St. Austin Catholic Parish & School

Healing the Divide: The Role of Ecumenism in Uniting the Church

As I hope you know, this parish is staffed by the Paulist Fathers. For a very long time, one of the major concerns of the Paulists has been the work of ecumenism. Ecumenism is the effort to repair the splits and breaches in the Body of Christ. Catholics, Lutherans, Orthodox, Methodists, Baptists, and many other denominations of Christians call Jesus our Lord and Savior. And Jesus prayed that all His followers would be one (see John 17:20-23). This unity is very important. Our missionary witness is severely hampered by our division into so many denominations. One of the main reasons that Pope St John XXIII called the Vatican II Ecumenical Council was to work to heal these wounds in the Body of Christ. If we were united, we would have a much more powerful impact on the world. And it is Jesus’ strong desire that all Christians be

one in Him.

However, of course, we are all divided into our churches on Sunday mornings. This is a scandal. Unfortunately, we become too used to and uncomfortable with this situation. One of the ways that we at St. Austin work for the unity of all Christians is our participation in the shared ministry of Micah 6. Our parish is one of the founding member congregations of this ministry, which is an organization of University area churches. The name comes from the Old Testament Book of Micah, chapter 6, verse 8: “What does the Lord require of you? To do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

I invite you to check out their website, https://www.micah6austin.org/

We also support their works financially, as a parish to the tune of $500 a month. Some of this has come from the Persons In Need collection we take up every month. But to give you a choice in donating directly to Micah 6, and to highlight their good works, we are now instituting an annual second collection specifically for Micah 6. This weekend is the first annual collection for the charitable works of Micah 6. Your generosity in this

collection not only directly feeds the hungry, and reaches out to and feeds street youth, it also continues and strengthens St Austin’s commitment to and participation in the concrete work of ecumenism. So I invite you to please respond generously to this second collection this weekend.

God bless,

From Fr. Chuck

“Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”(Matthew 5:4)



Martha Ministry provides a reception for a grieving family following a funeral. It is our gift from the parish for the family. Martha Ministry members have provided comfort to many families over the last few months. Members have repeatedly responded to requests for food and for volunteers to assist with receptions throughout the spring. What an awesome group!! We have received so many expressions of gratitude from families and want to be sure members know how much they are appreciated. Please know that just dropping off a pint of strawberries helps.

When we all help a little, the end result is a welcoming and comforting reception where families can see friends and remember their loved one(s).

To anyone interested in joining this ministry, please know you are most welcome! Please contact Sharon Lehtonen, our staff liaison, at slehtonen@staustin.org. She will be happy to add you to the Martha Ministry list. Julie Lyons and Martha Schroeder currently spearhead this ministry and are always looking for parishioners willing to join in the leadership of Martha Ministry.

Fr. Robert (Bob) Scott, CSP often opened his homilies with the phrase "A Good Stop", which not only reflected his warm and welcoming personality but also perfectly encapsulated his many years of exemplary service as a Paulist priest. Read more of Fr. Scott's legacy at Adventures in the Archives.

Monday is Juneteenth! Hear perspectives on the holiday from our Communications Director, Brandon Woodson, and our Liturgy Coordinator, Hortense Bradley, at Racial Justice. 

Five Knights of Council 10776 participated in Parish Service Day last week by providing breakfast tacos for the residents of the Esperanza Community operated by The Other Ones Foundation (TOOF). Read more at Knightly News.

Three opportunities to support recent immigrants: Celebrate our newest Texans at the World Refugee Day Celebration on Saturday, June 24. Fr. Bruce and parishioner Emmett Blake will be volunteering at the border June 27-29. Collect clothing and toiletry items for them to deliver, and considering joining them. Details are at Immigration.

The special collection this weekend supports our Micah 6 ministry. Micah 6 offers a twice-a-week food pantry and a weekly drop-in center for street youth. Visit Special Collections to donate to Micah 6, and check out JUSTNews to learn more about this ministry that feeds our hungry neighbors!

Check the latest updates of the Beacon of Hope at Construction Updates.