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And what joy it is to know, as our Psalm reassures us, that
The Lord God keeps faith forever! There’s so much for our community to be joyful about ~
- Coming together to celebrate Our Lady’s apparition at Tepeyac
- Making our annual Christmas Basket miracle of giving to families and seniors
- The peace and healing we receive in our communal Penance service.
With joy we welcome Fr. René Constanza for his first homecoming as president of the Paulist Fathers. Fr. René will celebrate the 11:30 and 5:30 Masses on Sunday and on Monday morning when we honor Our Lady of Guadalupe - details below. Read the Paulists' Christmas Voice.
Rather than hurrying faster, let’s slow down to savor the invitations to joy and healing and give thanks to those involved in our liturgical ministries as presented in From Padre Paolo.
One of those invitations is to join us at 8 o'clock Monday morning, December 12 to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at our Monthly Mass of Anointing & Blessing of Prayer Blankets. Mass in the Church will be celebrated by
Fr. René with music from Mariachi Relámpago. We’ll watch as the raffle winners are drawn, then we'll gather at nearby Keso's to continue the festive joy. While the delicious tacos are "on your own," the coffee's on us.
Christmas Baskets! The excitement is building! We’re getting so close… but we still need your help. Participating in this holiday miracle is easy, better still, the glow you'll feel from knowing you've made a family's Christmas wish come true is indescribable!
We still need - please get these to us by December 15 ~
- Target and HEB gift cards ($25 or $50 increments preferred, but we'll take smaller amounts, too!) so that our adopted families (who were not sponsored individually) can shop for their families’ needs.
- 2 oz. lotions and socks (men's and women's) to help fill out the bags for our senior adoptees in supported housing
- Stocking stuffers like crayons, markers, PlayDoh, small toy cars and trucks, etc.
If you want to adopt an entire family, write to Xmasbasket@gmail.com - we may be able to accommodate your request. Please let us know definitely by December 14.
Busy? Let us be your elves! It's easy, just contribute by Venmo, noting in FOR that your gift is for "Christmas Baskets" (gifts by cash, check, or online work, too!). Our Venmo address is @StAustin-CatholicParish. The last four digits of the phone number connected to this Venmo are 2532.
Our last drive thru drop off day is this Sunday, December 11 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Then make plans to be part of the JOY of Delivery Day next Saturday, December 17
at 9 a.m.! All the details are at Christmas Baskets.
In this week of joyful anticipation, we hope you’ll reach out in invitation to others in the community. We look forward to seeing you along the way as we journey through Advent.
Have you taken a chance in our holiday raffles? This year’s prizes are grand! A beautiful quilt – blessed and created with love - or a memorable dining experience paired with a unique gift of jewelry, but you can’t win if you don’t play. All sales close Sunday. Your purchases fund programs for our Prayer Blanket Ministry and Knights of Columbus and support our St. Vincent de Paul Society (the Journey raffle) and Catholic Relief Services (our Serrv online market). Do a world of good by December 11, shop our Christmas eBazaar.
We’ve got even more news at
Joy in fellowship is what we offer at the post-Mass hospitality in our Ministry Center after the Sunday 8:45, 11:30, and 5:30 Masses. That’s a great opportunity to gather in conversation and plan to meet again at one of the activities at Advent and Events ~
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This Sunday’s Second Collection supports the senior sisters, brothers, and religious order priests who served in Catholic schools, hospitals, and parishes—often for little to no pay. Please give generously to the Retirement Fund for Religious.
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Celebrate Founder's Day! Paulist Founder and Servant of God Isaac Hecker is the focal point of festivities on Sunday, December 18 after the 8:45 and 11:30 Masses in the Ministry Center and on Monday, December 19 at 2:30 p.m. at St. Austin’s School. Details at Events and SACS.
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Don’t forget! Wednesday, December 21 is the last day to make your gift to remember or honor loved ones with Christmas plantings. Friday, December 23 at 10:30 join us to array the Church with festive joy. The form’s online at Christmas Flowers.
A recent conference at the University of Notre Dame showcased our development project as a model for the future of Church-owned real estate. Read about Properties of Faith at Our Property Development Journey.
It's exciting to see our parish recognized for our creative approach to building for our mission - exciting to see how every day brings us closer to completion of the project – and really exciting to celebrate that this community’s generosity to date has us within $400,000 of our $9 million dollar campaign goal! Help us cover that last stretch by making your gift on or before December 14. That mid-month deadline gives us time to process all gifts before the end of the year. If you’ve been waiting to make a qualified charitable distribution or a gift from your donor-advised fund, wait no more! Give now – be a bright, glowing Beacon of Hope!
We’re very grateful for your support of our parish through your gifts toward our future and to our Offertory. You keep our mission moving day by day.
Thank you for GIVING!
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