About Saint Richard · Bald Knob, Arkansas
St. Richard's Catholic Church is a small historic mission parish in Bald Knob, Arkansas, in the Diocese of Little Rock. The single-story fieldstone church, built in 1939 in the NPS Rustic style, is attended from St. James Catholic Church in nearby Searcy and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Father Nelson Jesús Rubio Villalobos, pastor of St. James, serves the mission community, which gathers for a Saturday Vigil Mass, monthly adoration, and quarterly first-Saturday confessions. Though modest in size, St. Richard's is a living piece of White County's Depression-era heritage and remains an active Catholic presence for the Bald Knob area.
- Established
- 1939
- Patron
- St. Richard
- Rector
- Fr. Nelson Jesús Rubio Villalobos
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock
Why belong here
St. Richard's is the Catholic home for the small Bald Knob community, kept alive for more than 85 years as a mission of St. James, Searcy. Families and individuals who cannot easily travel to Searcy for weekly worship find here a regular Saturday Vigil Mass, monthly adoration on the second Thursday, and quarterly first-Saturday confessions, all served by the pastor of St. James. Worshipping in a 1939 Depression-era fieldstone church that is on the National Register of Historic Places is itself a quiet, distinctive experience of continuity with the Catholic history of White County.
Mass times at Saint Richard
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- First Saturdays, 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Adoration times
- Second Thursdays, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
About St. Richard's Catholic Church
St. Richard's Catholic Church is a small historic mission parish serving the Catholic faithful of Bald Knob, Arkansas. Built in 1939 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992, the church is attended from St. James Catholic Church in Searcy in the Diocese of Little Rock. The mission community gathers for a Saturday Vigil Mass, with adoration on the second Thursday of each month and confessions on first Saturdays.
History
The church was constructed in 1939, during the closing years of the Great Depression, by Bald Knob's small Catholic community. The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program notes that 'Catholics in Bald Knob were able to build a cut-stone church in 1939, which was a unique material for church construction in the county.' For decades the mission was served by priests living at Morris School for Boys, who would celebrate an early 6:00 a.m. Mass at the school before driving to St. Richard's in Bald Knob, St. James in Searcy, and (in summer months) Heber Springs. In 1992 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP #91001274) for its architectural significance as part of the White County Multiple Property Submission.
- 1939: Fieldstone church constructed in Bald Knob.
- Mid-20th century: Priests from Morris School for Boys serve the mission alongside St. James, Searcy, and (in summer) Heber Springs.
- July 20, 1992: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Architecture
The church is a single-story, structural-stone (fieldstone/sandstone) building designed in the NPS Rustic or Park style made popular by 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration projects. Its gable roof, composition shingles, continuous stone foundation, central gabled front vestibule, four curved outward-sloping buttresses along each side, rose window in the main eastern gable, three pairs of nine-pane casement windows per side, and a parallel gable-roof vestry wing at the rear all recall the organic, 'indigenous' character typical of Park Service architecture. A stone cross atop the eastern gable is the building's only exterior decoration. The nomination describes it as 'intact and unaltered' and 'in good condition.'
- Architectural style: NPS Rustic / Park style
- Materials: fieldstone/sandstone walls and foundation; asphalt shingle roof
- Period of significance: 1939
- NRHP reference No. 91001274, added July 20, 1992
Mass & Sacraments
As a mission of St. James, St. Richard's offers a single weekly Mass — the Saturday Vigil at 4:00 p.m. — along with seasonal opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Eucharistic Adoration. Sacraments not celebrated on site (such as weekday Masses, Sunday Masses, weddings, baptisms outside Mass, and RCIA/OCIA) are arranged through the St. James parish office.
- Saturday Vigil Mass: 4:00 p.m.
- Confessions: First Saturdays, 3:00 – 3:45 p.m.
- Adoration: Second Thursdays, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Parish Staff & Pastoral Care
Because St. Richard's is attended from St. James, Searcy, the same pastor and staff who serve St. James shepherd the Bald Knob mission. The pastor may be reached at the parish office phone, and his direct email is listed on the diocesan directory.
- Pastor: Fr. Nelson Jesús Rubio Villalobos
- Parish Secretary: Theresa Aasen
- Bookkeeper: Alicia Cook
- Faith Formation / Safe Environment: Carmen Lambert Rios
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) Coordinator: Stacy Stumpenhaus
Location, Mailing Address & Contact
St. Richard's Catholic Church sits at 101 W. Cleveland Street in Bald Knob, Arkansas, at the corner of Hickory and Cleveland Streets. Because it is a mission of St. James, mail and pastoral correspondence are typically directed to the St. James parish office in Searcy.
- Church address: 101 W. Cleveland St., Bald Knob, AR 72010
- Mailing address: 1102 Pioneer Rd., Searcy, AR 72143
- Phone: (501) 268-5252
- Pastor email: [email protected]
Relationship with St. James, Searcy
St. Richard's is officially listed by the Diocese of Little Rock as 'attended from St. James Church, Searcy.' The two communities share a pastor, parish staff, and (for many practical purposes) a single faith community. The shared history goes back to the era when priests based at Morris School for Boys traveled a circuit that included St. Richard's, St. James, and (in summer) Heber Springs.
- St. James Catholic Church, Searcy — main parish
- St. Richard's, Bald Knob — mission attended from St. James
- Same pastor: Fr. Nelson Jesús Rubio Villalobos
Historic Recognition
The church's architectural and historical importance was formally recognized when it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on July 20, 1992. Its NRHP nomination, prepared by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, evaluates it under Criterion C at the local level of significance for its embodiment of the NPS Rustic architectural style in a Depression-era religious building — a survival of CCC- and WPA-era construction methods and aesthetics in small-town Arkansas.
- NRHP reference No.: 91001274
- Date listed: July 20, 1992
- Multiple Property Submission: White County MPS
- Areas of significance: Architecture
- Period of significance: 1939