Arkansas Catholics dedicate new church

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor anoints the altar of the new St. Mark Church in Monticello, Ark., with sacred chrism during the dedication Mass on June 22. Glenmary Father Leo Schloemer, the pastor when the original church was dedicated in 1986, assisted the bishop in dedicating the new altar.

[Arkansas] Bishop Anthony B. Taylor of the Diocese of Little Rock dedicated the new St. Mark Church in Monticello on Sunday, June 22.

St. Mark, a Glenmary mission for 30 years, was returned along with St. Luke in Warren and Holy Child in Dumas, to the diocese for continued pastoral care in 2006.

Last year, Glenmary loaned the former mission $100,000 to help with construction costs.

Over 300 people attended the dedication Mass celebrated by Bishop Taylor who was installed as the bishop of Little Rock on June 7. The bishop concelebrated the Mass with Father Phillip A. Reaves, the first diocesan pastor of St. Mark and the readings at the Mass were proclaimed in English, Tagalog and Spanish.

The mission community has grown since its founding by Glenmary Father Charlie Hughes in 1975 and the dedication of its first church in 1986. The first church, which seated about 200 people, is now used as the parish hall and was the site of the luncheon that followed the dedication Mass.

Ground was broken for the new $1.2 million church, which seats about 320 people, in January, 2007. But the planning and fundraising was ongoing for several years prior to the groundbreaking.

Members of St. Luke and Holy Child joined the Monticello community for the dedication celebration.

“What a glorious day,” said St. Mark parishioner Arlene Russell of the dedication day. She added that the congregation’s “prayers remain with Glenmary missioners who will forever be in our thoughts.

“Our thoughts were with Father Dan Dorsey and Father Chet Artysiewicz and their long history with us and their role, with God’s help, in making this building possible,” Arlene said.

“We were blessed by the presence of Glenmary and all of us feel the missionary zeal they instilled in us at St. Mark.”