About Good Shepherd · Fordyce, Arkansas
Good Shepherd Church is a small Catholic mission parish in Fordyce, Arkansas, located in Dallas County and forming part of the Central Deanery of the Diocese of Little Rock. Because of its small size, the mission is not staffed by its own resident priest but is "attended from" St. Joseph Church in Pine Bluff, which is pastored by Fr. Joseph Marconi along with several other small outlying parishes. Sunday Mass is celebrated in the afternoon, with confessions heard before Mass, and the parish is supported locally by a parish treasurer who handles on-the-ground coordination and finances.
- Patron
- Good Shepherd (the title of the parish itself refers to the Good Shepherd; no distinct patron saint beyond the title is documented in public sources)
- Rector
- Fr. Joseph Marconi
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock
Why belong here
Good Shepherd Church brings the Sunday Eucharist to Catholics in Fordyce and the surrounding Dallas County area who would otherwise have to drive to Pine Bluff or beyond for Mass. It is a small, intimate mission community where a Sunday afternoon Mass (1:30 p.m.) and pre-Mass confessions (1:00 p.m.) are celebrated each week, and where the parish's lay treasurer, Rosa Morrow, helps hold the local Catholic community together day-to-day. For Catholics in this part of south-central Arkansas, Good Shepherd offers a nearby, regular sacramental presence supported by the Diocese of Little Rock's Home Missions Appeal.
Mass times at Good Shepherd
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 1:00 p.m. (per the Diocese of Little Rock parish page)
Parish Identity
Good Shepherd Church is a Catholic mission parish located at 410 N. Oak Street in Fordyce, the seat of Dallas County in south-central Arkansas. It is part of the Central Deanery of the Diocese of Little Rock and, because of its small size, is classified as a mission attended from St. Joseph Church in Pine Bluff rather than an independent, resident-priest parish.
- Type: Catholic Mission
- Diocese: Little Rock
- Deanery: Central
- County: Dallas County, Arkansas
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 565, Fordyce, AR 71742
Pastoral Leadership and Parish Staff
Fr. Joseph Marconi, ordained June 23, 2001, serves as pastor. Because Good Shepherd is a mission, Father Marconi's principal base is St. Joseph Church in Pine Bluff, and he travels to Good Shepherd, Holy Cross Church in Sheridan, and St. Mary Church in Plum Bayou to care for those communities. On the ground in Fordyce, Rosa Morrow serves as parish treasurer, helping manage the mission's day-to-day finances and operations. The C/DRE (Coordinator of Director of Religious Education) position is currently listed as vacant on the diocesan directory.
- Pastor: Fr. Joseph Marconi (Ordination: June 23, 2001; Birthday: September 22)
- Parish Treasurer: Rosa Morrow
- Coordinator/Director of Religious Education: Vacant
- Parish Office Phone: (870) 352-2328
Contact and Visiting Information
Visitors and parishioners can reach Good Shepherd Church at 410 N. Oak Street, Fordyce, AR 71742 (mailing address: P.O. Box 565, Fordyce, AR 71742). The parish office telephone is (870) 352-2328. The official diocesan parish webpage at dolr.org/parishes/good-shepherd-church-fordyce provides the canonical directory information; the best way to reach the pastor is generally through St. Joseph Church in Pine Bluff at (870) 534-4701, per the diocese's clergy listing.
- Street: 410 N. Oak St., Fordyce, AR 71742
- Mailing: P.O. Box 565, Fordyce, AR 71742
- Phone: (870) 352-2328
- Reaching Father Marconi: St. Joseph, Pine Bluff, (870) 534-4701
Diocesan Context
Good Shepherd belongs to the Central Deanery of the Diocese of Little Rock, the Roman Catholic diocese that covers the state of Arkansas. As a small rural mission in south-central Arkansas, it benefits from the diocesan Home Missions Appeal, which provides funding and pastoral support to parishes too small to fully sustain themselves. Its pastoral cluster with St. Joseph (Pine Bluff), Holy Cross (Sheridan), and St. Mary (Plum Bayou) reflects a regional strategy of sharing priestly ministry across multiple small communities.
- Diocese: Little Rock
- Cluster parishes pastored by Fr. Marconi: St. Joseph – Pine Bluff; Good Shepherd – Fordyce; Holy Cross – Sheridan; St. Mary – Plum Bayou
- Support: Diocesan Home Missions Appeal