Since Father Hardesty has been placed on medical leave, Father Mauricio Carrasco has been named our new pastor. He also serves St. Augustine's Parish in Dardanelle and St. Andrew's Parish in Danville. We have added a weekday Mass to Friday at 8:30 AM. His office hours follow the daily Mass on Friday's until 12 Noon. If you would like to make an appointment to visit with Father Mauricio, please contact our parish office at 479-641-7179. WELCOME FATHER MAURICO!
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We would like to inform the parish that Father Ernest Hardesty has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He is in the initial phases of discovering his illness, so he does not currently have a lot of answers. We will make additional announcements as he obtains more information.
As of now, Father Ernie has been placed on medical leave, which will allow him to focus on his health. He will continue to do as much as he can for his parishes including saying Masses, performing Baptisms, etc. as long as he is able to do so. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor appointed Father Mauricio Carrasco as Administrator and Father Martin Amaro Associate Administrator of both the Church of the Assumption in Atkins and St. Leo the Great Catholic University Parish in Russellville. They will assist in covering Sunday Masses and other sacramental responsibilities as well as take on the administrative duties of the parishes until Father Ernie can return full time. We will keep you informed as he gets more information. Please pray for his healing! We know many of you want to help him in any way you can, for which we are so very grateful. As of now, he is doing well and does not need anything but your prayers. We know this may change in the future, and we will keep you informed of his status. We deeply thank you for your love and concern! Bishop Anthony B. Taylor addressed the following letter, Sept. 25, 2020, to the people of the Diocese of Little Rock to announce that he is lifting the dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass (in person) for everyone who is in good health and not especially vulnerable or caring for someone who is especially vulnerable on Oct. 1, 2020. “The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life, and our Sunday communal celebration of the Eucharist is a central and non-negotiable part of who we are as Catholics. However, in view of the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, effective March 12, 2020, I dispensed everyone in the Diocese of Little Rock temporarily from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass in person, with the stipulation that everyone keep holy the Lord’s Day in other ways, for instance through participation in Mass transmitted over the Internet, through eucharistic adoration or other time spent in prayer, for instance a family rosary. “And then effective the weekend of March 21-22, in view of the increasing danger and following the advice of our governor, the public celebration of Mass was suspended for the entire state of Arkansas, with the exception of small, self-contained groups at the discretion of the priest. This was consistent with the steps taken in dioceses throughout the world and lasted for six weeks. “On May 4 — once we had a clearer idea of the steps to be taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus at Mass — I authorized the resumption of the public celebration of Mass on a limited basis with the stipulation that all participants be required to wear masks the entire time they are in the church, that the space occupied not exceed 25 percent occupancy, that 6 feet of physical separation be maintained between family groups and individuals, plus other steps be taken to ensure the safety of the participants, including the sanitizing of hands and surfaces, the temporary removal of hymn books and the temporary suspension of the ministry of choirs and altar servers. "The progressive re-opening of our churches continued throughout the summer and as of June 15 we were able to authorize up to 66 percent occupancy in churches where that was possible while still maintaining the required use of masks and 6 feet physical distancing. During this time the dispensation from the obligation of in-person Sunday Mass attendance continued. “Today I am happy to announce that our anti-COVID protocols have been effective in preventing the spread of the disease at Mass. We are not aware of even a single case of transmission linked to participation in worship in any Catholic church in Arkansas — or for that matter, not any other Catholic church in the United States where these protocols were in place. “Therefore, we are now in a position to lift the dispensation from the obligation of in-person Sunday Mass attendance for everyone who is in good health and not especially vulnerable or caring for someone who is especially vulnerable effective Oct. 1. "The celebration of the Eucharist is at the center of our relationship with Jesus, whose true body and blood, soul and divinity we receive in this sacrament — the greatest treasure in our lives. Of course, if a person feels ill, or has been exposed to COVID-19 and is in quarantine, or is otherwise especially vulnerable, for instance due to chronic illness or the frailty of old age, they remain dispensed but still have the obligation to otherwise keep the Lord’s Day holy. “In the event that due to the ongoing requirement of physical distancing, the number of people seeking to attend Mass exceeds the capacity of the church building and any overflow areas provided, any who are turned away have fulfilled their obligation before the Lord by the mere fact of having attempted to come to Mass, so long as they then participate in Mass via the Internet, or observe some other way of keeping holy the Lord’s Day, for instance through a family rosary or time spent in eucharistic adoration.” "Sincerely in Christ, +Anthony B. Taylor Bishop of Little Rock" For more information please visit the Diocesan website here.Father Ernie Hardesty celebrated his 45th year in the priesthood on Sunday, May 17th. Due to Covid-19, a celebration with all those that he has ministered to was out of the question. Instead, he was surprised by a Atkins police escorted drive by parade. Congratulations Father Ernie!
*The Courier Newspaper highlighted the event and it can be found at the following: www.couriernews.com/news/parade-honors-pastor-s-45-years-in-ministry/article_bb3ccd7d-47a6-5891-b5c6-88ad1e7209ef.html The following is a message from Fr. Ernie:
I am excited to announce that we will begin having Masses at Church of the Assumption on Sunday, May 24th. I will offer two Masses at 8:30 AM and 11:30 AM and daily Masses will be Monday – Thursday at 8:30 AM starting May 25th. Due to space and distance restrictions, we will have the ability to have any overflow located in our parish hall. If you have not already done so, I recommend you view Bishop Taylor’s General Principles for worship during the COVID-19 pandemic located on the Diocesan Website at https://www.dolr.org/restrictions-and-options-worship. Please review the Mass Check-List amid COVID-19 restrictions from the Bishop, so you may have a better understanding of what Mass will be like once we begin. I want to highlight a couple of key points. Please know that if you are uncomfortable attending Mass, the Bishop has extended dispensation. Meaning, you are not required to meet the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays. You can still watch and participate in the Masses that are streamed online or on television. To make you fully aware, the church and hall will be cleaned after each Mass for your protection. Note that the Bishop is requiring anyone over the age of 10 to wear a mask during Mass, so please bring one if you have one. We will have new procedures in place throughout the Mass that must be followed, and I will announce and explain them as we move throughout the Mass. I ask you to please pay attention to your personal health. If you do not feel well or have any symptoms related to COVID-19, especially a fever, please stay home. This will not only take care of yourself, but you will also be protecting others. As you know, tithing is very important for our parish. One of the new changes that will take place is a collection basket will no longer be passed around. The collection basket will now be at the back of church to allow you a touch-free opportunity to give while at Mass. If you elect not to come to church for safety reasons, please continue to send in donations to our post office box. I know this is all new to us, and it may be overwhelming to some. But remember, we are all in this together, and we will do our very best to provide a safe, caring environment for us to be able to celebrate the Body of Christ. I look forward to seeing you next week. May God bless you and keep you safe, Reverend Ernest Hardesty A message from Fr. Ernie:
As you may have already heard, the Bishop has put out directives to open up church and begin having Masses again. The Bishop has sent out a lot of requirements that must be met for worship due to the pandemic. You may have seen these restrictions, and we are currently working on a strategy to implement them in the hope to begin having Masses on Sunday, May 24th. We will notify you of the requirements and any additional information you might need to know to attend Mass. We should have this information to you later next week. To see the Bishops letter, visit the following link: www.dolr.org/article/restricted-public-masses-resume-may You all are in my thoughts and prayers! Stay safe and God Bless, Fr. Ernie Bishop Anthony B. Taylor issued the following letter to the people of the Diocese of Little Rock, April 30, 2020, to address further changes to his March 12 and April 15 mandates suspending all public Masses and nonessential events during the COVID-19 pandemic. "In my last message of April 15, based on the insistence of our public health officials that physical separation needs to continue to be maintained for the time being, I extended our present suspension of activities (and the corresponding dispensation of the Sunday obligation) to May 18.
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