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Adventures in the Archives
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Sunday, September 19, 2021
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GAP (Graduates & Young Professionals) is a fairly new name for the group of adults in their 20s and 30s at St. Austin Parish. The idea for a community of young adults to grow together in faith and friendship is a tried and true concept at St. Austin.
Before GAP, there was the Collegiates for Christ, a group of UT students who met regularly at St. Austin for a variety of activities beginning in the 1980s. Their meetings included Bible studies, service projects, intramural sports, and many social activities.
Fr. Bob Scott, CSP, was the group’s chaplain during his tenure at St. Austin in the 1980s and 1990s. The Collegiates also served the parish as lectors for the liturgy, religious education teachers for young people and assisted with social service activities for the parish and community.
The GAP group meets on most Sundays for a discussion of a topic of faith. Before the pandemic, they also had a relationship with the seniors living at Heritage Park Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center. The group also has many spontaneous socialactivities. Their usual meeting time is Sunday after the 5:30 p.m. Mass. They are currently meeting at the park adjacent to the North Lamar location of Central Market, a beautiful alternative meeting space.
Visit the GAP Facebook group for more information or use Search to find Graduates & Young Professionals.
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Sunday, September 12, 2021
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The horrific events of September 11, 2001, were still a fresh memory for all of us when Fr. Patrick Johnson, CSP (then pastor), wrote these words in the St. Austin Catholic Parish Newsletter in October 2001.
“As I sit down to write my column this month, it is difficult to focus on anything other than the terrible events of Tuesday, September 11th, when terrorists using commercial airliners as flying bombs, attacked the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, DC.
"So much has been taken from so many. Days of non-stop images of pain and sorrow delivered to our doors and beamed into our homes, our schools and our places of work have left us numb and weary. But one thing has not been taken from our American family – the sense of our common humanity – a humanity that we Catholics believe to be imbued with the very grace and Spirit of God.
"This is evident in the outpouring of prayers, comfort, and assistance of every sort, from every part of our country. We saw it right here in our parish, as hundreds packed the church the Friday evening after the attack for a special Mass of Remembrance.
"We are, the overwhelming majority of us, a people of faith who believe in a just and loving God. And this is our strength – a strength we gain from the example of Jesus who, when facing the evil of his enemies, was not deterred from his commitment to show forth the love, compassion, forgiveness, healing, justice and love of God.” -
Another Paulist Remembers 9/11
In an interview on September 9, 2021, Fr. Bruce Nieli, CSP reflects on his experience at Ground Zero. We share a photo and link to the article from Paulist Foundation.
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Sunday, September 5, 2021
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The courtyard of St. Austin had its beginnings with a dedication in May 1987 and its ending with Clearing the Courtyard on August 30, 2021. Parishioners have enjoyed this green area between Newman Hall, Paulist Hall, and the Rectory for a great variety of occasions including First Holy Communion gatherings, wedding photos, retirement parties, Agape events, Baptism and Confirmation groups, school pictures, receptions, Sunday coffee and donuts, and meeting and greeting friends. The area included a lovely small garden, a St. Francis fountain with gently bubbling water, and bricks inscribed with family names.
The courtyard was donated in 1987 by an anonymous parishioner in memory of Marguerite Dixon, mother of Paula and Philip Dixon, then St. Austin parishioners. Philip was the St. Austin’s Folk Choir leader for several years in the 1990s. During his tenure, he introduced a wide range of music for the congregation including traditional Catholic music and good modern music.
When the parish building project is completed sometime in 2023, we’ll have a new urban oasis to complement the new buildings.
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Sunday, August 29, 2021
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In the late summer of 1974 a young woman’s life ended tragically. Susan Lucas, the 3rd grade teacher at
St. Austin School, died in a drowning accident off the coast of Colombia.
Here is how her colleague, Carol Hovland, remembered Susan.
“I knew I would have a good year when I met Susan. She was brimming with life and enthusiasm. She cared about ideas and people. She liked to discuss everything – poetry, learning to read, farming, movies, canning and magic.
She always had new ideas. ‘Let’s set up a store in the classroom to learn math. Let’s call ourselves the super class. Let’s talk about violence and why it exists.’
Susan designed the award given to each child at the end of the year. She organized a talent show for Father Edward Pietrucha, CSP, [then pastor] on the last day of school.
She got an architecture class at The University of Texas to improve the design of the St. Austin’s playground as a class project. She initiated plans for a resource center and with her co-teacher, Barbara Pike Pratz, painted and papered the stage to make it a happy place where children would want to come for help in learning.”
A plaque with Susan’s name was attached to the entrance of the playground where it stood for many years as a testament to a dedicated and loving teacher.Originally published in the Texas Catholic Herald, October 4, 1974.
Photo of waters off Colombia credit - Colombia Travel Blog
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Sunday, August 22, 2021
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The parish “Together Forever” event on August 28 will give us an opportunity to bid farewell to the school and other parish buildings that have served us so well for so many years. There have been many farewells over the years. Here is one from over 30 years ago.
A Student’s Farewell to St. Austin’s SchoolSt. Austin’s, the brick building which I have “grown up” in. St. Austin’s is not only a school, but a group of people, students, and teachers alike who share the same quest: to learn, not for school, but for life. This little building of ours has seen lots. It has watched many of the eighth graders grow up, physically and mentally. Also it has seen many of the teachers grow up—for instance, Mr. Wiggins. This man has been at this school longer than I have. I can remember (in K-1A) when he looked like Big Foot, and he had what I thought was an incredibly humongous beard.
But as I grew older, everything became very small. We used to have a little play area called the Susan B. Lucas play area. We also had a parking lot/playing field which went where the gym is now.
As I look back on it all now it all seems so distant, so incredible that our school was once so small, so helpless. I remember when I thought I’d never graduate from St. Austin’s, but now I must look for higher peaks to reach for.
Now it’s time to talk about my friends, my true friends from St. Austin’s. All I can truly say about these people, my longtime classmates, is thank you for the great times, the memories, the fun, the tears, the friendship. Good-bye, St. Austin’s—it’s been a lifetime.
Ben Cannatti
Class of 1987
(Originally published in “The Spirit” June 1987)
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The Doors of St. Austin’s
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Well, imagine for a moment that you walked down the Drag on your way to Mass, and when you came toSt. Austin’s, you found swinging glass doors that opened when you stepped on an electronic mat, doors like
H-E-B’s or the ice cream parlor, the copy shop, or the bookstore.
That wouldn’t work at all. The doors to St. Austin’s are the way they are – enormous, heavy, made of wood and metal – because they have to fulfill three functions. They serve to create a strong sense of threshold by demanding that you open them with purpose, with an act of will, and some muscle besides. The holy water fonts beside the doors extend this sense of threshold; they recall our baptism.
Secondly, the doors serve to hide and protect what goes on inside the sanctuary. The interior of the church can be called the “nave” of the church, derived from “navis,” Latin for ship. And because our church does look like a big ship, it reminds me of Noah’s ark.
Thirdly, the doors remind us of sacrifice, that profane space was sacrificed to make a sacred space, and that natural materials were chosen for this space which will unite earth and heaven.
A reflective gaze at the church doors brings to mind the doors of the tabernacle, and how we have to wait until the right time for those doors to open. With our human will, we can enter the church to be with God; but He finally approaches us, not through our doing, but through His own gracious coming, through the door that He opens.By Susan Kerr in St. Austin’s “The Spirit,” June 1988
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A Letter Never Sent Shares aWindow into This Place in Another Time
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This excerpt from a “Letter That Was Never Sent,” found among the parish historical papers, was probably written sometime after 1921 by a Paulist priest recently transferred to Austin from New York City.
Dear Parishioners in New York:
At last I have the opportunity of keeping my promise to tell you all about St. Austin’s and our work down here! First of all, let me say that I haven’t followed the advice which some of you gave me ‘to drop over to the Grand Canyon some fine day,’ as it happens to be farther from us than Chicago is from you. Secondly, no rattlesnakes have climbed into my window as yet. Austin, the capital of Texas, is a town of 50,000, beautifully located on several hills. They call it the ‘City of the Violet Crown,’ because it is surrounded by a circle of mountains which turn purple in the late afternoon. It is essentially a city of homes. There are wonderful trees, especially the great oaks with the Spanish moss hanging from them. Flowers are everywhere. Whole fields are blue with the bluebonnet.
About a mile from the capitol lies the campus of the University of Texas. Opposite the southwestern entrance is our group of buildings, forming one of the most attractive corners in Austin. The first one is Newman Hall, a three-story, yellow brick structure with cloisters, fronting on a landscape garden. It is conducted by the Dominican Sisters as a residence for Catholic girls attending the state University.
Behind the church, fronting on San Antonio Street, is our school, a little white bungalow with green roof, set in the midst of a big sunny yard with mesquite trees and flower beds in front and three fig trees near the sun pavilions in the rear. There are six grades and 66 pupils taught by three devoted Dominican nuns.Sincerely in Christ,
Your Old Assistant Pastor
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As. Fr. Chuck mentioned in his column on Pentecost Sunday, we have received permission from the Diocese of Austin to proceed with our major development project. With a new birth for our parish and school, St. Austin will continue to be a vibrant spiritual presence on Guadalupe Street and in the city of Austin.
The parish has a long history of renovation, rebuilding and renovating space for all the parish educational and spiritual activities. It all began in the fall of 1908 when the Paulists began an active campaign for funds over the State and in Austin. The Rev. Michael P. Smith, CSP, began the work of establishing a center of missionary activity for the Catholic men and women at the University of Texas. The Paulists purchased the property at 21st and Guadalupe from Mr. Sam Fisher for $7,000. A year later, work on the chapel was begun.
Through the years, many capital campaigns were initiated for additional building projects and land purchases. Some of these included:-
Purchase of two small houses on San Antonio Street for the Newman Catholic School in 1917
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School was renamed St. Austin Catholic School in 1941 and the present school building was built in 1953
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Summer 1982 – parish purchased Newman Hall and continued to operate it as a University women’s residence hall for several years
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Parish Improvement Fund (PIF) began in the fall of 1983 for several objectives – retirement of Newman Hall debt and finish construction of the gym/parish center
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Parish plan, 2000 – parking, expansion and renovation of St. Austin School, expand Hecker Hall and renovate Newman Hall, expand the courtyard
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Built of Living Stones capital campaign – parking structure and priests’ residence
We’re on our way to another major development of the St. Austin Parish campus. -
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Spring
Sing a song of springtime,
The World’s made new.
Just keep these thoughts in view:
Shuffle off the mortal coil of fear and doubt,
That’s what spring is all about.
There’s another good reason:
It’s the soul-searching season.
Good Shepherds have pointed the way
On the road we’re striving to stay.
Sing a song of springtime,
The World’s made new.
Remember that also means you.
By A Grateful Parishioner in “The Spirit," March 1987
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Who is St. Austin?
And Why Is Our Parish Named in His Honor-
What does the name of our parish tell us? Is St. Austin’s a church only named for the place where it is located? The name of our parish gives us, first of all, a glimpse into the spirituality of the Paulists. It is characteristic of them to name a church after a city whose namesake has the same name as a saint. Part of the Paulist charism is to meet people where they are, so the name of our church is an expression of their gift for evange-lizing.
St. Austin, or St. Augustine of Canterbury as he is more common-ly called, expresses the missionary spirit of the Paulists. He brought the knowledge of the Christian faith, and the Rule of St. Benedict to England in 596.
Augustine had been a monk in the monastery of St. Andrew in Rome founded by St. Gregory, a future pope and biographer of St. Benedict. Gregory sent Augustine to instruct the Anglo-Saxons. In Canterbury, Augustine rebuilt an ancient church which formed the nucleus for his metropolitan basilica and for the later monastery of Christ Church.
And so when the Paulists came to the mission territory of Texas in 1908 to establish St. Austin parish, the church was named in honor of another missionary, St. Augustine of Canterbury.
From Susan Anderson Kerr in “The Spirit”, Summer 1989
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The Story of Bells at St. Austin
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Fr. Chuck announced last week that our new electronic bells in the church tower would ring out again on Easter Sunday.
Paulist Father Michael Smith came to Austin in May 1908 to look over the property at 21st and Guadalupe where St. Austin Chapel would be built. The year before, the Paulists had accepted the invitation from Galveston Bishop N.A. Gallagher to establish a center of Missionary activity in Austin. With the appointment of Fr. Smith, an active campaign for funds was begun over the State and in Austin. The local Knights of Columbus appointed a committee to solicit funds with S. V. Dooley as chairman.
Work on the chapel began nearly a year later. 1907-1908 were depression years and subscriptions were slow coming in. Fr. Smith returned to New York and was able to get $4,000 for the Church and $1,000 for the furnishings. At this time the Paulists thought the chapel would be a temporary structure. Charles Shurr was chosen as contractor and builder and George Endress was the architect selected to draw plans for the chapel to be in the Mission style.
The chapel was completed and included a tower. The first Mass was on Christmas 1908. But there was no money left for a bell! Years later a bell was installed in the tower, bearing the inscription: “Presented to St. Austin’s Chapel by Mrs. S. V. Dooley in honor of Pope St. Sylvester, December 31, 1915.” The tower feature was preserved in the new church building dedicated in 1953.
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More Adventures in the Archives
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Perfect for Us!
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Fr. Chuck
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Fr. Rich
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Fr. Paolo
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