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Adventures in the Archives
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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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