the family.”

Father Hartnedy, 26, agreed that the laying of hands meant the most to him.

“My eyes were closed, but I could feel all different kinds of hands. Some rough, some big, some small,” he said. “It was just beautiful. I felt very much at peace but moved.”

Father Hartnedy’s only sister, Catherine, said her brother will be a “loving” priest.”

“Because he already is loving,” she said.

“He will be present to the people too,” Deacon Hartnedy added.

Beginning July 1, Father Hartnedy will be the associate pastor of St. Edward Church in Texarkana and its missions in Ashdown and Foreman.

Father Ashburn’s father, Deacon Chuck Ashburn, assistant vocations director for development and academic advising, said the sign of peace meant the most to him.

“Seeing the joy in him and his brother priests, especially those he had a close relationship with, that is when I cried,” he said. “I did pretty good until that point.”

One of the most memorable moments for Father Ashburn was when vocations director Father Jeff Hebert stood before the bishop to vouch for the new priests’ “worthiness.”

“It’s a sense of fulfillment,” he said. “You always have your self-doubt if you are worthy. It’s not only you that has to make that decision; it’s the Church too.”

After Mass, Father Ashburn, 34, reunited with three CHS classmates he graduated with, Fathers Patrick Friend, Stephen Hart and Martin Siebold. All four are from the Class of 2007.  

Father Ashburn will be the associate pastor of Christ the King Church in Little Rock and St. Francis of Assisi Church in Little Italy beginning July 1.

Friends, family and parishioners of Father Peter Quang Le knew the obstacles he faced on his 27-year journey to the priesthood.

They celebrated with the associate pastor at Sacred Heart of Mary Church in Barling on his 25th anniversary as a priest June 26.

“From the time I was 5, my mother took me to church every day and prayed that I would become a priest,” Father Le said.

He attended a minor seminary in the Diocese of Quy Thon from sixth to 12th grade. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, he continued studying philosophy and theology in college. When he was 23 years old, in 1982, his parents, two sisters and four brothers moved to the United States, settling in Iowa. Still, Father Le stayed, expecting to complete his seminary education in his home country.

“In August 1982, the Vietnamese government closed my seminary,” the 62-year-old said. “I went to live with my grandmother and took a job helping the bishop in the Quy Thon cathedral, hoping my seminary would reopen. By 1990, the government allowed six seminaries to open, but our seminary was still closed.”

In 1992, he moved to Iowa, but one year later, he relocated to Arkansas with a brother and sister. He met Bishop Andrew J. McDonald to see if he could complete his seminary education through the Diocese of Little Rock.

“Bishop McDonald sent me to the University of Arkansas  Little Rock for a year to learn English,” Father Le said, “and then the Quy Thon diocese gave me a scholarship to go to Rome, where I learned Italian and studied theology and canon law.”

On June 29, 1997, Father Le was ordained in Rome by Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan.

“Blessed Cardinal Francis is now a candidate for canonization,” he said. “He had been imprisoned by the Communists from 1975-88 and went to the Holy See after he was released.”

Upon his return to Little Rock, he spent one year serving at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church until he was reassigned to Christ the King Church in Fort Smith. After 10 years, the Vietnamese ministry moved to Sacred Heart of Mary Church in Barling, which has become its permanent home.

While serving in the state since 1997, in August 2013, he was officially named a priest of the Diocese of Little Rock.

“The Vietnamese community helps children communicate and worship with their grandparents who might not speak English,” Father Le said. “It preserves our culture and our religious traditions.”

Some of those traditions include devotions to Our Lady of La Vang and the Vietnamese martyrs. Father Le and parishioners travel 150 miles to Carthage, Mo., every August, joining 50,000 other Vietnamese Catholics to celebrate Marian Days.

Several years ago, he accompanied the Eucharistic Youth group on a mission trip to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, where they built houses, fixed a bridge and ministered to poor rural families.

“We still have new families coming from Vietnam,” Father Le said. “Usually, they are sponsored by their relatives, who help them get jobs at the chicken plant. We also provide help when we are asked.”

Technology has helped Father Le expand his ministry to Vietnamese-speaking Catholics worldwide. Through Divine Mercy Radio, Father Le helps them pray and learn together as one community, scattered after the Communist takeover.

He launched Divine Mercy Radio through his website at radioltxc.org. It can be accessed through Facebook and Twitter and has a presence on several podcast sites and YouTube. He broadcasts daily from 2-10:30 p.m., using a combination of live and recorded material, assisted by about 50 friends who provide additional content and music.

“We begin each day with the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 2 p.m.,” Father Le said, “and we also broadcast homilies, lessons on the Bible, Church history and the catechism. In the evening, we pray the rosary and the Chaplet of the Holy Spirit. We have testimonies, witness and questions and answers.”

A 12-year-old Boy Scout was on a Catholic camping retreat on the grounds of the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows in Starkenburg, Mo.

He signed up for a 2-to-3-a.m. shift during the all-night Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament in the chapel but wound up staying until after 5.

“Picture yourself there by yourself, in the middle of the night,” he recalled. “You’re tired, but what a tremendous experience.”

That long sleepless night was a spiritual awakening.

“God kind of planted in my head from that time forward that maybe he’s calling me to be a priest,” said Father Eric Groner, SVD.

The Jefferson City, Mo., native is celebrating his 25th jubilee as a priest of the Society of the Divine Word. Father Groner came to Arkansas last August to serve as pastor of St. Peter Church and St. Raphael Church in Pine Bluff and St. Justin Church in Star City.

“I am so grateful for all the people I’ve gotten to know and all the opportunities I’ve been given,” he said. “I am grateful to be alive and well and in God’s service.”

Father Groner, the second of five children, has 13 priests in his extended family, and many cousins and great-aunts became religious sisters.

“I looked up to them, but I saw them as human,” he said. 

Historically in the U.S., the Society of the Divine Word was charged with ministering to poor African Americans, mostly in isolated rural locales. 

“Most of our parishes are African American or multicultural,” he noted in an April 15 interview. “My current parish is about 80 to 90 percent Hispanic. That’s kind of our mission field for today.”

Father Groner professed first vows on Aug. 18, 1990, and perpetual vows on Sept. 16, 1995. On March 23, 1996, in Techny, Ill., Auxiliary Bishop Curtis Guillory of Galveston-Houston, also a member of the Society of the Divine Word, ordained him to the priesthood. 

Father Groner said he believes the variety of his priestly assignments has helped him appreciate the Church’s universal nature. He was first sent to El Banco, a town in northeastern Colombia, while the country was engulfed in a 50-year civil war.

“You had five major drug families fighting for territory, and you had socialists and communists waging war against each other,” he said. “It was very dangerous to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Called back to the United States, he ministered in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and New Jersey. He is chaplain for religious activities of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting and a chaplain of the Apostleship of the Sea, serving on 21 ocean cruises all over the world. 

“On a boat, you’re the chaplain and not just the Catholic chaplain,” Father Groner said, explaining a call to a stateroom can mean someone has died or is seriously ill and they’re sending for a helicopter. “You’re out at sea, but your job is just like it would be for a parishioner. You take care of their pastoral needs. That can mean anointing the person and comforting the family.”

During one cruise in 2017, the ship stayed out because of winds from Hurricane Ophelia. With churning waves rocking the boat, the Sunday crowd of 100 people grew to 500 for the daily service.

“They say there’s no atheist in a foxhole. Well, I guess there aren’t any atheists on a cruise ship in a hurricane either,” he added with a light-hearted chuckle.

His transition to Arkansas in August was a bit of a culture shock, as the Dallas-Fort Worth area has 8.2 million people and Arkansas about 3 million. Not to mention he arrived during a pandemic.

“Most of our parishioners caught COVID last January and thought it was the flu,” he said.

Father Groner is looking forward to resuming a full slate of ministries, including a soup kitchen near St. Peter Church. Confident that the Lord will continue to provide in his own time and way, Father Groner is content to do his best and not sweat the rest.

“You have to enjoy the time you get,” he said. “Don’t take life too seriously.”

This article was condensed from an article written for The Catholic Missourian. Used by permission. Information was also taken from a 2020 article in North Texas Catholic.

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Father John Antony, JCL, of Fort Smith (left) and Father James Ibeh, CSSp, of Helena, process down the aisle after the jubilee Mass June 29. The priests celebrated their 25th anniversaries as priests during a Mass at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock with Bishop Anthony B. Taylor. While they weren’t able to attend, the jubilee Mass also honored Father John Oswald and Father Joseph Pallo, 60 years; Father James Fanrak, 50 years; and Father Eric Groner, SVD, and Father John Lewandowski, 25 years. 

Alex, Emmanuel, Omar, Brian and Ben, as we gather today in the presence of fellow believers from throughout Arkansas whom God has called you to serve as a priest, we recall Jesus' Last Supper 2,000 years ago — the events of which constitute, in effect, his last will and testament. The treasure he bequeaths us in his will is the Eucharist and the priesthood, both of which he institutes at the Last Supper. And the testament he left us that evening is found in his Farewell Discourse in the Gospel of John. 

These days most people put together a will with the help of a lawyer, but very few people write a testament, despite our phrase "last will and testament." A testament is a document in which we articulate the wisdom and values that we want to share with those we leave behind, the spiritual patrimony we want our loved ones to inherit. A will, on the other hand, conveys the material patrimony we leave them. 

The Gospel passage that you chose for your ordination is taken from the most important section of Jesus' Farewell Discourse. In these verses, he articulates the higher standard to which he holds us whom he feeds with his body and blood, and above all those of us whom he calls to be priests: the standard of self-sacrificing love. 

Let me unpack this just a little bit. When I ask what is God's greatest commandment, most people give me the wrong answer, adding that there are two greatest commandments. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul" and " love your neighbor as yourself." Isn't that what Jesus said? What could possibly be greater than that? Especially since part of our spiritual patrimony is Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan in which he teaches us that every single human being is our neighbor, even the most disgusting person imaginable. To love the man lying in the ditch as much as we love ourselves. 

But hopefully you learned in theology that these are not God's greatest commandments. Jesus says they are the greatest commandments "in the law" meaning merely that they are the greatest commandments in the Old Testament, the greatest commandments in the law. The New Testament, which builds on the law and fulfills it, wasn't written yet.

At the Last Supper, during his Farewell Discourse, Jesus gave us a new, far greater commandment that supersedes those greatest commandments of the Old Testament, saying: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." The greatest commandment is to love as Jesus loves. And how does he love us? To the death. To love others not merely as much as ourselves, but rather to love them more than we love ourselves. We are to love as Jesus loves: completely, selflessly, to the death. And this applies even more to us who are conformed most intimately to Christ through ordination.

Ben, Brian, Omar, Emmanuel and Alex, every priest is an “Alter Christus,” Another Christ. Offering the Eucharist is our greatest privilege, but there is a sobering — and also beautiful — truth I need to point out: Jesus was simultaneously the priest and the sacrifice he offered as a priest, and the same must be true for you. 

In every Mass you celebrate in persona Christi (in the person of Christ) so you too must be simultaneously the priest and the sacrifice you offer in communion with the self-sacrifice of Jesus, whom you then offer sacramentally to the Father as an oblation for our redemption and in expiation of our sins. This offering of yourself to the Father in union with Jesus obligates you to then live out your gift of self in everything you do throughout the day. The phrase "once a priest, always a priest" means two things: it doesn't only mean that you will soon be a priest for the rest of your life. It also means that you are always a priest, another Christ, all 24 hours of the day. Once a priest, always a priest. This is not a 9-to-5 job. You are to love everyone as Jesus has loved you, 24 hours of the day, even when people call you at 3 in the morning. Indeed, especially when people call you at 3 in the morning. From this day forward, you are to lay down your life for others as Jesus did for you, 24 hours a day.

My brothers, people think you chose to become a priest, which is not true. Jesus chose you to be a priest — that's why we call it a vocation and not merely a career — what you did was respond to his call, for which I am very grateful, even though I know from my own experience that even our ability to respond to his call is due ultimately to his grace as well. But you did respond to that call, which requires courage, and you did so with the same self-sacrificing generosity that must always mark your priestly ministry from this day forward. 

In today's Gospel Jesus says to you the same thing he said to those first apostles at the Last Supper, during which he instituted the sacraments of the Eucharist and the priesthood: "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another." God bless you all. And may God bless us abundantly through you for many years to come. 

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor delivered this homily during the May 29 priest ordination.

During Arkansas’ summer, Catholics brace themselves for 100-plus-degree days, giant mosquitoes and for some, saying goodbye to their favorite pastor or associate pastor. 

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor typically announces priest assignment changes around Easter. This year, priests will move to their new pastoral assignments June 15. 

The decision to move a priest from their parish takes prayer, discussion, planning and a bishop who truly knows his priests, said Father John Connell, vicar general for the Diocese of Little Rock. 

“Bishop Taylor does an extraordinary job listening to priests and knowing the needs of all of his priests,” Father Connell said. “His only desire is that his priests flourish in their assignments (ministry) and are happy. He also knows his diocese and its needs, so parishes receive a pastor that will help compliment each other. As vicar general, I am happy to serve a bishop who listens to many voices and prays before making important decisions, especially in regards to his priests. What a blessing that is.” 

Arkansas Catholic asked Bishop Taylor about the process of assigning a priest to a new parish. 

Unlike a lot of denominations, Catholic priests do not stay with one church their entire ministry. Why?  

The needs of the priest and the Church need to be taken into account. Newly ordained priests need a time of mentoring under the guidance of an experienced pastor and then assignment to parishes that would be a good fit for the priest at that stage of his life and ministerial development. Similarly, the changing needs of the parish need to be taken into account, as well as that of the diocese. We have limited human resources, which we try to deploy in the most effective way possible.

How long can a priest typically stay in one parish?

In Arkansas, we do not have a typical length of stay. There are many factors taken into account which might affect the length of stay, the most common of which is when the priest himself requests a move. And I try to accommodate as many such requests as I can, because if the priest is ready for a change, probably the parish is too.

So a priest can request to move or stay in a parish? 

Yes, every January, priests are sent a survey in which they indicate their desire for a change or to remain in a parish. We take this into account but cannot accommodate every request.

What factors are discussed when you make the decision to move a priest to a new parish?

We try to take everything into account but regarding the needs and abilities of the priest, as well as the needs and history of the parish. I could give you a long list, including health issues, language ability, financial acumen, conflict or other problems to be addressed in the parish, building program, parish school, prisons served from the parish, hospitals in the area, personality traits of the priest, etc.

How do you determine what priest might fit best in a particular parish?

We discuss this extensively at our priest personnel board, which has 11 members, including one deacon who is a canon lawyer and one laywoman who is a psychologist. With this many members, there is always someone who knows the parishes and priests in question very well. 

Do you make the decision yourself or discuss it with others?

Extensive consultation at the priest personnel board. Generally, we will have been discussing future assignments for about nine months in advance of finalizing the following year’s assignments — word sometimes gets out, which sometimes leads to additional helpful feedback.

How far in advance do you inform a priest they are moving, and how does that conversation usually go? 

I consult with them shortly prior to Holy Week, and the announcement comes out the Friday following Easter, generally six to 10 weeks in advance of the mid-June effective date of the transfer. The conversation always goes very well. I have never had a priest resist — much less refuse — to accept an assignment. This is due to the zeal of our priests and the good advice of our personnel board.

Sometimes we see priests named as administrators, not pastors or associate pastors. How are administrators different? 

When a priest is to be given charge of a parish for the first time (or missionary priests, the first time in the United States), we make them administrators for the first year and then if everything goes well, they become a pastor the following year. Administrators are not supposed to innovate without my specific permission. Pastors exercise their authority more directly.

Occasionally we will see where priests are on sabbatical. What does that entail, and how long can it be? 

Sabbaticals might be for a few-months-long program of spiritual and theological renewal, or maybe a year-long course of studies.   

Parishioners do get attached to their pastors and associate pastors. What would you say to those who are sad or possibly angry when their priest is moved?  

I am happy that they are sad to lose their priest — what I worry about is when people are happy to lose their priest.  

How can we support priests as they are leaving our parish or being assigned to our parish this summer? 

You can pray for them and thank them for their service.

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At about the midpoint of the May 29 Mass celebrating the priestly ordination, the five latest priests of the Diocese of Little Rock turned, newly vested and resplendent, to face the crowd. As one, the crowd of 1,800 rose to its feet as thunderous applause bounced off the walls of the historic Barton Coliseum.

The standing ovation was a moment Father Emmanuel Torres, who’d spent 11 years getting to this day, struggled to put into words afterward.

“Very happy, I’m feeling very, very happy,” he said, beaming. “During the intercessions, I was just praying for help in my ministry.”

Father Torres, along with Fathers Brian Cundall, Omar Galvan, Ben Riley and Alex Smith, were ordained during a nearly three-hour bilingual Mass. Officiated by Bishop Anthony B. Taylor and concelebrated by Archbishop Emeritus J. Peter Sartain, Taylor’s predecessor, and Bishop Francis I. Malone of Shreveport, formerly a priest in the Diocese of Little Rock, the event was also witnessed by more than 100 diocesan priests, deacons and seminarians. 

In his homily, Bishop Taylor echoed a familiar refrain. To the five honorees he said getting to this day started with answering the call of Christ; henceforth, they must echo Christ to others, without limitation.

“The phrase ‘once a priest, always a priest’ means two things,” Taylor said. “It doesn't only mean that you will soon be a priest for the rest of your life. It also means that you are always a priest, ‘another Christ,’ all 24 hours of the day.”

“This is not a 9-to-5 job. You are to love everyone as Jesus has loved you, 24 hours of the day, even when people call you at 3 in the morning. Indeed, especially when people call you at 3 in the morning. From this day forward, you are to lay down your life for others as Jesus did for you, 24 hours a day.”

The rites of ordination are alternatingly somber and celebratory. At one point, the ordinands lay prostrate on the floor while the congregation kneeled and recited the litany of saints. The symbolism for this is dying to one’s former life and, upon standing, to have risen to a new life in the priesthood. It is a gesture of deep symbolism and profound meaning; to many priests, the singular moment of the ordination Mass.

“It was a long time coming; it was a little more emotional than I anticipated,” Father Riley said. “It’s just a joy that comes from God. There’s no other way that I can describe it. I’m just so, so happy and ready to serve Christ in his Church.”

For the guest bishops, it was a chance to see the fruits of their work in the diocese ripen right before their very eyes.

“I’ve had the privilege of ordaining quite a few priests, but I always marvel at the fact that God’s call is always there, sometimes from the youngest age,” Archbishop Sartain told Arkansas Catholic after the Mass. “I knew some of these guys when they were young, very young. To see the fruit of God’s call that he first gave them many years ago, it’s really pretty astounding.”

“For me personally, it’s a day of tremendous joy because I've watched these young boys grow up,” said Bishop Malone whose last Arkansas assignment, Christ the King Church in Little Rock, produced the largest number of vocations. “I remember giving them first Communion, watching them in grade school and high school and so forth. And then being a part of their decision to go into the seminary, it's just a great grace. I’m just grateful to God that the gift of my priesthood in some way touched theirs.”

The ordination Mass was the largest ordination the diocese has hosted since 2017. Lately, larger ordinations have been held at Christ the King Church in Little Rock, but with COVID-19 precautions to consider the diocese chose to move it to Barton Coliseum to allow plenty of room for all attendees. 

The event took on special significance for Msgr. Scott Friend, whose 16-year tenure as diocesan vocations director will officially come to a close June 15. Msgr. Friend, who will become pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church in Jonesboro, is considered the architect of the greatest vocations comeback story, producing 44 priests with 24 more in formation, lowering the average age of diocesan priests by nearly 20 years in the process.

After the liturgy, Msgr. Friend admitted this group held a special place for him.

“These guys that got ordained this year, four of them were in our first group to run through the Formation House (in Little Rock),” he said. “So, it’s like being able to see the finish of something that we got started. And these guys, knowing their struggles and walking with them through that, it’s always — I don’t have words to express how it makes me feel inside.”

“Saying goodbye to this, as I leave as director, I’m just very grateful to God and to the people of this diocese for all the support they’ve given vocations and me as vocations director. We have the greatest diocese in the world. I’m just very grateful that the Lord called me to be a priest here in this diocese.”  

Each bishop and priest in attendance processed across the massive stage and, under the gaze of Our Lady of Guadelupe looming from the backdrop, laid hands on each of their five new brother priests.

Father Smith described that moment as the Mass’s high point.

“Definitely the imposition of the hands of the bishop as well as the other bishops and as well as all the priests, my brothers now,” he said. “When they put their hands on me, it gave me the peace of God.”

Later, gravitas melted into joy as the line returned to embrace each new priest in welcome. That concluded, the five formed a huddle in the middle of the stage, sharing a personal moment in which they will be bonded forever. For Father Galván, entering the priesthood with his four companions was extra special.

“It’s a true blessing more than anything,” he said. “Four of us went to the same seminary and the one who didn’t, I am close to him too. I know I can rely on them, and they can rely on me.”

After Mass, the five were mobbed on all sides by family, friends and well-wishers. Congregants lined up 50 deep to receive a personal blessing, while hundreds of photos snapped on cameras and phones throughout the auditorium. It was all too much for Father Cundall to describe in depth.

“I feel incredible, absolutely excited. It’s awesome,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “I’m ordained, man!”

Father Stephen Gadberry made the sign of the cross and blessed a pool filled with water amid the flash of the “American Ninja Warrior” obstacle course in The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis. 

As he did when he first competed on the physically demanding NBC reality show in 2018, he brought the Gospel message and a joyful image of a priest to a national TV audience Sept. 21. 

“For a Catholic, it may look cheesy,” he admitted when he blessed the obstacle course’s pool with holy water, which the show asked him to do. “But for people who didn’t know about the Catholic Church, they see a priest living joyfully. They don’t see scandal.” 

Instead of filming across a handful of cities, season 12 of ANW was filmed in a few summer weeks on the closed course in St. Louis and premiered Sept. 7. The show created a team format for competitors, pairing everyone from teachers to pole vaulters, and of course the “Hounds of Heaven” — “the Papal Ninja” Sean Bryan, a Catholic theologian in Berkeley, Calif., who has made the ANW national finals three times, coming back after dislocating his shoulder in the finals last year; David Womelsdorf, an Assembly of God preacher in Chicago; and Father Gadberry, pastor of St. Mary Church in Batesville and St. Cecilia in Newport.  

He applied in fall 2019 to again appear on the show. The last week in June, he got the call, initially assuming it wouldn’t be filmed given the COVID-19 pandemic. While he exercises with his own equipment about an hour a day, four to five days a week, he said there was no increased physical preparation, but spiritual discernment. He spoke first with Bishop Anthony B. Taylor, who supported him, along with his spiritual director and fellow priests.

“I’m very introverted,” he said. “There’s a lot of attention that goes with this that could easily be directed to me instead of the Lord. I am doing what I can to direct the attention to the Lord.”

The Lord kept taking him back to Matthew 24:14-30, the parable of the talents, recounting how the stewards chose different ways to handle the talents the master gave them, including one who buried the money. 

“I’ve got this physical capability of doing it, but more importantly, I have this opportunity to be in my clerics and share a message of hope, even if it’s just a few seconds with literally millions of people,” Father Gadberry said. 

He was in St. Louis July 14-17, following strict COVID-19 safety protocols. He was tested before leaving Arkansas, upon arrival and again while he was there. Father Gadberry also got to concelebrate Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. 

During the episode, the show pointed out how St. John Paul II had visited The Dome. While it was an interesting fact to promote, Father Gadberry said, “It’s drawing attention to the saint. They ultimately gave a commercial for the Catholic Church.” 

Bishop Robert Barron of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who Father Gadberry has worked with through the media ministry Word on Fire, was part of the virtual group watching the competition, as there was no in-person audience. The network referred to Bishop Barron and the others as Father Gadberry’s “fellow parishioners.” 

“As Catholics, we know a bishop is not a parishioner. We were joking about that. I messaged him afterwards, ‘Sorry bishop, you got demoted,’” he laughed. 

When Father Gadberry competed two years ago, he fell into the water on the obstacle course, with the hosts shouting that “he got baptized” by the water. This year, at the beginning of the course, he fell from the “lunatic ledges,” with the hosts saying “this thing is possessed.” 

But, he popped up from the water with a smile and said, “I just got baptized again. I should have brought my soap.” 

“I hate losing. I will be totally honest. As soon as I fell, especially so quickly, I was frustrated, there’s no other way to put it,” he said. “But I was able to let it go pretty quickly. That night of course, I tossed and turned and was frustrated by it. But it’s not my identity.” 

Teammate Womelsdorf also failed the course, but Bryan advanced, missing the next round at the end of the show by only seconds. 

Even though the team did not advance, the defeat was a spiritual lesson in dark times. 

“With the obstacles on the course, you have got to commit to them. Once you focus on them, you have to go full speed into them; you have to go wholeheartedly not lukewarm, to use a spiritual term,” while also using prudence and discernment, he said. 

“Once your path is clear, that’s the direction you need to go. You need to commit to it and go. I think that’s what we need to do as individuals and as a society. We have to recognize the danger and threats, but also not sit here forever. Find the direction we’re supposed to go.” 

Father Gadberry said, personally, “I’ve kind of given it my run,” as far as competing on the show, but if he feels called by the Lord, he’ll do it again. But regardless, competing again was a lesson for everyone during an uncertain pandemic. 

“Yeah, your life is crazy, that’s OK. That’s OK,” he said. “The important thing is just to wake up, give it your best shot and go for it again tomorrow.”