St. John the Baptist

On July 15, 2003 Father Blust was reassigned to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, his hometown. Father William Define was assigned chaplain and Father Joseph Hearty arrived in North Little Rock as the new assistant chaplain. He was reassigned to Ontario, Canada in July 2004. Fr. Kenneth Fryer was assigned as associate chaplain in July of 2004. He was reassigned to Phoenix, AZ in October 2005. Fr. James Gordon was assigned as associate chaplain in November 2005. He was reassigned to Kansas City in August 2006. Fr Terrence Gordon was assigned as associate chaplain in August 2006.
 
In August 2007, Fr Define was reassigned to Australia. Fr. Laurent Demets was then assigned as chaplain until August 2008 when Fr. Terrence Gordon was elevated to Chaplain in North Little Rock.
 
Fr Demet was reassigned to Cherokee Village in August 2008 to establish the St Pio of Pietrelcina community. Fr. Demet remained in Cherokee Village until he was reassigned by the Fraternity in March 2012.
 
Fr. Terrence Gordon was reassigned to Omaha, NE in July 2009 and Fr. Robert Novokowsky was assigned as our new Chaplain. Fr. Novokowsky was reassigned to Richmond, VA in June 2011 and that was when we welcomed Fr. Charles Ryan as our new Chaplain.
 
Fr. Ryan was reassigned to Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in July 2013 with Fr. Micheal Magiera being assigned as the newest chaplain of the St. John The Baptist Latin Mass Community.  Fr. Joseph Orlowski assigned as Assistant Chaplain in June of 2015.

In December 2016, Fr. Magiera transferred to St. Joseph Church in Rockdale, IL, and Fr. Orlowski remained as Chaplain.  In May of 2017, the community moved to Cabot, AR.

On Saturday, June 24th, 2017, His Excellency Bishop Anthony B. Taylor established St. John the Baptist Catholic Church as a parish of the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock, and an apostolate of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, in Cabot, Arkansas.  A Solemn Mass was celebrated by Fr. Orlowski, with Fr. Define as Deacon, and Fr. Ed Brodsky as sub-Deacon.  

Fr. Jared McCambridge was assigned as pastor the following month in July, 2017. 
 
We thank God for each new priest assigned to our community for each brings with them their own talents and blessings.

By the fall of 2001 it became obvious that the rectory needed to be moved to a safer neighborhood. After a few inquiries, a small house was purchased by the Fraternity of St. Peter at 919 West 19th St. in North Little Rock. Several men of the community remodeled the front room into two offices and laid new carpeting. In January 2002 members of the community cleaned the house and helped Father Portzer move into the new rectory.
   
On August 14, 2001 Father Christopher Blust FSSP was assigned to the community as assistant chaplain. Father Blust served the Apostolate in Cherokee Village while Father Portzer remained in North Little Rock.

Sunday Mass to St. Patrick Church with Father Harvey was approved by Bishop Sartain in February, 2002 and we have remained at St. Patrick’s since. On August 15, 2002 Father Portzer left North Little Rock to begin post­graduate studies in the fall in Rome. Father Blust was named chaplain and Father William Defme, FSSP arrived as the new assistant chaplain. Father Define was assigned to celebrate the Latin Mass in Cherokee Village and Mt. Home while Father Blust was reassigned to North Little Rock.
 
Father Blust served as chaplain for one year. He will be remembered for his excellent sermons and the courage to address problems that arose within the community. A Canadian, Father Blust disliked the hot summer weather, but he enjoyed going fishing with Father Harvey and dove hunting with the men of the community. He also enjoyed visiting local antique stores and purchasing old religious pictures and items once used in the Latin rite.
 
Up until the time it was possible to have two FSSP priests assigned to Arkansas, a diocesan priest, Father Thomas Sebaugh celebrated the Latin Mass for us when one of our priests was away.

In August, 2000 Father Portzer offered the Latin Mass in Hot Springs until 2001 when it was discontinued due to reduced attendance.

On March 30, 2000 Father Joseph Portzer FSSP arrived in North Little Rock. After almost five years as chaplain, Father Pablo left Arkansas and returned to his home in Florida. Father Portzer, the newly appointed chaplain, initially lived in the rectory at St. Mary's Church as the guest of Father Harvey, the pastor at the time. Wanting to send a second priest to Arkansas, Father Portzer's Superior suggested that a rental house be found close to the church.
   
A former member of the community had a house for rent at 1516 Parker St., North Little Rock. Father Portzer moved to that residence in June, 2000. Fr Eric Flood, (then Deacon) Fr. Chris Hathaway, Deacon John McDaniels, Father Robert Fromageot, Father John Berg, and (then seminarians) Fr. William Define and Fr. Joseph Hearty, assisted Father Portzer at various times during 2000-2001. Father Evaristus Echiowu arrived in May, 2000 and served as assistant chaplain until July, 2001when he left for his former home in Nigeria to offer the Latin Mass.
 
Father Portzer will be remembered for his quiet demeanor and diplomatic skills. He liked going on outings with the teens, on camping trips with the young boys and their fathers, and teaching the high school age religion classes. Because of parking problems at St. Mary's, Father Portzer discussed moving the Sunday Mass to St. Patrick Church with Father Harvey. 

In late 1997 it was announced that Morris Hall would be gutted and totally remodeled. Although the chapel was not included in those plans, it would be dangerous to have people coming into the building for Mass. On February 1, 1998 the Latin Mass community was moved to St. Mary's Church in North Little Rock. Father Paul Worm was the pastor at that time. It was through the efforts of Father Worm and others in the parish that a new high altar was built to replace the one removed in the 1960's. A portable altar was used until the new one was ready. The tabernacle had been moved to a side altar so a small portable tabernacle was used for each Mass and then removed. (In 2000 Bishop J. Peter Sartain gave approval for the tabernacle to be placed back in the center of the sanctuary on the high altar.)
 
Every Sunday morning for four years Father Pablo would have a High Mass in Little Rock and then make the almost three hour drive to Mountain Home for another Mass. He offered Mass on Monday in Mt. Home and then returned to Little Rock for daily Masses Tuesday through Saturday.  In 1999 Eric Lingelser took over the training of new altar boys until he left for the seminary in October, 2000. Father Pablo offered adult religion classes every Wednesday night after Mass. In the spring of 1999 Father Pablo stopped going to Mt. Home as another priest, Father Donald Kloster FSSP, was assigned to Cherokee Village and Mt. Home.
 
Father Kloster was provided a house to be used as a rectory by Dr. & Mrs. Austin Welsh. He said his first Latin Mass at St. Michael's Church in Cherokee Village on May 13, 1999. He remained in Cherokee Village for one year and left in May, 2000. Over the next three years, Father Evaristus Eshiowu FSSP, Father Joseph Portzer FSSP, Father Christopher Blust FSSP, and Father William Define FSSP have served the Latin Mass Community in Cherokee Village and Mt. Home.
 
Father Pablo began offering a Latin Mass in Hot Springs at St. John's Church in May, 1999. Price Gillenwater and his wife Patty were instrumental in bringing the Latin Mass to that city. Price served as usher and Patty was choir director. 

In August, 1995 Father Claver was reassigned by his Superior to South Dakota and Father Pablo Alverez was assigned as the new chaplain. Father Pablo, as he asked to be called, was born in Cuba and came to the United States as a refugee. He was fluent in several languages and had a beautiful tenor voice. Father Pablo announced at his first Mass at St. Andrew's Cathedral that the Latin Mass was moving to Morris Chapel at St. John's Center and he was moving into an apartment in Fitzgerald Hall on the same campus.
 
Father Pablo was an organizer. He gave the community its name, St. John the Baptist, after the patron saint of St. John's Seminary (now St. John's Center). He began a bulletin, gathered together a choir and organist, and purchased needed items for the sanctuary and sacristy.
   
Father Pablo also spoke to the ladies about beginning a brunch after the Sunday Mass. He suggested that the women of the community take the name Handmaids of the Lord. Besides providing the weekly Brunch, the ladies cleaned the chapel and laundered all the altar linens.
 
Father Pablo's talents included decorating the chapel for Holydays. He will be remembered for his marathon (6-8 hours) decorating sessions at Christmas and Easter. Mrs. Shirley Walz, a recent convert, became his volunteer secretary and assistant seamstress. Together they made many new altar cloths as well as the huge gold curtain behind the crucifix above the altar at Morris Chapel. Shirley's husband Jim provided computer consultation as well as helping with various fund-raising projects. (Jim converted to the Catholic faith in 2001; they moved to Oregon in 2002).
 
Father Pablo purchased hymnals for the choir and directed choir practice each week. He began altar boy practice for the younger boys and was assisted by Willice Henderson, the Master of Ceremonies and Tom Nauman, Sacristan.

Sunday morning Mass was attended by a loyal group that gradually increased in size. In 1994 two young men, Pat and Michael Friedl, began to serve Mass for Father Claver. Since we only had use of the Cathedral on Sunday mornings, for Holy Week 1995 the Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday services were offered at Morris Chapel. Tom Nauman and Dennis McEneny served as altar servers for these services.

The day before Good Shepherd Sunday, 1993, it was announced that Father Arnaud Devillers, FSSP Regional Superior, was in town to offer a Tridentine Mass at St. Edward's Church in Little Rock. A fair-sized crowd attended this Mass on Good Shepherd Sunday. Father Devillers announced after Mass that the Fraternity of St. Peter would send a priest in a month or two to offer the Latin Mass on a regular basis. While in Arkansas, Father Devillers visited some families at Star of the Sea in Hardy, Arkansas and offered a Tridentine Mass at St. Michael's Church in Cherokee Village. Father Devillers also traveled to Mountain Home, Arkansas and offered a Tridentine Mass at St. Peter the Fisherman for several families who had asked for a Latin Mass.
 
On August 1, 1993 Father Karl Claver, FSSP arrived in Little Rock. He offered Mass in the chapel at Christ the King Church in west Little Rock for two weeks while Bishop McDonald determined a more permanent arrangement. St. Anne's rectory on Camp Robinson Road in North Little Rock was vacant at that time so arrangements were made for Father Claver to live there. Later Father Claver offered catechism classes for the children in his home and weekday Masses.
 
On August 22, 1993, the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the first official Latin Mass was offered at St. Andrew's Cathedral in downtown Little Rock. It was announced that Father Claver would celebrate the Latin Mass every Sunday both in Little Rock and Mountain Home.
 
Servers for these early Masses were Jim McFarland, Ted Bruich, Paul Parker (deceased) and Joe Johnson (moved back to Georgia), who remembered the responses from their youth. Red misselettes were ordered from Ecclesia Dei so attendees could follow the Mass more easily.
 
In the beginning only Low Masses were offered as there was no choir. Father Claver provided laminated cards with the music for the Mass of the Angels so the congregation could sing the Gregorian chant for a High Mass. Dan Pyne and Margaret Rohan soon offered their services to lead the singing. Later the Dennis McEneny family sang hymns at Mass. Organ music was provided by a non-Catholic who was the Cathedral organist. Dr. Kozlowski was the usher on Sunday mornings assisted by Ted Bruich, if he was not needed to serve.

In early February, 1992 the Arkansas Catholic printed a notice that there would be a Traditional Latin Mass on Sunday, Feb. 11, 1992 in Morris Chapel at St. John's Center, Little Rock with Msgr. Gaston Hebert, VG officiating. Several hundred people, including many young families, attended this first Latin Mass. Msgr. Hebert provided a small choir and organ music. There were no kneelers so everyone knelt on the hard stone floor. After Mass, Msgr. Hebert came to the vestibule and asked for reactions. Many asked that more Masses be offered in Latin.
 
A month later, Msgr. John Murphy, a retired diocesan priest, with the permission of Bishop McDonald, began to offer a Latin Mass twice a month in Morris Chapel. Gradually the crowd diminished, somewhat due to no kneelers and few had missals to follow along with the Mass. Due to the reduced attendance, the Mass was moved in late April, 1992 to St. Vincent Hospital Chapel where it was offered once a month except during the summer months. Msgr. Murphy continued as the celebrant. He asked some of his friends to serve coffee, juice and cookies in a nearby room after Mass as some attendees came from a long distance to Mass. (Msgr. Murphy is now deceased).
 
Meanwhile Teresa Siebenmorgen continued to write letters to Bishop McDonald requesting daily Latin masses. The Bishop responded to each letter and over time seemed more sympathetic to her request. At some point Bishop McDonald contacted the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter in Elmhurst, Pennsylvania and discussed the possibility of an Apostolate in his diocese. 

In January, 1991, a group of 12 people met to discuss reviving the Latin Mass in Little Rock. The group consisted of Lucille Young (deceased), Donald & Kathleen (deceased) Terrell, Ted Bruich (deceased), Dr. Ludwik Kozlowski, Teresa Siebenmorgen (deceased), David Deatin (deceased), Nudie Mae Welder (deceased), Beulah Rupert, Nick & Dolores Kordsmeier (both deceased), and Ida Casta. They met one Saturday a month and used guidelines provided by  Ecclesia Dei on how to obtain permission for the Latin Mass from the local bishop.

After several months of discussion, the group decided to approach Bishop Andrew McDonald with their request. Mr. Donald Terrell, Dr. Ludwig Kozlowski and Mr. Ted Bruich undertook this mission. They respectfully made their plea for a Latin Mass, but one member of the group later stated, "hope for the Latin Mass was somewhat diminished by the Bishop's response" to their request.
 
The group was not ready to give up. At their next meeting they decided to write the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, in Rome, the Apostolic Pro Nuncio in Washington, D.C., the Pope's representative in the United States, and Bishop McDonald. All letters were positive in nature and requested permission to have access to the Tridentine Mass. In subsequent meetings the group discussed the replies they received from these Church leaders. Weeks passed and the group continued to meet on a monthly basis to support one another in their desire to attend a Latin Mass.