Celebrating the Feast of St. Lawrence and the Vital Role of Permanent Deacons in the Church"

This coming Thursday, August 10, is the Feast of St. Lawrence. This day is his feast because it was on Aug. 10, 258 A.D. that he was martyred by being fried on a griddle under the Roman Emperor Valerian. Lawrence was a deacon of the Church of Rome.

At that time the deacons cared for the poor, and therefore they were in charge of all the material wealth of the church. They held the purse strings. Knowing this, the Romans arrested Lawrence and ordered him to bring all the treasures of the church the next day, so the state could confiscate the property of the church. The next day Lawrence showed up with a crowd of poor, elderly, sick and needy people. When asked what this was, and where was the cash, Lawrence responded that these poor, provided for by the church, are the treasure of the church. This did not make the Romans happy. And so he was martyred in a particularly gruesome way. He was 32 years old.

Since the time of the Apostles deacons have played an important role in the church (cf Acts 6:1-7) And they were in charge of the physical property and goods of the church.

Later, as the bishops and priests wanted control of the physical property, goods and money of the church, the deacons got pushed to the side and the diaconate disappeared for several centuries, only existing as a step on the way to being ordained a priest. However, the Second Vatican Council restored the permanent diaconate, and we are now blessed to have permanent deacons in the church. The U.S. church has more permanent deacons than any other country, and here at St Austin we are truly blessed to have Deacons Billy Atkins, Dan Wright, and John De La Garza assisting us. I realized just how much we have come to rely on the deacons here the last several weeks when they were gone and we had no deacons to assist with the Mass.

We need more permanent deacons. If you have thought about the possibility of being a permanent deacon please speak to one of our deacons, or Fr Paolo or myself. All

inquiries are welcome. In October there will be the first session of the world Synod of the Church. Much input has been solicited from all over the world from all dioceses, then countries, then continents. Now the world synod begins in October. One of the issues that is sure to be discussed is the permanent diaconate, and extending the diaconate to include women. There is much evidence of women deacons early in church history (like St Phoebe whose statue graces our sanctuary).

It should be an interesting discussion. Please keep the Synod in your prayers.

In any case we are glad we again have permanent deacons, and ask the Holy Spirit to continue to increase the number and ministry of deacons.

God bless,



From Fr. Chuck

Sidewalk Closures around the Church

The sidewalk along Guadalupe St north of the church to 21st Street will be closed for the foreseeable future for improvements. The handicapped spaces to the north of the bus stop on Guadalupe will not be accessible via the sidewalk during construction.

This weekend, August 5 & 6, we recommend parking to the south of St Austin or in our parish garage. Please avoid parking in front of the church on Guadalupe so that spaces may be open for our mobility-impaired parishioners. 

On weekdays and Saturday mornings, the church will only be accessible by walking up from the south (by the cellphone repair shop). Please walk around the “sidewalk closed” barrier to access the church. 

Fr Paolo

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Upcoming Events

The Persons in Need special collection is this weekend. Your support in this collection helps us house, feed, and keep the air conditioning running for families in need through our St. Vincent de Paul, Outreach, and Micah 6 ministries. Learn more at JUSTNews.

Are you looking for a Bible Study group you can attend from the comfort of your home? Catholic Scripture Study Austin may be just the group for you!

Contact CSS Teaching Leader (and St. Austin's parishioner) Gail Chavez at gailchavez2002@gmail.com for more information and to register!

Classes start Wednesday, September 13 at 9:30 A.M.

K of C Relief Efforts for Ukraine

Parishioners might recall that in March 2022 the St. Austin’s Knights raised $1900 for the K of C Ukrainian Solidarity Fund. Read more at Knights of Columbus!

Feast of the Assumption of Mary

Join us Tuesday, August 15 in joyous celebration as we honor the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, a momentous occasion in the Catholic calendar.

Hensel-Phelps (HP) regularly reminds all its construction partners to (1) drink water regularly to stay hydrated, (2) avoid drinks that can dehydrate you like caffeinated drinks and alcohol, and (3) take regular breaks in the shade.

All employees and partners are trained on identifying the symptoms of someone experiencing a heat related emergency. 

Our weekly meetings with HP have a regular safety update where any safety incidents are discussed. Our project has not had a heat related emergency, to date. Thankfully, our project now provides plenty of shade around the project and there is generally good airflow which provides a cooling effect.