About St. Norbert · Marked Tree, Arkansas
St. Norbert Church is a small Catholic mission parish serving the rural community of Marked Tree in Poinsett County, northeastern Arkansas, within the Diocese of Little Rock. It is part of the diocese's North Delta Deanery and is canonically attended from Immaculate Conception Church in Blytheville, reflecting the reality that, like many small-town Arkansas parishes, it relies on shared clergy and lay leadership rather than a resident priest. Saturday evening is the heart of the parish's liturgical life: the rosary is prayed at 5:00 p.m., confessions are heard, adoration follows at 5:20 p.m., and the Vigil Mass is celebrated at 5:30 p.m. The parish is identified on diocesan records under the pastorate of Fr. Francis Madanu, with Melissa Kitchens serving as Director of Religious Education and layperson Ben Meyer as a key parish contact.
- Patron
- St. Norbert of Xanten
- Rector
- Fr. Francis Madanu (relieved of pastorate per the Diocese's 2026 clergy changes; succeeded by Rev. Msgr. Scott Friend)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock (North Delta Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Norbert offers a faithful, intimate Catholic community in rural Poinsett County where weekly Mass, Eucharistic adoration, the rosary, and the sacrament of reconciliation are all gathered into one Saturday evening rhythm (5:00 p.m. rosary, 5:20 p.m. adoration, 5:30 p.m. Vigil Mass, with confessions heard 30 minutes before Mass). It is a small mission that leans on committed lay leaders — including Director of Religious Education Melissa Kitchens and contact Ben Meyer — to sustain faith formation and parish life. For Catholics in Marked Tree and the surrounding Delta farmland, it is the local anchor of Catholic life in the Diocese of Little Rock's North Delta Deanery.
Mass times at St. Norbert
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays: 30 minutes before Mass (i.e., beginning around 5:00 p.m., before the 5:30 p.m. Vigil Mass)
Adoration times
- Saturday: 5:20 p.m. (immediately following the rosary and confessions, preceding the Vigil Mass)
Parish Identity and Location
St. Norbert Church serves the small town of Marked Tree in Poinsett County, in the Arkansas Delta. The parish is identified on the Diocese of Little Rock's directory site (DOLR.org) as a mission within the North Delta Deanery, and is canonically attended from Immaculate Conception Church in Blytheville, about 35 miles to the northeast.
- 501 Normandy St., Marked Tree, AR 72365
- Mailing: P.O. Box 265, Marked Tree, AR 72365
- Parish contact (lay): Ben Meyer, 870-243-7826
- Deanery: North Delta Deanery, Diocese of Little Rock
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
St. Norbert is currently listed under the pastorate of Fr. Francis Madanu, who also pastors Immaculate Conception Church in Blytheville and St. Matthew Church in Osceola. In the Diocese of Little Rock's 2026 clergy changes, Fr. Madanu is being relieved of St. Norbert while remaining at the other two parishes, and a new shared pastoral team is being put in place covering St. Norbert along with parishes in Weiner and Jonesboro.
- Current pastor (through 2026): Fr. Francis Madanu
- Incoming pastor (2026): Rev. Msgr. Scott Friend
- Incoming associate pastors (2026): Rev. Cody Eveld; Rev. Kiran Kishore Ingilela
- To be ordained 2026 and assigned as associate pastor: Dcn. Tuan Do
- Shared clergy group: St. Anthony (Weiner), St. John Newman University Parish (Jonesboro), St. Norbert (Marked Tree), Blessed Sacrament (Jonesboro)
Parish Staff and Lay Leaders
Because St. Norbert is a mission without a resident priest, lay leadership is essential to its day-to-day life. The Diocese of Little Rock directory names two lay people with formal roles on the parish listing.
- Director of Religious Education: Melissa Kitchens ([email protected])
- Parish contact / coordinator: Ben Meyer (870-243-7826)
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Religious education at St. Norbert is coordinated through the Director of Religious Education, Melissa Kitchens, whose email is published on the diocesan directory. As a mission attended from Blytheville, sacramental preparation for First Communion, Confirmation, and other sacraments is typically coordinated jointly with Immaculate Conception Church in Blytheville.
- DRE: Melissa Kitchens
- DRE email: [email protected]
- Sacramental preparation linked to Immaculate Conception, Blytheville
Parish Life and Devotions
The Saturday rhythm — rosary, confession, adoration, and Mass — is the backbone of parish devotional life. The early evening schedule makes the mission accessible to working families in the Marked Tree area and allows Catholics from across Poinsett County to gather for a single weekly celebration of the Eucharist with the full range of devotional supports in place beforehand.
- Weekly Saturday Rosary (5:00 p.m.)
- Weekly Saturday Eucharistic Adoration (5:20 p.m.)
- Reconciliation before every Vigil Mass
- Single weekly Vigil Mass gathering the whole community
The Diocese of Little Rock and the North Delta Deanery
St. Norbert belongs to the Diocese of Little Rock, the Roman Catholic diocese that covers the entire state of Arkansas. Within the diocese, it sits in the North Delta Deanery, which gathers Catholic parishes across the northeastern part of the state — including Immaculate Conception in Blytheville, St. Andrew in Helena, parishes in Marianna, Wynne, and Osceola, and St. Norbert in Marked Tree.
- Diocese: Little Rock
- Deanery: North Delta
- Attended from: Immaculate Conception Church, Blytheville
St. Norbert of Xanten — the Parish Patron
The parish takes its name from St. Norbert of Xanten (c. 1080–1134), a German nobleman turned itinerant preacher, founder of the Premonstratensian (Norbertine) order of canons regular, and Archbishop of Magdeburg. He was canonized by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, and his feast day is celebrated on June 6. He is honored as a patron of Bohemia and is invoked by mothers for safe childbirth.
- Born c. 1080, Xanten (present-day Germany)
- Died 6 June 1134, Magdeburg
- Founder of the Premonstratensian (Norbertine) Order
- Feast day: June 6
- Patron of Bohemia; invoked for safe childbirth
Marked Tree and the Arkansas Delta
Marked Tree is a small town of roughly 2,300 people in Poinsett County, located uniquely between the St. Francis River and the Little River, which at points run in opposite directions only a quarter mile apart. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas notes that the earliest churches in town were built around the turn of the 20th century and that, like most Delta towns, Marked Tree was historically shaped by lumber, cotton, and the recurring floods of the St. Francis basin — including the devastating 1927 and 1937 floods. St. Norbert is the Catholic parish serving this historic Delta community.
- Poinsett County, northeastern Arkansas
- Population ~2,286 (2020 Census)
- Situated between the St. Francis and Little rivers
- Known for the Marked Tree Lock and Siphons (National Register of Historic Places)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Francis Madanuthrough 2026
Pastored St. Norbert as a mission alongside Immaculate Conception, Blytheville, and St. Matthew, Osceola. Relieved of St. Norbert in the 2026 diocesan clergy changes.
- Rev. Msgr. Scott Friendfrom 2026
Appointed pastor of St. Norbert in Marked Tree in addition to Blessed Sacrament in Jonesboro; will share the pastoring with associate pastors.