On June 21, a 5:30pm mass at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Little Rock was concelebrated by Bishop Anthony Taylor and the priests who were being honored - those who had attained 25, 50, or 60 years in the priesthood and those who had retired.
In his homily, Bishop Taylor referenced the feast day of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, while both comparing and contrasting the saint's life with that of the priests in attendance. One very obvious difference was the breadth of life experiences, since St. Aloysius died at the age of 23 from the plague contracted while serving in a hospital, only five years after he had joined the Jesuit order.
The Assembly's Honor Guard was well represented at this mass as 11 of the 29 were from Hot Springs Village. Including the Honor Guard and their spouses, there were about 40 Sacred Heart of Jesus parishioners in attendance to help recognize their priests Father Bieberle and Father Elser, as well as retirees Father Rossi and Monsignor Malone. Father Bill had arranged for a 4:30 guided tour of the Cathedral, in which most of the Sacred Heart mass attendees participated.
2011 Jubilee Honorees: Rev Vic Bieberle (60), Rev Eugene Luke, O.S.B. (50), Rev John Oswald (50), Rev Joseph L. Pallo (50), Rev David Bellinghausen, O.S.B. (25), Rev Frank du Preez (25), Rev William A. Elser (25), Rev James P. West (25 - unable to attend).
Retired priests of the diocese (not all of whom were in attendance): Rev Joseph Enderlin, Rev Msgr John Kordsmeier, Rev Msgr Bernard Malone, Rev Milton Lange, Rev Msgr John O'Donnell, Rev Raymond Rossi, Rev James Savary, Rev Msgr Gaston Hebert, Rev Robert Dienert, Rev Richard Strock, Rev Msgr James Mancini, Rev Nho Duy Do, Rev Venantius Preske, Rev Ralph Esposito, and Rev Ed Graves.
Check out the Photo Gallery for a few photos provided by Renee Steinpreis.