From Padre Paolo

Looking back on the Paulist journey to build a new seminary.

Last weekend as I was waiting for Mass to begin, a longtime parishioner shared that she was about to celebrate 35 years of marriage. Providentially, the sponsor couple that prepared her and her husband for marriage walked in the church moments later. That was not their usual Mass, but it was a great occasion to reminisce about the blessings of their 50+ years of marriage and past work as sponsor couples.

I’m happy to share a bit about my recent travels to Colombia and the upper Midwest over the past month. On May 20 I concelebrated Mass for a cousin’s wedding for the first time with my great-uncle. It had been five years since our last major reunion, and though we had plans to celebrate my ordination together, the pandemic made travel impossible. I stayed for a week in Colombia after the wedding enjoyed time with my grandmother and extended family.

As I write this letter, Fr Chuck is in New York City for several Paulist events culminating in the priestly ordination of Eric Hernandez, CSP on Saturday, May 20 at 9 am CDT. As with my ordination back in 2020, the Paulists will live stream the Ordination Mass along with the other events this weekend. Be sure to visit www.paulist.org for more information.

Easter weekend was my busiest yet as a priest. It is hard to believe that Fr. Rich only left for Boston less than one year ago. While I am accustomed to our usual rhythm of weekend Masses, I noticed Fr. Rich’s absence over Holy Week with the liturgies that each required more preparation and attention. We recently welcomed Fr. Ed Nowak, CSP for a visit to Austin, and he reports that the ministry in Boston where he lives is thriving under Fr. Rich’s leadership.

I’m happy to share I’m fully recovered after a brief bout with COVID just after Ash Wednesday. This was my first time testing positive for the illness, and apart from a brief fever, the symptoms were indistinguishable from allergies. Though I was feeling back to normal, I followed CDC guidelines by remaining isolated in my room for five days before going back to work with a mask. I am grateful this happened before Holy Week and that Fr. Chuck and Fr. Bruce were able to fulfill my ministerial commitments.

Around this time last year, we conducted our parish synod. Elizabeth Korves diligently guided over a dozen listening sessions among various groups within our parish and assembled a report that was sent to the Diocese of Austin. The diocese in turn submitted a synthesis report to our regional conglomeration of dioceses, which in turn submitted a synthesis to the USCCB for use in drafting the national synthesis. The national synthesis was then sent to Rome for the drafting of a global synthesis, which is called the “Document for the Continental Stage.” (DCS) 

After staying in Austin for Christmas and New Year’s, I’ll be leaving for a 12-day trip to Central America on Monday morning, January 9. The Maryknoll Fathers sponsor an annual pilgrimage and retreat for priests and deacons to El Salvador and Guatemala to learn about the history of religious sisters and priests who worked in pursuit of justice in the 1980s. Many were killed by the military, including four American women working in El Salvador and a priest from Oklahoma working in Guatemala.

I hope that you and your families could enjoy some rest and relaxation this week after the festivities of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The parish office has been quiet as most of our staff, including Fr. Chuck, took well-deserved vacations. My parents and sister joined me here in Austin while I shared the daily Masses with Fr. Mike and made hospital visits as needed.

This weekend we welcome Fr. René Constanza, CSP, back to Austin for the Sunday 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Masses and our special Mass for Our Lady of Guadalupe at 8 a.m. on Monday morning. Fr. René began his priestly ministry here at St. Austin’s in 2012 before moving to Grand Rapids in 2016. This summer he began a four-year term as the President of the Paulist Fathers. Since he already knows our parish so well, we are his final Paulist ministry to visit since beginning his new ministry as President.

Thursday, September 22, brought the official start of fall. Though summer weather continues to linger, the change of the season has brought some changes to our parish as well.

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe to mark the culmination of our liturgical year. However, this is actually the second time I will celebrate Christ the King this year.

I am happy to report that Fr. Chuck had a successful operation last Tuesday on his knee and is on the road to healing. Thank you so much for all the offers for assistance. Fr. Chuck is staying in a one-story home elsewhere since the bedrooms in our temporary rectory are on the second floor, and we don’t know when he will be ready for the stairs back home. We will reach out to those who offered to help once he moves back home and we have a better sense of his ongoing recovery. 

Despite the heat here in Texas, summer is my favorite season of the year. Though I’ve had many relaxing vacations, summer has been filled with even more experiences of intense growth. The rhythms of schoolwork came naturally to me, but my summer jobs introduced me to a host of new challenges beyond writing essays and taking tests. As a summer camp counselor, I had to give constant attention to the kindergarteners in my group for hours on end. As an intern at a law firm, I had to go beyond memorizing readily available information in textbooks to collect data by contacting experts and consulting a variety of sources. In all these summer jobs, I realized success in the “real-world” depended much more on navigating teams of people with diverse personalities than school had ever required of me.