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At Mass we’ll sing our intention of who we want to be. We’ll hear the good news that darkness is dispelled and sing again that the Lord is our light and salvation. St. Paul reminds us what we’re all here to do – we’re here to preach the gospel, not with eloquent words, but as Jesus did – with our lives. Remember the fad not so long ago - bracelets that read WWJD? What would Jesus do – when confronted with difficult personal interactions? Or in the face of poverty or injustice? Or when called to serve? Our course is clear – we choose Light, we choose Love.
Bishop Vásquez will be with us next Sunday afternoon as more than two dozen of our parish’s young people are confirmed in their faith. Pray with and for our confirmandi
as they make their choice for Light and Love. Read more of his thoughts on Confirmation at From Fr. Chuck.
An alert! You’ll see lights and barricades along the route of the 3M Half Marathon this Sunday morning. Traffic patterns to St. Austin's will be disrupted especially for those westbound from IH35. On race day, find the best traffic information on sites and apps like Google Maps. We strongly encourage those attending morning Masses and Faith Formation classes to plan a route by consulting the detailed Marathon Traffic Guide.
Thank you! Your generosity did it! As Fr. Chuck shared at last Sunday’s Masses, your pledges and gifts have exceeded our goal for the capital campaign. Our "official" campaign will close on January 31, 2023. That will be the last date we can accept gifts for recognition on our donor wall, but it will never be too late to give to this effort. We’ve posted the great good news at Beacon of Hope.
We’re excited to share this week’s progress notes, an illustration of the exterior finishes for our Ministry & Education Center, and fresh photos of our progress at Construction Updates.
And where did it all begin? This week our archivists take us back 20 years to remind us of how our parish took the first step on our journey to build boldly for the future. The wisdom of investing in property for our parking garage and retail space at 500 W. MLK is proven. Those facilities have served us well during development as you’ll see in photos of last Sunday’s supper at Adventures in the Archives.
Next weekend, Fr. René Constanza will be with us to make the Annual Paulist Appeal (APA). While our Beacon of Hope campaign secured $2 million to support the Paulists' Hope for the Future campaign that funded the construction of Hecker House, the Annual Appeal funds the daily operations of the order. Your gifts to the APA also pay tuition for our seminarians in formation, bring us ministries and programs, and provide care for our senior Paulists who’ve spent their lives in service. Learn more about next week’s Annual Appeal and see Fr. René's video at Paulist Foundation.
In the Gospel this week Jesus calls His Apostles by name. Across the Diocese, we’re asked to pray for those who've felt the vocation call to the priesthood and religious life. Please pray for vocations, and pray especially for the young men currently in formation for the Paulist priesthood. Find the Paulist Vocation prayer in the Church lobby (the Narthex) and at Ordination/Vocations.
Parishioners often apologize to Fr. Chuck, sharing that, much as they’d like to volunteer more often, commit to service organizations, or do more, work and family schedules just don’t leave them time. He wants you to know that bringing Love and Light with you in everything you do is enough.
But, if you’d like to do more, here are possibilities that range from investing a few minutes up through making an ongoing commitment to Charity and Justice ~
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Take a few moments to pray, learn, act, and connect on anti-poverty measures with the resources on our Poverty Plaza.
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Spend a day with your family or gather a group of friends to participate in Parish Service Day – February 4
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Commit eight Monday evenings and meet a new circle of friends as you explore the root causes of global poverty and how to alleviate it by taking the 8-week JustMatters course, Faith & Poverty: A Global Perspective.
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Make helping neighbors in need an ongoing part of your life as you make meaningful connections in the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Here are invitations for lovely adventures ~
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To travel In the Footsteps of St. Paul this summer from July 5 – 15 by land and sea to Athens, Corinth, the Greek Islands & Ephesus. You’ll travel with Paulist Pilgrimage Director, Rev. Dr. Thomas A. Kane, CSP and our own pastor, Fr. Chuck Kullmann. Book now at Paulist Pilgrimages.
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To visit all the parishes, missions, convents, schools, hospitals and more of the Diocese of Austin in the beautifully illustrated Treasures of the Diocese of Austin. Visit or call the parish office to purchase your copy. Learn more at Community.
We've had calls about when to expect the letters documenting your generous gifts to St. Austin's. We're working on the process now. For purposes of economy and efficiency we'll be sending them in two ways - over 700 will be emailed to our kind donors for whom we have email addresses and the remainder (about 300) will be mailed no later than required, by January 31. Please watch for your letter of thanks from
Fr. Chuck.
Our bold building would be impossible without you – our daily operations and pursuit of our mission would be impossible without you. We are grateful for your many gifts to our parish and we thank the God of Light and Love, in Whom all things are possible, for you. Thank you!
Darkness can engulf us - worry, doubt, fear – it’s then we need only remember…
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