Page 19 - Catholic Extension Magazine Spring 2020

Extension | Spring 2020 19

Parishioners held
countless fundraisers,
including frequent taco
sales on the lawn of the
old church, to raise funds
for their new church.

Little Rock & Catholic Extension
Established in 1843, the Dio- MISSOURI
cese of Little Rock received
one of the first Catholic ARKANSAS TENNESSEE
Extension grants in 1906 to OKLAHOMA Little Rock
help build a church in Pine
Bluff, Arkansas. We have
since granted more than $20 Warren MISSISSIPPI
million, in today’s dollars, TEXAS
to support church building, LOUISIANA
salaries for religious sisters,
seminarians, Hispanic lay leaders, campus ministry, Catholic schools
and other ministries. The town of Warren, where the newly renovated
St. Luke Church is located, is 90 miles south of Little Rock.

their burgeoning flock. They were line—but parishioners were deter-
particularly aware of all the young mined and had innovative ideas
people in the community and to raise money. They held dinners,
wanted to give them a place they auctions and raffles. After every
could call home for years to come. Mass, they had taco sales on the
Ten years ago, parishioners church lawn.
began to fundraise to build a new Jennyfer Sánchez Rodríguez,
church. This was no easy task. The who has been a parishioner since
area is poor—with 33 percent of its 1996, was very active in the fund-
residents living below the poverty raising and inspired many oth-