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It is customary for the host council to honor an individual in conjunction with an exemplification.  Father Bill’s service to the Little Rock Diocese and the Arkansas Knights of Columbus, readily explains why Assembly 2316 chose to honor him at the April 2 Exemplification.

Father Bill came to Sacred Heart of Jesus in June 2010. He was the fourth of nine children, born and raised in Hot Springs, and he attended schools there. During that time, he also was a mass server for former Sacred Heart of Jesus pastor, Monsignor Malone. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. He subsequently enrolled at Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving TX, and, after earning a Master of Divinity Degree, he was ordained a priest in the Little Rock Diocese on May 31, 1986.

Before being assigned to Sacred Heart of Jesus, Father Elser served in a number of parishes as an associate pastor including Immaculate Conception in Fort Smith; St. Peter the Fisherman in Mountain Home; Immaculate Conception in North Little Rock, and he served as pastor at Blessed Sacrament in Jonesboro; Sacred Heart of Mary in Barling; St. Boniface in Fort Smith; St. Francis of Assisi in Fairfield Bay; and Our Lady of Fatima in Benton.

Father Bill became a member of the Knights of Columbus in 1987 and a Fourth Degree Knight in 1989. He has served as a Council Chaplain in many of his assignments and also as the Faithful Friar in a number of assemblies. In addition, he served as the Fourth Degree Arkansas State Friar for two years and as the Arkansas State Council Chaplain for three years.

In addition to the pleasure of getting to know and work with many knights throughout Arkansas, the highlight of his life as a knight was traveling to Rome last June with other state chaplains near the end of the fraternal Year of the Priest. He recently returned from a Knights of Columbus conference for state chaplains in New Haven CT, as he attended at the request of the current Arkansas State Chaplain Abbott Jerome Kodell, who had a conflict with that conference.

Father Bill states, “The Knights of Columbus has been a great blessing to my priesthood at every church where God has called me to serve.”

Brother knights and sir knights are very thankful that Father Bill answered the call to serve at Sacred Heart of Jesus and to shepherd them both as Council Chaplain and as Assembly Faithful Friar.