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JUST News
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October 18, 2020
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October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
For domestic violence victims, home is a dangerous place. One in four women and one in nine men have experienced severe intimate partner physical violence. We must learn to recognize domestic abuse, respond with compassion, and refer people to the proper services that are prepared to help them. Pray, learn, and act with us. Learn more at ~
Catholics for Family Peace -
St. Rita of Cascia
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Prayer to St. Rita,Patron of Abused Women
St. Rita, you understood the sorrows of the human heart. By the grace of God, you overcame domestic violence and lived in faith and hope.
Through your intercession, may families overcome conflicts and tensions and build peace in their homes. Inspire us to reach out to those who suffer physical, verbal, and/or sexual abuse.
Pray for us, that we may discover ways to help restore the spiritual well-being of our families, our friends, and our community. With you, we believe that all things are possible for God.
Amen.
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175 Years of American History
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The St. Vincent de Paul Society
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the United States is 175 years old this year! It began in St. Louis before the Civil War. Its first meeting was held on November 20, 1845, only 12 years after its founding in Paris.
The Society is divided into service groups called Conferences. There are 4,500 conferences and 90,000 members with 12.5 million service hours have been logged! The larger Vincentian Family is worldwide and includes our dear Daughters of Charity, Ladies of Charity, Vincentian priests and brothers, and others. The core values of the Society include visiting homes of those experiencing poverty and encouraging and supporting Vincentians in their own spiritual journeys.
We invite you to learn more about this organization where "Charity is infinitely inventive."The history of the Society in America
If you'd like to explore the Vincentian path, please contact Huddie by email.
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October 11, 2020
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Volunteer for Overflow the Courtyard @ Micah 6
Several volunteers are still needed to make Overflow the Courtyard a success! Over 10 volunteer spots remain. This is a great opportunity for High School students in need of service hours. (Note SMCA & St. Dominic Savio scholars!) Visit the Micah 6 volunteer page, then find Sunday, October 11, 2020, and click SIGN UP to help with this event. Thank you!
Sign Up Here
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Overflow the Courtyard @ Micah 6
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A Drive-thru Event
This Sunday, October 11th, the Micah 6 collaborative, of which we are an active part, is holding a drive-thru event to collect two different sorts of much-needed items: food for our Austin neighbors and hygiene kits for victims of hurricanes.
What to bringFrozen Dinners (Stouffer's, Banquet, etc.)
Canned Meats (Spam, chicken, tuna)
Crackers
Instant Oatmeal
Fruit Cups
Canned Chili
Canned Vegetables
Canned BeansWhen & where to bring donations
Sunday, October 11, 2020
2 - 4 pm
University Presbyterian Church
2200 San Antonio Street
Austin Texas(just up the street from St. Austin)
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Build a Hygiene Kit!
To help victims affected by hurricanes, our neighbors in Presbyterian Disaster Assistance are collecting pre-assembled hygiene kits (use gallon-sized zip bags) containing the following:
1 hand towel, 16" X 28"
1 wash cloth
1 wide-tooth comb (please remove from package)
1 nail clipper (please remove from package)
1 bar of soap (bath size, in wrapper)
1 toothbrush (in original package)
10 Band-Aids or other adhesive bandage stripsKits can only be accepted exactly as specified. They must include all of the items listed above and contain nothing extra. Kits should be dropped off with food donations at the drive-thru event on October 11th (see left for details).
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October 4, 2020
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Christmas Baskets Already?
The Christmas Basket elves need to properly assess what we can and cannot do this season. Our main goal is to keep everyone safe while still giving to many in need. A few decisions have been made already, and other plans are still in the works:
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We WILL sponsor families for Christmas, but it will look different than in previous years. Stay tuned for more details!
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We will NOT collect food this year. (If you have been saving bags, you can recycle or donate them elsewhere. Thank you for keeping those and sorry for any inconvenience.)
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We can NOT store gifts nor gift-wrap at the church.
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We will NOT have our normal Thursday evening gathering to sort food and gifts into boxes. However, we are working on ways to have those who want some ‘hands-on’ involvement engaged safely!
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We WILL collect HEB cards and monetary donations to purchase those.
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We will more than likely have some sort of modified delivery day, but that is still in the planning stages.
Thanks for your generous support of the Christmas Basket Project in the past. We need your participation more than ever, so be on the lookout for ways you and your family can be involved.
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September 27, 2020
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Bravo, beloved community, your generosity changes lives!
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Thanks from A Neighbor in Need
Vincentians Nancy & David Carrales shared this thoughtful message from one of their neighbors.
“Good morning, I’m at the sober living home. I’m doing great, praise be to the Lord Our savior. I feel like there is hope for me I have faith I believe in the Lords grace and his mercy though at times I feel unworthy, here He is opening doors for me and closing doors. Thank you. I am sober. I am motivated and I feel like so blessed. God Bless you … and St. Austin [and the St. Vincent de Paul Society].”
If you've ever wondered about the work Vicentians do and what that work means for them, just ask one!
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September 13, 2020
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September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
Suicide is a public health crisis that's only gotten worse with the COVID-19 pandemic. Every September we observe Suicide Prevention Awareness Month with September 10th designated as World Suicide Prevention Day.
Suicide Is A Public Health Crisis...
...Now add COVID-19 on top of the pre-existing suicide epidemic:
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11% of American adults reported seriously considering suicide in June, about double the percentage who did so last summer, a new CDC report finds.
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Rates of suicidal ideation ranked highest among 18- to 24-year-olds (25%) and unpaid caregivers for adults (30%).
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The report also found that the prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety quadrupled and tripled, respectively, compared to last year.
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Anxiety and substance abuse spiked more than 40 percent among those who said they had suffered a mental or behavioral health condition as a direct result of the coronavirus response. More than 30 percent of those surveyed between June 24-30 reported symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Learn More and Take Action to Save Lives:-
Read the Suicide Risk Assessment Card as well as the Mental Health Conversation Card. Bookmark both pages for quick access and save the Suicide Prevention Lifeline number (1-800-273-8255) in your cell phone.
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Join NAMI Central Texas for their Suicide is Preventable, a Mind Matters Webinar, on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 11am. Lisa Sullivan, Director of the Texas Suicide Prevention Collaborative will share the risk factors, warning signs, and early prevention actionis that can save lives.
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Check out NAMI Central Texas for their support and education programs as well as other local resources.
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Visit NAMI Texas' public policy page on Suicide Prevention and Public Safety. They will have more on their policy priorities for the upcoming Texas legislative session in early November.
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Watch a brief (2 minute) video by parishioner and NAMI Central Texas Exective Director Karen Ranus on ~
Physical Distancing +
Social Connection
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September 6, 2020
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Collaboration Delivers for our Neighbors in Need: Outreach, SVDP, & Gabriel Project
It's often heartbreaking to hear the many, many needs and deep financial holes of the guests and neighbors that come to us for Outreach, SVDP, and Gabriel Project assistance. One of the many things keeping the volunteers and staff involved in these programs going during this time is knowing that we can help each other.
Our SVdP cares for people in underserved zip codes outside our boundaries, referring them to Outreach for additional help as needed. Outreach refers every qualified family to their local Gabriel Project. Some of our Outreach volunteers now help meet our Gabriel Project's increased demands. Outreach and SVDP often collaborate to pay Austin Energy bills for someone the other ministry helped with rent or to help lower the person's utility debt with an additional pledge. It is truly a circle of caring support.
Our strategic collaborations and cooperation strengthens the relationships betweeen all three programs and their volunteers. Sharing resources and swapping referrals with other nonprofit organizations, churches, city and county departments, and even landlords, we're leveraging our resources, both financial and informational. We're serving our neighbors in need more effectively and efficiently. We're leveraging your generous gifts to Persons in Need, stretching our dollars and extending our reach in the community as far as we can!
Learn more about the great work Outreach has been doing over the past few months in the latest Outreach Report.
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St. Vincent de Paul Society and Our Neighbors Are Grateful!
Thanks to all of you in our St. Austin Parish Community who have so generously donated to our St. Vincent de Paul ministry during this Pandemic! We have helped so many neighbors in need during this very difficult time and your generosity is greatly appreciated.
So who do we help? Those who call into our dispatch who live in zip codes 78703, 78705, 78722, 78751 and 78756. We also team up with St. Vincent de Paul ministries in other parishes throughout the city to help neighbors in those parishes. Most requests are for help with rent and utilities, but we also assist with food cards, bus passes, clothing vouchers and work with the Diocese to help those who need to pay off Payday Loans. We also help the homeless as much as we can, although there is a dire shortage of places for them to live. They really appreciate HEB food cards and bus passes. A few neighbors we recently helped: A young family with eight children who needed help with rent, utilities and food. A woman who had lost two jobs back-to- back due to COVID. A young man who needed help with rent to avoid eviction. Food cards and bus passes for someone looking for a job. A young woman in a Sober House needing help with rent because she lost her job during COVID. These are only a few examples of those neighbors who are so grateful for your help.
Your generosity changes lives! Thank you!
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August 30, 2020
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From ourSt. Vincent de Paul Society
The Ups and Downs
of the Pandemic
More folks from the areas of town normally not served by our particular SVDP conference are calling us for help. Many neighborhoods are not served by a SVDP conference, and their calls for local help often go unanswered. Thankfully, due to your generosity, our members have been able to call several neighbors in areas of southeast Austin and offer hope. Mostly, a voice on the other end of the line that is willing to listen with a Christ-like empathy, and if we can, some funds toward rent or utilities.
Thank YOU for your prayers and your generosity, so that we can offer hope to these neighbors.
Austin Energy has been exceptionally generous during this pandemic, giving both direct relief to hundreds of customers, and also by granting more funds to its Plus 1 Partners so that they can also share with those in need. What a gift!
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Faith & Racial Healing
Do you want to do something about racism, but don't know where to begin? Would you like to learn about racial equity, healing, and justice in a prayerful, small group setting? We'd love to have you join us for Part 2 of JustFaith's new series, Faith & Racial Healing.
This fall, parishes in the Diocese of Austin are teaming up to offer Faith & Racial Healing virtually. We’ll begin Saturday, September
12th with an introductory retreat followed by Tuesday evening sessions, starting at 6 p.m. September 15th and running through November 3rd.
Cost is $40. Do not let price be a deterrent. If you are unable to pay, simply email Kristen. We hope you can join! Sign up soon - more information is on the way.
Faith &
Racial Healing
Sign Up Here
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Faithful Citizenship:Our Journey to November
As Election Day nears, we'll look at the faithful citizenship and keep an eye out on critical dates leading up to the election. Two important dates are less than a month away:
Monday, October 5th: Last day for unregistered voters to register to vote (registration application must be received by this date)
Tuesday, October 13th - Friday, October 30th: In-person early voting
Friday, October 23rd: Last day for registered voters to apply for ballot to vote by mail (application must be received by this date)Find out how to register to vote, update your voter registration, apply to vote by mail (if you qualify), and more at:
On Voting
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A New Creation
Visit our new issue plaza to learn how our community will be invited to observe the Season of Creation. Fr. Paolo shares the plan for a series that will gather us to pray, inform ouselves, take action through advocacy, support the work of others and take a little time for self-care. Click the button below to explore.
Explore
Creation
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A Call to Action from St. Louise de Marillac
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St. Louise, with St. Vincent de Paul, founded the Daughters of Charity
St. Louise was born in Paris on August 12, 1591 and died there on March 5, 1660.
Read more about what happened in between those dates in this pamphlet on her life.
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Sunday, August 9, 2020
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Our SVdP Invites You to Walk with a Neighbor
St Austin Saint Vincent de Paul Society (SVdP) supports our neighbors in need with help in rent, utilities, food cards, bus passes and more! We also help with long-term needs through mentorship, budget management and planning. Even during this pandemic we are very busy fulfilling our Mission. There are more people than ever who need our help during this very difficult time!
There are so many success stories – neighbors who are able to turn their lives around with some help and support. We would like to share one of them with you today. A young woman living in a sober house called us for help. She had recently lost her job because of health problems and was behind on her rent and utilities. Her family had helped her as much as they could, but were unable to continue with financial support. We talked with her for over an hour, listening to her story and praying with her. She really needed to know that someone cared.
After we helped her with that month’s bills, she was able to get a job and her health improved. She also received a Christmas basket from us during the annual Christmas Basket Project. We continued to mentor her and pray with her and she told us that our support changed her life. Recently she contacted us to tell us that she had been hired as Manager of her sober house – what an accomplishment! She asked us to help another of her friends there, in hopes that she, too, could make a big change in her life.
Helping one another is a huge part of our Mission. We help hundreds of neighbors each year. We are funded by the Persons In Need Collection each month. Your help is greatly appreciated. Pope Francis said, “Unless we walk among the poor, we will not understand their needs.”
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Diocesan SVdP"In Motion"
The Diocesan St. Vincent de Paul Society has not rested for one minute during the pandemic. Even though the St. Vincent de Paul Store remained closed for a long stretch, it was still providing services, especially their Food Pantry every Saturday from 9 a.m. -12 p.m. They work with 14 other pantries and with the Central Texas Food Bank. It’s an impressive operation! Besides food, the Vincentian Family Center has focused on providing City of Austin RISE (Relief in a State of Emergency) money to neighbors who have been affected by the pandemic and are having trouble making ends meet. Funds are available for rent, utilities, car payments and mortgages. RISE money is intended for those who do not benefit from the CARES Act and are residents of Austin/Travis County. Separate staff and phone lines are in use to handle these requests. This is an unprecedented program for the Center. The St. Vincent de Paul Store itself has started reopening on Saturdays from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Masks and social distancing are required of guests.
The VFC is also looking for volunteers for the Store.
Interested? Contact Huddie
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Sunday, August 2, 2020
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We Pray in Solidarity
Dear Jesus,
Our journey through life is long and hard. We cannot make this trip alone; we must walk together on the journey. You promised to send us a helper, your Spirit. Help us to see your Spirit in those you send to journey with us.
In the refugee family, seeking safety from violence, Let us see your Spirit.
In the migrant worker, bringing food to our tables, Let us see your Spirit.
In the asylum-seeker, seeking justice for himself and his family, Let us see your Spirit.
In the unaccompanied child, traveling in a dangerous world, Let us see your Spirit.
Teach us to recognize that as we walk with each other, You are present.
Teach us to welcome not only the strangers in our midst but the gifts they bring as well: the invitation to conversion, communion, and solidarity.
This is the help you have sent: we are not alone. We are together on the journey, and for this we give you thanks. Amen.
From Immigration Through the Lens of Faith
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Solidarity Across Borders Campaign
With migrant communities facing increased marginalization and vulnerability, the need for solidarity has taken on a newfound sense of urgency. The Kino Border Initiative seeks to highlight the solidarity among and with migrants in the time of COVID and inspire us to be more committed advocates.
As COVID-19 cases have surged within detention centers, detainees have been left feeling exponentially more vulnerable. This has created a new level of solidarity among them, including organizing collective hunger strikes to protest their “imprisonment.” Detainees have also self-organized, writing letters to affiliated advocacy groups or individuals to elevate their concerns. In some cases, journalists, groups, family members of detainees, and previous detainees have released video chats and phone calls with detainees to news media outlets to draw attention to the poor conditions and sanitation. This solidarity, first within detention centers and then linked to those outside of detention centers have helped shed light on the issue.
The global pandemic and recent shifts in the asylum-seeking process have hampered schooling for migrant students. However, a variation of classrooms for children in migration has emerged at various Mexican border cities, including the Sidewalk School in Matamoros, Mexico. The school was initially staffed by volunteers from outside the encampment, and after several months, the leadership of the school transitioned to the hands of other asylum-seekers.
In a migrant camp in Matamoros, a group of migrants with medical backgrounds offer their expertise to other asylum seekers. This group of medical professionals manage a small clinic while keeping the virus at bay. As asylum-seekers wait for increasingly long periods of time at the border, there has been an increase in methods of organizing and governance among migrants. A community within the Matamoros camp established a representative democracy in January. Representatives from each country of origin were elected to coordinate efforts in areas of communication, resource distribution, sanitation, and general civil response.
Accompaniment, “walking with” or “being with” vulnerable people and communities, is a way of working and living that is guided by mutuality and listening to the needs of the communities one is working alongside or standing alongside in solidarity. As advocates for more just migration, one of the most powerful things that we can do to stand in solidarity with migrant communities is to bring them back into sight – make them seen and make them heard. We can listen to their stories and take the time to understand their realities, their needs, and their struggles so that we can be better educated, equipped, and strategic in how we support them.
The urgency of persistent action and solidarity has increased as the pandemic rages on and immigrants and asylum seekers continue to be further targeted and marginalized. The Kino Border Initiative, the source of this article, is facilitating the online campaign “Solidarity Across Borders.” This campaign seeks to lift up the testimonies of migrant communities and the additional difficulties they encounter in the face of a pandemic. Throughout the campaign, testimonies will be coupled with calls to action and modes of expressing solidarity with migrant communities that bring about tangible change.
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Sunday, July 19, 2020
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Advocate for a moratorium on Evictions and Rent Relief
Through your generosity, our parish is helping our neighbors who face a looming housing crisis. The issue of affordable housing, always a concern in Austin, is now at the tipping point. After months without work and few job prospects, many of our neighbors face outright eviction when the moratorium ends on July 25.
Contact your elected officials about this urgent crisis. In Austin, the moratorium on eviction proceedings ends on July 25. People will move into unstable housing situations, over-crowded living conditions, or become homeless unless we ask our state and federal Representatives, Senators, and the White House to take action NOW! Visit USA.gov to find their contact information.
Tell Congress commit a portion of our nation’s vast resources to protect low-income renters through direct rental assistance and to protect lo millions of renters from eviction. Learn more at the Housing Plaza on our website.
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Good News for Persons in Need
Our neighbors in need are still very stressed about paying their bills. Many say that St. Austin is the only place that has called them back when they reach out for help. Some have nearly lost all hope until we speak to them. As evictions loom with no relief in sight for many, the future looks incredibly bleak for so many of our neighbors. Amidst these difficult days, we wanted to share some Good News:
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After several weeks apart, a family from another state was reunited with their mentally ill and presumed homeless brother through our contacts at the Homeless Outreach Street Team (HOST)!
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Collaboration between SVDP and Outreach moved a parishioner from an abusive living situation to temporary housing. The parishioner will move into permanent housing this weekend!
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Gabriel Project helped a mom experiencing homelessnes move into temporary housing, and they continue to journey with her towards a permanent home for her and her child.
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SVDP helped a family find the resources to move from owing nearly $3,000 in rent to almost a $0 balance.
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Outreach volunteers donated a computer to a woman so she can continue learning English for her citizenship exam.
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A few sympathy cards were mailed to Outreach guests who lost loved ones recently.
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SVDP helped a neighbor donate their freezer full of food to Micah 6.
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More than 16 neighbors have been helped or received additional help with their Austin Energy bills due to referrals between SVDP, Outreach, and University Presbyterian Church's UPLift Plus 1 program.
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Outreach was able to help an additional 13 households with their June rent due to continued support from UPLift while their rental assistance program is suspended.
Thank you for helping us continue this great work! If you'd like to donate to the Persons in Need collection online, oor by text, Venmo, or check, here's the shortcut to:
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Portrait of a Neighbor in Need
Our world is going through many difficulties and each day is a challenge. Our St. Vincent de Paul Ministry brings us closer to our neighbors’ challenges as we listen and offer support. Sometimes they just need to talk to or pray with someone, and sometimes they also need help with food, rent, bus passes, etc. Here is a powerful story of a neighbor we helped:
There was a beautiful young woman, recently graduated from college, who should have been embarking on a career and start- ing a new life. Unfortunately, she had become depressed and addicted to pharmaceutical drugs, had lost her job and was mired in debt. As she became more financially unstable, she signed up for two payday loans (one of which took her car title as collateral). Struggling to pay her basic bills, she was late in her payday loan payments and was receiving collection calls day and night. Thankfully, she had gone to rehab and was no longer addicted to drugs; but she was overwhelmed with her financial and emotion- al problems. After praying with her and helping with her rent and utilities, we set up a time to work on a budget with her and helped her apply for a St. Vincent de Paul loan program. It was a wonderful day when the Diocese of St. Vincent de Paul paid off her payday loans and set up a loan for her at a credit union. She repaid St. Vincent de Paul in a year and a half and was completely free of debt. She even attended a St. Vincent de Paul financial help course to learn how to handle her money. Shortly after we began working with her, she got a wonderful job and a whole new life. “I am so grateful to St. Vincent de Paul and God for giving me the opportunity to start over,” she said.
Helping our neighbors in need is the mission of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Without our volunteers we could not fulfill this mission, and we always need more! If you are interested, email Huddie Murray.
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Protector of Homes
St. Joseph, protect our home. Pour forth from heaven blessings on our family. Remain in our midst. Help us to live in love and harmony, in peace and joy. May the wholesome fear of God strengthen us that virtue may adorn what we do and our way may lead to heaven.
To you this day I give the key to our dwelling place. Lock out all things that could do us harm. Lock my home and my loved ones with me in the hearts of Jesus and Mary. This I beg of you, that our days may be like your days in the holy home at Nazareth. Amen.
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Sunday, July 12, 2020
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Pope Francis'Prayer to the Holy Family*
Jesus, Mary and Joseph
in you we contemplate
the splendour of true love,
to you we turn with trust.Holy Family of Nazareth,
grant that our families too
may be places of communion and prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel
and small domestic Churches.Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never again
experience violence, rejection and division:
may all who have been hurt or scandalized
find ready comfort and healing.Holy Family of Nazareth,
may the approaching Synod of Bishops
make us once more mindful
of the sacredness and inviolability of the family,
and its beauty in God’s plan.Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
graciously hear our prayer.*Angelus, 29 December 2013
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Need for Sponsorship for Children Being Released from Detention this Week
Citing the unrelenting spread of the coronavirus, on June 26 U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee ordered that all children currently held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for more than 20 days must be released by July 17. That’s this Friday. The order applies to all three of the family detention facilities in the United States. Two are located in Texas. Gee's decision could lead to the long-awaited release of entire families. Until now, ICE has been reluctant to release children held in family detention centers.
The Trump administration has offered families a binary choice: Stay together in detention or allow the children to be transferred to a sponsor or family member somewhere in the United States.St. Austin supports the efforts of the Diocese of Austin in keeping children with their families, and we hope that the release of the children from custody will not involve further family separations. As the release date quickly approaches, a number of nonprofit organizations are working hard to identify sponsors in Texas and Pennsylvania who could sponsor, house, or otherwise support any families in those centers who might not have a sponsor lined up already. Here are some of the immediate needs:
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Advocate to release the families and not just the kids.
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Secure quarantine locations relatively near the three detention centers that can potentially host the families
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Identify long-term sponsorship options for families who don't have sponsors already.
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Identify long-term sponsorship options for adults not impacted by this decision who are at detention centers across
the country who are terrified about Covid-19 moving through the centers they're in and work on getting them released. -
Short-term quarantine and long-term sponsorship for a group of transgender asylees who are currently in Mexico,
waiting to cross the border/present themselves to ICE/DHS until they have sponsorship lined up. (They'd ideally like to stay together, at least in the near-term -- so they are looking for an option that can house about a dozen people.)
Learn more at: Families Belong Together Hearts and Homes for Refugees, Episcopal Migration Ministries Asylum Sponsorship Project -
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