St. Austin Catholic Parish

Served by the Paulist Fathers

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother’s Day! God bless all Mothers, Godmothers, and mother figures. Your ministry is so vitally important, even more now than ever. Mothering is a tough job with long hours, no pay, and infrequent little respect. But today at least we remember and express our appreciation for your great and essential ministry.

May your day be exceedingly blessed!!!

On another note: As you read this there are only about 15 days left of this legislative session of the Texas State Assembly. This is when your involvement as a citizen is most important. All of us, as citizens, have not only rights but also obligations. We must be involved in the duties of citizens. That includes not only voting but also expressing our needs and opinions to our elected officials.

I encourage you to check out the positions of the Texas Catholic Conference. The positions that the Catholic Church in our state promotes range from everything to what is an acceptable school absence (e.g. job interview) to advance directives for end-of-life care.

Just go to https://txcatholic.org/news/ There is a daily briefing with what bills are before the Assembly and the position the Catholic Church is taking on them. I believe you will be impressed with the breadth of positions taken to promote justice and protect the vulnerable. Actions are recommended, mostly contacting your state senator and representative, to express your support or opposition to particular bills. GET INVOLVED!

Our faith requires us to work for the good of all. A concrete and positive way to do this is to get involved in the legislative process as an active citizen. It is certainly good to pray for our elected leaders, but getting involved in the political process is imperative.

God bless! 

From Fr. Chuck

As Mother's Day approaches, we take a moment to honor and pay tribute to the mother of Jesus, Mary. Mary is recognized as the mother of all mothers and her love, compassion, and strength continue to inspire us!

As we all look forward to celebrating the great Feast of Pentecost, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church, we are grateful for your commitment to, and participation

in, the life of our parish community. You can read more and make your pledge for the 2023-24 fiscal year at Stewardship

Pray in union with the broader Paulist family using the Novena to the Holy Spirit: Toward a More Perfect Union. Pray with us at Novena.

Since it's Mother's Day, we wanted to let you know that our 3 Gabriel Project moms are doing great! One is pregnant, one has an infant, and the other has a toddler. Find out more about how they're doing, and consider volunteering so we can serve more families in this life-affirming ministry. Details are at Gabriel Project.

Our next Parish Service Day will be on Saturday, June 10. Give back to our community by volunteering at a local nonprofit organization. There are opportunities for folks of all ages, but spots for kids are limited so please sign up early. Visit Parish Service Day for times, locations, age limits, and other details.

A big THANK YOU to those who donated deodorant to help brighten Mother's Day for incarcerated women who live without air conditioning all summer long! Check out JUSTNews for pictures of the banner our school students created to decorate the lunchroom at Lane Murray women's prison. 

Observe the end of Spring and the beginning of Summer by enjoying some World-Famous breakfast tacos from the Knights of Columbus! We will sell a variety of tacos ($2.50 each) in the Ministry Center after the 8:45 a.m. Mass on Sunday, May 21st.

Check the latest updates and Birds-Eye-View of the Beacon of Hope. Check out the updates and more at Construction Updates.

This weekend is the monthly Persons in Need collection that funds our Outreach and St. Vincent de Paul ministries. Luckily rent costs and inflation have cooled some, but we still get dozens of requests for rent and utility help each week from families who are struggling to pay their bills. Check out the latest report from our Outreach ministry on how your donations supported individuals and families in need. Thank you for your prayers and support.

The Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops (TCCB) is disappointed that several bad immigration-related bills were voted out of the House Committee on State Affairs last Thursday night. Visit Advocate Now! for info on these bills, recent progress, and where we can take action to make a difference.