About St. Paul the Apostle · Pocahontas, Arkansas
St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church is a historic parish perched on 'Catholic Hill' at 1002 Convent Street in Pocahontas, Arkansas (Randolph County). Founded in 1868, it is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in northeast Arkansas and the mother parish from which several regional missions were born. Today the parish serves about 392 families (roughly 898 parishioners), maintains a PreK3-6th grade Catholic school, and offers a vibrant sacramental life highlighted by Perpetual Adoration, a charismatic/praise-style music ministry, and active youth, charity and Knights of Columbus programs. It is part of the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock (North Delta Deanery), and the pastor also ministers to two mission churches: St. John the Baptist in Engelberg and St. Joseph the Worker in Corning.
- Established
- 1868
- Patron
- St. Paul the Apostle
- Rector
- Fr. Arokiasamy Madhichettyirudayaraj (per the Diocese of Little Rock parish page). The parish's own website currently lists Fr. Stephen Elser as pastor, suggesting a recent pastoral transition.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock (North Delta Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Paul offers the rare combination of a deeply rooted 1868 parish with a remarkably full sacramental life for a community its size: daily and weekend Mass with a livestreamed Sunday Mass, a Perpetual Adoration Chapel open nearly every hour of the week, and confession three times a week. Families can hand their children on to the same Catholic school that has been on Catholic Hill for 140 years (PreK3–6th grade), with a Parish Religious Education program and Catholic Youth Ministry meeting Wednesday evenings. Add an active Knights of Columbus council, Respect Life rosary each Tuesday, a Good Neighbor Committee that brings meals after funerals, Ministers to the Sick who visit hospitals and nursing homes, and a charismatic praise-and-worship music program — and you have a small parish that is, as the diocesan newspaper put it, genuinely 'thriving'.
Mass times at St. Paul the Apostle
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (Noon)
- Tuesday 5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
- Thursday 5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Adoration times
- Sunday 12:00 p.m. (Noon) – 10:00 p.m.
- Monday 6:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. (except during Mass)
- Tuesday 6:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. (except during Mass)
- Wednesday 6:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. (except during Mass)
- Thursday 6:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. (except during Mass)
- Friday 6:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. (except during Mass)
- Perpetual Adoration Chapel — sign up via stpaul.weadorehim.com or contact Joan Gross at (870) 810-0612
Parish History: 'Catholic Hill' Since 1868
St. Paul the Apostle was founded in August 1868, when Bishop Edward Fitzgerald — then responsible for the entire state of Arkansas with only six priests — responded to a petition from Pocahontas. Local businessmen had invited Irish missionary Rev. James P. O'Kean from Memphis to preach; his 'fiery preaching' moved the mostly Protestant townspeople to donate land and funds for a wooden church on a hill they nicknamed 'Catholic Hill.' Bishop Fitzgerald dedicated the church that August and established the parish cemetery in 1869. Father O'Kean left in 1871 to become Rector of St. Andrew's Cathedral in Little Rock, and a long interregnum followed. The parish's revival began in 1879 with the arrival of the Swiss Benedictine Father John Eugene Weibel, whose recruitment of Northern European immigrant families and founding of the parish school (1889) made St. Paul the mother church of northeast Arkansas.
- Founded August 1868 by Bishop Edward Fitzgerald
- First pastor: Rev. James P. O'Kean (1868–1871); the town of O'Kean, AR is named for him
- Long vacancy 1871–1879, served by visiting priests; membership fell to 19
- Rev. John Eugene Weibel (Swiss Benedictine) arrived 1879; built the first schoolhouse and launched six mission churches
- Four Benedictine sisters from Clyde, MO arrived December 1887; founded Maria Stein Convent
- School opened 1889; high school added 1939
The Church Building
The present church is a grand limestone Romanesque building constructed 1898–1904 under Father Matthew Saettle, with rock quarried nearby and most labor donated by parishioners. Its imported stained-glass windows, Carrara marble altar and sanctuary rail made it, in the words of parish historians, 'the most beautiful Catholic Church in Arkansas.' The Lourdes-style grotto on the parish grounds, built in 1934, marks the site of the original 1868 wooden church. Four later renovations have kept the 1904 building current with screens showing homilies and readings and a contemporary praise-and-worship band accompanying the Sunday Mass.
- Limestone Romanesque, 1898–1904
- Carrara marble altar and sanctuary rail
- Imported stained-glass windows
- Grotto on the site of the 1868 wooden church (1934)
- Four 20th/21st-century renovations
Parish Staff & Clergy
St. Paul is led by a pastor who also ministers to the mission churches of St. John the Baptist in Engelberg and St. Joseph the Worker in Corning. A parish secretary, Director of Religious Education, Youth Minister and OCIA coordinator round out the staff, supported by a Pastoral Council and committees for liturgy, music, building, finance and church cleaning. The parish's first married deacon, Deacon George Edwards, directed music for 41 years through the post-Vatican II reform era.
- Pastor: Fr. Arokiasamy Madhichettyirudayaraj (per Diocese of Little Rock) / Fr. Stephen Elser (per parish website)
- Secretary: Christine Baltz — [email protected]
- DRE / C-DRE: Monica Loyd — [email protected]
- Youth Minister: Dylan Clark
- OCIA Coordinator: Jamey Sullinger — (870) 758-0246
- Adoration contact: Joan Gross — (870) 810-0612
- Ministers to the Sick: Margaret Weyer — (870) 378-7511
St. Paul Catholic School (PreK3 – 6th Grade)
Catholic education has been continuous on Catholic Hill since 1889, when the parish school opened to sixty white and thirty-six African-American children. Today, St. Paul Catholic School serves PreK3 through 6th grade and is part of the parish's evangelizing mission, complemented by the Parish Religious Education (PRE) program for children whose families worship elsewhere or attend public schools.
- Founded 1889 (one of the oldest continuously operating Catholic schools in Arkansas)
- PreK3 through 6th Grade
- Maria Stein Convent (Benedictine sisters from Clyde, MO) housed the early teaching community from 1887
- Current school building constructed 1948
Faith Formation: PRE, CYM and OCIA (RCIA)
The parish runs three coordinated formation programs on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings. Catholic Youth Ministry (CYM) and Parish Religious Education (PRE) share a 6:00–7:30 p.m. Wednesday evening schedule at St. Paul School, beginning the first Wednesday after Labor Day and running through May. The OCIA (formerly RCIA) adult inquiry program meets Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. in the Youth Room at the gym, with on-site babysitting available.
- PRE & CYM: Wed 6:00–7:30 p.m. (Sept–May), St. Paul School — contact Monica Loyd, (870) 892-3319
- OCIA (adult inquiry): Sun 9:00 a.m., Youth Room at gym — contact Jamey Sullinger, (870) 758-0246
- Babysitting available during OCIA
Music & Liturgy
St. Paul's music ministry is unusually broad for a parish of its size, combining a contemporary praise band with traditional choral and organ music. The Praise Band — singers, guitarists, drummers and keyboard players — leads worship at the Sunday 10:30 a.m. Mass. Cantors sing at the Saturday Vigil, organists and pianists accompany every Mass, and a fuller choir assembles for Christmas and Easter. The Liturgy Committee coordinates the broader liturgical life of the parish.
- Praise Band — Sunday 10:30 a.m. Mass
- Choir — Christmas and Easter
- Cantors — Saturday Vigil
- Organists and pianists — every Mass
Parish Life, Outreach and Knights of Columbus
Beyond the sanctuary, the parish runs an active calendar of fellowship, charity and family events. The Knights of Columbus Council 2443 meets the second Wednesday of each month at Christopher Hall. The Good Neighbor Committee provides meals after funerals. Ministers to the Sick visit the homebound, hospitals and nursing homes weekly. The Respect Life ministry hosts the annual March for Life, a county fair booth and a Tuesday evening Rosary for Life. Major fundraisers include a New Year's Eve Dance, a county fair booth, smoked Boston butts at Easter, and smoked turkeys at Thanksgiving.
- Knights of Columbus Council 2443 — 2nd Wed, Christopher Hall
- Good Neighbor Committee — post-funeral meals
- Ministers to the Sick — home, hospital, nursing-home visits
- Respect Life — March for Life, county fair booth, Tuesday Rosary for Life
- Easter Egg Hunt (William Kueter) for parish youth
- Altar Servers Swim Party (August)
- Tootsie Roll Drive (October)
Liturgical Roles: Lectors, Ushers, Altar Servers
Lay faithful are welcomed into active liturgical roles. Lectors proclaim the first and second readings at Mass. Ushers serve at every Mass. Altar Servers — boys and girls in 4th grade and up who have already received First Communion — assist the priest at the altar after attending training.
- Lectors — first and second readings
- Ushers — at every Mass
- Altar Servers — 4th grade and up, must have received First Communion
Pastoral Council & Committees
The Pastoral Council is an elected advisory body to the pastor for long-range planning and goal-setting. It meets monthly and receives reports from the Finance and Building committees. The council's mission statement commits the parish to enriching the spiritual life of parishioners and the wider Pocahontas community through pastoral ministry, vibrant activities, stewardship and guidance of parish organizations.
- Pastoral Council — elected, monthly meetings
- Finance Committee
- Building Committee
- Church Cleaning Committee
Mission Churches: Engelberg and Corning
The pastor of St. Paul the Apostle also ministers to two mission churches: St. John the Baptist Church in Engelberg and St. Joseph the Worker Church in Corning. Both missions trace their origin to the missionary outreach of St. Paul in the late 19th century, when Father Weibel traveled the Iron Mountain Railroad planting churches across northeast Arkansas.
- St. John the Baptist Church — Engelberg, AR
- St. Joseph the Worker Church — Corning, AR
- Both historically planted from St. Paul, Pocahontas
Giving, App and Online Tools
The parish has a dedicated mobile app (downloadable from the parish website) for news, schedules and notifications, and now uses Zeffy for online giving. Adoration scheduling is handled through stpaul.weadorehim.com. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the parish can be reached at (870) 892-3319 or [email protected].
- Parish App — downloadable from saintpaulcatholicchurchpocahontas.com
- Online Giving — Zeffy (linked from parish website)
- Adoration sign-up — stpaul.weadorehim.com
- Office Hours: Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Phone: (870) 892-3319
- Email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James P. O'Kean (Irish missionary from Memphis)1868–1871
First priest assigned to Pocahontas; grew the parish from a handful to about 100 members; later made Rector of St. Andrew's Cathedral, Little Rock. The town of O'Kean, AR is named for him.
- Rev. Thomas Reilly1872–1879
Came down from St. Andrew's, Little Rock to preach about four times a year during the long vacancy.
- Rev. John Eugene Weibel (Benedictine, Switzerland)1879–c.1889
Built the first schoolhouse, started the choir, bought an organ, recruited Northern European immigrant families, and founded mission churches at Engelberg, Paragould, Jonesboro, Hoxie, Imboden and Peach Orchard.
- Rev. Matthew Saettlefrom 1898
Began the present grand limestone Romanesque church, dedicated 1904.