A few thoughts about this enormous project: first of all, MANY THANKS to all the helpers. You have worked off ALL your time in Purgatory!! Thank you!!!

Secondly, what a huge amount of STUFF we have accumulated over the last century or so. For a long time (and even now) resources in the parish have been tight, not a lot of room for waste or whimsy. So the natural inclination was to SAVE anything that someday might come in handy. Why pay good money for something you already have? Way too much stuff was kept - now we need to dispose of it. 

My hope for our future is that, as a parish (and as individuals), we can get better in recognizing the cost of saving things we’ll likely never use again. That is a tough one. I hope this exercise of disposing of so much stuff can be a lesson for us all.

This work also created an opportunity to share with other parishes across Central Texas. Having priced the cost of warehousing and storage to find it prohibitive, we made a tough decision to let go of, rather than store, roomfuls of stuff. As a consequence, parishes are benefitting from our great giveaway. Tables, chairs, dishes, and other things that we have way too much of, that we will never use again, have been or are being donated. That is a very good sign of our membership in the wider Church of the Diocese of Austin and one that makes me both pleased and proud.

And lastly, there is inevitably a little (OK, more than a little) nostalgia in going through all the accumulated detritus of the last several decades. It brings back memories of various events, and more importantly of  parishioners and Paulists who worshiped and served here and have moved on, and of our own selves when we were younger. Even fairly new parishioners of St. Austin can get a sense of some of the involvement that occurred here as they go through these now unneeded items. A lot of it is just junk, but some of it serves as keys to unlock memories and connect us with our past as a parish.

So I hope you will join us both in setting up the sale on Friday, July 23, and that you will come prepared on Saturday, July 24 to buy items and give them a good home.

God bless!
 

We live in a time of uncertainty. It would be really nice to have everything certain and clear, but we do not have that luxury. So, we have to look at the data and make the most prudent decision we can.

This is especially true regarding the appropriate response to the ongoing Covid epidemic. It is complicated by the unknown impact of the new variants of the disease.  Should we require masks at Mass or not? 
Above all we want to keep people safe. That is not only our desire, it is also our responsibility. So how best to move forward?

We sent out a survey about masks to our parishioners, and over 400 of you responded. Thank you for your quick response. 

Just over half (58%) of you are comfortable being around others who aren’t wearing masks. Yet nearly 40% are uncomfortable around other people not wearing masks. About 60% of families with younger children want us to continue to wear masks at church. That makes sense as children under 12 years of age cannot yet be vaccinated for Covid. 

In addition, the growing impact of the Delta variant of the disease adds another unknown. But we cannot wait till we have perfect information. With the early results of the survey the Parish Council discussed our parish mask policy at their meeting on June 29. 

Therefore, at least for the next month or so, we are recommending that people continue to wear masks at weekend Masses. Nearly two-thirds of respondents are comfortable or very comfortable continuing to wear masks, and an additional 21% are willing to do so for the comfort of others. We do NOT require mask wearing for those who are fully vaccinated, but we ask you to please consider the concerns of those who have unvaccinated children or compromised health situations. Since the data shows that those who are fully vaccinated do NOT transmit the disease to those who are not vaccinated, wearing a mask is not required (but recommended) for those who are fully vaccinated. If you are NOT vaccinated, we ask you to please wear a mask.

At weekday Masses, when we seldom have children attend and people are well spaced out, masks are fully optional. We do recommend masks when coming forward for Holy Communion. We will continue the practice of having Holy Communion only under the form of bread placed in your hand.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. We will get through this.

Happy Independence Day! I hope and pray that you and your family have a safe and relaxing celebration of the Fourth of July. There is cause to celebrate.

The Declaration of Independence is – along with the Constitution – one of the founding documents of our nation. It is always worth a read on Independence Day. The Declaration boldly declares: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (in the sense of all people) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

These truths are self-evident, that is, they provide their own proof. They are, as it were, first principles, not needing to be justified by other principles. It is a bold assertion, bold back in 1776, and still bold today. All people are created equal!

Unfortunately, some people around the world do not believe this. They believe that they are more special, more important, better and of more worth than others because of their lineage, or their race, or their nation, or their wealth, even because of their religion.

Such a belief is antithetical to the founding principles of our nation. As we observe and celebrate this holiday, it is of much greater importance than BBQs and parties, parades and fireworks. It is a time to recommit ourselves to the work of making concrete and real the principles on which our nation was founded. For if we as a nation are not committed to these ideals, then we really have no good reason to be.

On this Fourth of July weekend let us renew our efforts to truly be one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all. That is a big order, but our history has shown us that we are up to the challenge.

Happy Independence Day!