About Sacred Heart · Crawfordsville, Arkansas
Sacred Heart of Jesus Church is a Catholic mission parish in Crawfordsville (Crittenden County), Arkansas, in the North Delta Deanery of the Diocese of Little Rock. It is a small, attended mission cared for by the pastor of St. Michael Church in nearby West Memphis, forming a pastoral cluster with St. Francis of Assisi in Forrest City and St. Mary of the Lake in Horseshoe Lake. Sunday Mass is celebrated in the morning, with weekly Eucharistic Adoration on Fridays and confessions heard before Mass.
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Gilbert Tairo, CSSp
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock
Why belong here
Sacred Heart of Jesus offers the faithful of Crawfordsville and surrounding Crittenden County a small, intimate Catholic community centered on the Eucharist and devotion to the Sacred Heart. Parishioners can attend Sunday Mass in their hometown without traveling to West Memphis, take part in weekly Friday Eucharistic Adoration (11 a.m. – 1 p.m.), and receive the sacrament of Confession before Mass. As a mission of the St. Michael cluster, it is served by a Spiritan priest and is part of a wider Delta pastoral family that also includes St. Francis of Assisi in Forrest City and St. Mary of the Lake in Horseshoe Lake.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday before Mass (approx. 7:35 – 7:50 a.m. per Discover Mass)
Adoration times
- Friday 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
About Sacred Heart of Jesus Church
Sacred Heart of Jesus Church is a small Catholic mission in Crawfordsville, Arkansas, in Crittenden County. It is listed by the Diocese of Little Rock in the North Delta Deanery and is cared for as an attended mission from St. Michael Church in West Memphis. The church sits on South Main Street in the heart of this rural Delta community, and weekly devotions and Mass give Crawfordsville-area Catholics a parish home without the drive into West Memphis.
- Diocese: Diocese of Little Rock
- Deanery: North Delta
- Type: Mission (attended from St. Michael Church, West Memphis)
- Address: 216 S. Main St., Crawfordsville, AR 72327
- Mailing: P.O. Box 899, West Memphis, AR 72301
Parish Leadership
Sacred Heart of Jesus is served by a Spiritan (CSSp) priest assigned through the Diocese of Little Rock. The current pastor was appointed in February 2025, when Bishop Anthony B. Taylor reshaped the regional pastoral cluster. Parish administrative support, including a secretary, is shared with the West Memphis cluster.
- Pastor: Rev. Gilbert Tairo, CSSp (effective Feb. 13, 2025)
- Secretary: Gladys Hampton (shared with St. Michael, West Memphis)
- Parish phone: (870) 733-1212 (West Memphis rectory)
- Parish email: [email protected]
Fr. Gilbert Tairo, CSSp — Pastor
Father Gilbert Tairo is a member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (CSSp), also known as the Spiritans or Holy Ghost Fathers — a religious order traditionally devoted to evangelization and the pastoral care of communities with few clergy. A native of Tanzania, he was ordained a priest on May 8, 2010, and was appointed to the Diocese of Little Rock on July 1, 2015. As of Feb. 13, 2025, he serves as pastor of four Arkansas Delta parishes — St. Michael (West Memphis), Sacred Heart of Jesus (Crawfordsville), St. Mary of the Lake (Horseshoe Lake), and St. Francis of Assisi (Forrest City) — celebrating twelve Masses each week and driving more than 300 miles between them.
- Ordained: May 8, 2010
- Appointed to Diocese of Little Rock: July 1, 2015
- Birthday: December 15
- Religious community: Spiritans (Congregation of the Holy Spirit, CSSp)
- Lives and works from St. Michael rectory, West Memphis
Pastoral Changes — February 2025
On Feb. 13, 2025, Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced new assignments across the Diocese of Little Rock. Rev. Gilbert Tairo, CSSp, was named pastor of St. Michael Church in West Memphis and Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Crawfordsville, in addition to his ongoing pastorate at St. Mary of the Lake (Horseshoe Lake) and St. Francis of Assisi (Forrest City). He was simultaneously relieved of his duties as pastor of St. Mary Church in Helena and St. John the Baptist Church in Brinkley. The previous pastor of the Crawfordsville mission and St. Michael, Rev. Charles Thessing, was named a senior priest for the diocese.
Parish Cluster — Delta Pastoral Family
Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of four parishes in a Delta pastoral cluster all cared for by a single pastor. The St. Michael parish in West Memphis is the central hub, while Sacred Heart (Crawfordsville), St. Francis of Assisi (Forrest City), and St. Mary of the Lake (Horseshoe Lake) function as missions or smaller parishes. The clustering model lets one priest maintain regular Mass and sacramental coverage across a wide rural area of eastern Arkansas.
- St. Michael Church — West Memphis (parish hub)
- Sacred Heart of Jesus — Crawfordsville (this mission)
- St. Francis of Assisi — Forrest City (mission)
- St. Mary of the Lake — Horseshoe Lake (mission)
Sacred Heart Devotion
The parish takes its name from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, one of the most beloved Catholic devotions, focusing on Christ's love as revealed through His heart. The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost, typically in late June. The church's weekly Friday Eucharistic Adoration hour (11 a.m. – 1 p.m.) is a particularly fitting way for the mission to live out its patron's spirituality.
- Patron: Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Solemnity: 19 days after Pentecost (movable, usually late June)
Visiting & Contact
Visitors are welcome to attend Sunday Mass at 8:30 a.m. at 216 S. Main St., Crawfordsville. Because the church is a mission, most parish business — including sacramental scheduling, registrations, and offerings — is handled through the St. Michael rectory in West Memphis.
- Street address: 216 S. Main St., Crawfordsville, AR 72327
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 899, West Memphis, AR 72301
- Phone: (870) 733-1212
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocesan listing: dolr.org/parishes/sacred-heart-jesus-church-crawfordsville
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Charles ThessingUntil February 13, 2025
Pastoral responsibilities for St. Michael (West Memphis) and Sacred Heart of Jesus (Crawfordsville) relieved Feb. 13, 2025; named senior priest for the Diocese of Little Rock.
- Rev. Gilbert Tairo, CSSpEffective February 13, 2025
Tanzanian-born Spiritan (Congregation of the Holy Spirit); ordained May 8, 2010; appointed to the Diocese of Little Rock July 1, 2015; added Sacred Heart (Crawfordsville) and St. Michael (West Memphis) to his pastorate in Feb. 2025.