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FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Aid
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Grants Available
The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral expenses incurred on or after January 20, 2020. If you or a loved one lost someone from COVID-19 and need financial help with funeral expenses, call FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Helpline at 1-844-684-6333 (TTY: 800-462-7585) from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, Monday – Friday and begin the application process. Multilingual services are available. The COVID-19 pandemic brought overwhelming grief to many. It's FEMA's mission to help people before, during and after disasters. They're dedicated to helping ease some of the financial stress and burden caused by the virus. For more information, and to find out if you or a loved one qualify, visit
FEMA Funeral Assistance
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A Prayer For Love in Action
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Community in the time of
COVID-19How We Prayed, Played, Zoomed, & Made It Work in Pandemic -
An Invitation To Make a Small Gesture of LoveThat Affects the Global Community
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A Small Gesture of Love for Oneself, Family, Friends, and All Peoples
Fr. Chuck invites you to listen to this 3-minute message from Pope Francis and six other prelates from the US and Latin America. It's in Spanish and Portuguese with subtitles.
They come together in this video with a message of unity in support of COVID-19 vaccines and access for all.
The Holy Father asks that we make this small gesture to get vaccinated, and to help others get vaccinated. This act of love, tho' seemingly as small as a grain of sand, is not. When made mindfully, no gesture of love is ever small, but always grand, especially when made for a better future.
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"Cast all your worries upon Him because He cares for you."
1 Peter 5:7
Heavenly Father, we lift our prayers to You for people suffering from and threatened by COVID-19. Protect us from harm, escpecially children and the vulnerable. Be our strength and comfort in this time of uncertainty. Let us always be led by Your Love.
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Find a COVID-19 Vaccine Near You
Austin's COVID-19 website is an important clearing house for information on the pandemic, how to access vaccines, as well as a source of accurate and reliable information. The following information from the site is helpful for those needing to get the vaccine as well as for those for whom the time for a booster injection nears.
Vaccines.gov can help you find a provider near you that carries COVID-19 vaccines. You can also text your zip code to 438829 (822862 for Spanish) to see where the vaccination sites closest to your neighborhood are located. Use Vaccines.gov to find a COVID-19 vaccine location near you. For Spanish, see Vacunas.gov.
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Recommended Viewing From Fr. Chuck
This video from the Ad Council came to our pastor's attention in an article in Crux. Seeing it, he sent it to be posted to our website.
The message comes to you then from our Pastor in Rome in conjunction with cardinals and archbishops from across the Americas and with the endorsement of our pastor.
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Join the World in a Marathon of Prayer in May
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Cardinal Gregory To Lead Worldwide Prayer
Worldwide Rosary
to Pray for an
End to the PandemicMonday,
May 17, 2020
11:00 a.m. CentralFrom the
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.Watch Here!
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The First Prayer toOur Lady
O Mary,
You shine continuously on our journey
as a sign of salvation and hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick,
who, at the foot of the cross,
were united with Jesus’ suffering,
and persevered in your faith.“Protectress of the Roman people”,
you know our needs,
and we know that you will provide,
so that, as at Cana in Galilee,
joy and celebration may return
after this time of trial.Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform ourselves to the will of the Father
and to do what Jesus tells us.
For he took upon himself our suffering,
and burdened himself with our sorrows
to bring us, through the cross,
to the joy of the Resurrection.
Amen.We fly to your protection,
O Holy Mother of God;
Do not despise our petitions
in our necessities,
but deliver us always
from every danger,
O Glorious and Blessed Virgin. -
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O Mary,
Mother of Tranquility, Mother of Hope,
Let your gentle peace be with me always!
Amen.
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Pope Francis' Letter to the Faithful, May 2020
25 April 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters,The month of May is approaching, a time when the People of God express with particular intensity their love and devotion for the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is traditional in this month to pray the Rosary at home within the family. The restrictions of the pandemic have made us come to appreciate all the more this “family” aspect, also from a spiritual point of view.
For this reason, I want to encourage everyone to rediscover the beauty of praying the Rosary at home in the month of May. This can be done either as a group or individually; you can decide according to your own situations, making the most of both opportunities. The key to doing this is always simplicity, and it is easy also on the internet to find good models of prayers to follow.
I am also providing two prayers to Our Lady that you can recite at the end of the Rosary, and that I myself will pray in the month of May, in spiritual union with all of you. I include them with this letter so that they are available to everyone.
Dear brothers and sisters, contemplating the face of Christ with the heart of Mary our Mother will make us even more united as a spiritual family and will help us overcome this time of trial. I keep all of you in my prayers, especially those suffering most greatly, and I ask you, please, to pray for me. I thank you, and with great affection I send you my blessing.
Rome, Saint John Lateran,
25 April 2020
Feast of Saint Mark the Evangelist -
A Guide to the Rosary
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The Second Prayer toOur Lady
“We fly to your protection, O Holy Mother of God”.
In the present tragic situation, when the whole world is prey to suffering and anxiety, we fly to you, Mother of God and our Mother, and seek refuge under your protection.
Virgin Mary, turn your merciful eyes towards us amid this coronavirus pandemic. Comfort those who are distraught and mourn their loved ones who have died, and at times are buried in a way that grieves them deeply. Be close to those who are concerned for their loved ones who are sick and who, in order to prevent the spread of the disease, cannot be close to them. Fill with hope those who are troubled by the uncertainty of the future and the consequences for the economy and employment.
Mother of God and our Mother, pray for us to God, the Father of mercies, that this great suffering may end and that hope and peace may dawn anew. Plead with your divine Son, as you did at Cana, so that the families of the sick and the victims be comforted, and their hearts be opened to confidence and trust.
Protect those doctors, nurses, health workers and volunteers who are on the frontline of this emergency, and are risking their lives to save others. Support their heroic effort and grant them strength, generosity and continued health.
Be close to those who assist the sick night and day, and to priests who, in their pastoral concern and fidelity to the Gospel, are trying to help and support everyone.
Blessed Virgin, illumine the minds of men and women engaged in scientific research, that they may find effective solutions to overcome this virus.
Support national leaders, that with wisdom, solicitude and generosity they may come to the aid of those lacking the basic necessities of life and may devise social and economic solutions inspired by farsightedness and solidarity.
Mary Most Holy, stir our consciences, so that the enormous funds invested in developing and stockpiling arms will instead be spent on promoting effective research on how to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
Beloved Mother, help us realize that we are all members of one great family and to recognize the bond that unites us, so that, in a spirit of fraternity and solidarity, we can help to alleviate countless situations of poverty and need. Make us strong in faith, persevering in service, constant in prayer.
Mary, Consolation of the afflicted, embrace all your children in distress and pray that God will stretch out his all-powerful hand and free us from this terrible pandemic, so that life can serenely resume its normal course.
To you, who shine on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope, do we entrust ourselves, O Clement, O Loving, O Sweet Virgin Mary. Amen.
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Answer the Call to Live in SolidarityUse Your Voice in Advocacy for Vaccination Equity
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From theWorld Health Organization
"The world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure – and the price of this failure will be paid with lives and livelihoods in the world’s poorest countries." ~ Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General,18 January 2021
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From Pope Francis
“At a time when everything seems to disintegrate and lose consistency, it is good for us to appeal to the solidarity born of the consciousness that we are responsible for the fragility of others as we strive to build a common future. Solidarity finds concrete expression in service, which can take a variety of forms in an effort to care for others. And service in great part means caring for vulnerability, for the vulnerable members of our families our society, our people." ~Pope Francis
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Catholic Organizations PromotingEducation of the COVID-19 Vaccination
The news media keeps us aware of the rising numbers of our population now vaccinated. This Easter week we learned that one quarter of all Americans have been vaccinated and that by April 19th, all Americans over 16 will be able to register for their vaccinations. But our good news and privilege in the U.S. is not the case around the world.
In response to the Holy Father's call to live in solidarity, more than 29 Catholic organizations joined together to promote the importance of vaccinations. The Vatican has proclaimed and we believe that this is an act of charity to our neighbors near and far. Grounded in Catholic Social Teaching, these organizations have united to support the need for vaccine equity worldwide. The coalition is also encouraging Catholics to recognize there are moral reasons for taking personal responsibility in an effort to end the pandemic so that society, particularly the most vulnerable, can attain physical, mental, and economic wellness.
What can we do from our little corner of 21st and Guadalupe? We can advocate for the equitable distribution of the vaccine in the U.S. and globally. Find information and resources on issues related to COVID-19 vaccines at ~CatholicCares
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From Catholic Charities, USA
“In this Easter season we remember that the immediate effects of Jesus' resurrection on the first Christians included a profound sense of community and concern for those in need... These are the very traits that continue to animate our encounters with each other and those in the wider community, especially during this challenging moment as we seek to emerge from the pandemic. Each of us plays a part by getting vaccinated and practicing safety measures for the good of all, and by doing everything we can to ensure that those who are most in need have access to the vaccine and protective equipment.”
~ Sister Donna Markham, President/CEO, Catholic Charities USA
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Need Help Finding an Appointment for a Vaccine?Necesita Una Cita para la Vacuna?
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If you are eligible, and seeking but unable to find an appointment for covid vaccination, click the link to fill out an application or send us an email at the address below. Kendra's Covid Coaches can help the most vulnerable in our communities with the process.
Kendra's COVID Coaches
eMail COVID Coaches
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Si necesita una vacuna contra el covid-19 y no se ha logrado registrar para una cita, por favor diligenciar la aplicación en este link ó envienos un correo electronico. Tenemos Guías de Covid para ayudar a los vulnerables de la comunidad.
Kendra Covid Capitán
Correo Electronico del
Covid Capitán
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On the COVID-19 Vaccine
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A Question & Answer
A parishioner posed this question concerning the COVID-19 Vaccines:
"I’m confused by the Diocese remarks to avoid the J & J vaccine, as I thought I read that the Pope said that we should get whatever vaccine is available in order to combat the pandemic. Has the Pope’s direction changed? I also thought that J & J has stated that no fetal elements are included in their vaccine. Can you provide clarification?"
Fr. Chuck offers this guidance:-
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Vatican) has judged that "it is morally acceptable to receive Covid-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process."
The USCCB has encouraged all toward prompt vaccination saying "given the worldwide suffering that this pandemic is causing, we affirm again that being vaccinated can be an act of charity that serves the common good.”
We hope that everyone will choose for charity and the common good and get fully vaccinated at the earliest opportunity available. -
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Looking ThroughAnother Lens
We’d also like to share a different perspective on vaccinations for your consideration from an article in Crux. Recommended by Fr. Patrick Johnson, CSP (Fr. PJ), Fr. Chuck observes that the piece is very interesting and makes some good points. Here's a link to the article, Filipino Expert Urges American Catholics to Rethink Rhetoric on Vaccines.
Father Nicanor Austriaco
Photo ~ Dominican Friars Foundation
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Can You Help in The Vaccination Effort?
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Give Love! A Lenten Opportunity
Do you know a senior family member, friend, or neighbor who meets the 1B criteria? Are they struggling to get an appointment for their vaccine? This Lent consider this opportunity to give to those in need.
We've heard from many about frustrations encountered in getting appointments for the COVID vaccines. Some have said that getting an appointment is a full time job. Many in our community and across Austin need help in registering for the vaccine. They may also need help getting to the vaccination site.
In the video at right, we invite you to meet Camellia, a St. A parishioner. She developed and shared information to help others secure appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine. See Camellia's guide in the "Vaccine Resources..." band just below this one. Consider using it to help those in your circle!
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Important Notes ~
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This information was compiled and shared on February 24th. It will "age" quickly.
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With the new single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and increased availability of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, more appointments are opening every day.
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When booking vaccines for others, Camellia advises that you, make sure the recipient's NAME matches!! Generally you will need their: name, date of birth (DOB), phone, email. Further she advises that you skip any field you can on the application or registration, only enter data when the field is required.
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Like Camellia, a few other parishioners and friends of St. Austin's gained fluency in vaccinaton appointment success. If you or someone you know in 1B needs help getting their immunization, please contact Mitzi.
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Vaccine Resources In & Around Austin
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If you know of someone who needs help, we hope that these resources will be useful for you. Thank you for being alert to someone in need of this critical support. Please note, some of these vaccine opportunities are outside of Austin proper.
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HEB - allows you to schedule all over Texas. You'll need: name, address, DOB, phone, email. If scheduling for an elderly friend or family member, you can use your email address and phone number. Tip: keep refreshing until you see a spot, if you get a time, keep refreshing until you can hit “continue”. Keep hitting “continue.” After you get the slot, you have 10 minutes to book. Once you see appointments being released, just keep trying.
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CVS - requires you go through screener before booking appointment. If you see a list of vaccines and not covid, there will be a link. Note: This site also requires the most information, so you should generally know the person. Does allow you to schedule both!
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Walmart - requires a Walmart account
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Falls Church Vaccine Site - about 1.5 hours away from Austin. Tip: Wait until you see the times display - it will take some time. Don’t fill out and press ‘continue’ until you have a time.
Other opportunities for the vaccine ~-
Austin Public Health - Registration required to set up your account. Vaccination appointments are released on Tuesdays and Thursdays. When eligible, login to your account, and click the Schedule a COVID Vaccine button to schedule an appointment. For those who cannot access a location because of problems with transportation, internet, email, or computers, the City of Austin offers support. Please call 512-972-5560. Language Interpretation services will be provided at no cost to anyone in need of the service.
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UT Health Austin - Registration required. As COVID-19 vaccine is released by the Texas Department of State Health Services, UT Health Austin delivers vaccinations to patients who meet the eligibility criteria for priority vaccination.
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IMPORTANT! Newly Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols
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Governor Abbott Opens Texas
Dear parishioners and friends of St. Austin parish: I have a very serious request of you. When you come to church, or are around any of our clergy (priests or deacons) I ask that you please observe the minimum of six feet of separation for social distancing. We now have a variant of the disease that is more transmissible. It is easier to spread it to other people. And you can have this virus and not even know it. So, it is insidious.
We have been extraordinarily lucky at the St. Austin rectory that none of the Paulists have contracted the virus. In other Paulist houses, like New York, Chicago, Grand Rapids, they have been affected by the virus. Various priests of this diocese have contracted the disease. Holiness is no defense against this virus.
Because the priests here all live together, if one of us comes down with the virus, ALL of us will have to quarantine in place. That means that there will be NO priests able to say Mass for about two weeks. It is an all or nothing kind of situation.
Therefore, I request, no I insist, that when you come to church you maintain a minimum of six feet distance from all the parish staff. I know that this is hard, and difficult, and odd, but it is better than spreading the virus. We can get through this.
Before the covid pandemic I was not much of a hugger. But after this is all over, and we can again be in contact, I mean to put Fr. Steven Bell to shame in hugging. I too long to be able to stand close and carry on a lively conversation. But we cannot do that now.
Hopefully by Easter, or by Pentecost, with enough people inoculated against the virus, we can begin to relax these unnatural restrictions. I look forward eagerly for that day. But for now, please stay at least six feet away from me, and from all the priests.
THANKS.
Fr Chuck.
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Pope Francis: A Crisis Reveals What Is in Our Hearts
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Credit...Illustration by Najeebah Al-Ghadban; photographs by Getty Images
This Opinion was published by the New York Times on November 26, 2020
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An Opinion in the New York Times By Pope FrancisNovember 26, 2020
To come out of this pandemic better than we went in, we must let ourselves be touched by others’ pain.
In this past year of change, my mind and heart have overflowed with people. People I think of and pray for, and sometimes cry with, people with names and faces, people who died without saying goodbye to those they loved, families in difficulty, even going hungry, because there’s no work.
Sometimes, when you think globally, you can be paralyzed: There are so many places of apparently ceaseless conflict; there’s so much suffering and need. I find it helps to focus on concrete situations: You see faces looking for life and love in the reality of each person, of each people. You see hope written in the story of every nation, glorious because it’s a story of daily struggle, of lives broken in self-sacrifice. So rather than overwhelm you, it invites you to ponder and to respond with hope.These are moments in life that can be ripe for change and conversion. Each of us has had our own “stoppage,” or if we haven’t yet, we will someday: illness, the failure of a marriage or a business, some great disappointment or betrayal. As in the Covid-19 lockdown, those moments generate a tension, a crisis that reveals what is in our hearts.
In every personal “Covid,” so to speak, in every “stoppage,” what is revealed is what needs to change: our lack of internal freedom, the idols we have been serving, the ideologies we have tried to live by, the relationships we have neglected.
When I got really sick at the age of 21, I had my first experience of limit, of pain and loneliness. It changed the way I saw life. For months, I didn’t know who I was or whether I would live or die. The doctors had no idea whether I’d make it either. I remember hugging my mother and saying, “Just tell me if I’m going to die.” I was in the second year of training for the priesthood in the diocesan seminary of Buenos Aires.
I remember the date: Aug. 13, 1957. I got taken to a hospital by a prefect who realized mine was not the kind of flu you treat with aspirin. Straightaway they took a liter and a half of water out of my lungs, and I remained there fighting for my life. The following November they operated to take out the upper right lobe of one of the lungs. I have some sense of how people with Covid-19 feel as they struggle to breathe on a ventilator.
I remember especially two nurses from this time. One was the senior ward matron, a Dominican sister who had been a teacher in Athens before being sent to Buenos Aires. I learned later that following the first examination by the doctor, after he left she told the nurses to double the dose of medication he had prescribed — basically penicillin and streptomycin — because she knew from experience I was dying. Sister Cornelia Caraglio saved my life. Because of her regular contact with sick people, she understood better than the doctor what they needed, and she had the courage to act on her knowledge.
Another nurse, Micaela, did the same when I was in intense pain, secretly prescribing me extra doses of painkillers outside my due times. Cornelia and Micaela are in heaven now, but I’ll always owe them so much. They fought for me to the end, until my eventual recovery. They taught me what it is to use science but also to know when to go beyond it to meet particular needs. And the serious illness I lived through taught me to depend on the goodness and wisdom of others.This theme of helping others has stayed with me these past months. In lockdown I’ve often gone in prayer to those who sought all means to save the lives of others. So many of the nurses, doctors and caregivers paid that price of love, together with priests, and religious and ordinary people whose vocations were service. We return their love by grieving for them and honoring them.
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A Christmas Prayer
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By Howard Thurman
When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with their flocks,
then the work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
to heal those broken in spirit,
to feed the hungry,
to release the oppressed,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among all peoples,
to make a little more music with the heart.
And to radiate the Light of Christ, every day,
in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say.
Then the work of Christmas begins.
Learn more about the poet.
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We Remained Thankful
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Thanksgiving Prayer in the Year 2020Blessed are you God, Creator of all
who gave birth to the human family
and fashioned the earth
surrounding us with beauty
and bequesthing us it's plenty.
God of pilgrims and the homebound
of Native Americans and refugees
of essential workers and first responders
we come on our national day of Thanksgiving
in this time of plague and broken unity
and we pray we may move past separation
and bless You for what we hold in common.
We look forward to a better time
when families can gather
and loved ones can embrace,
grandparents can hold thier grandkids
and we have a vaccine for COVID-19.
We offer our gratitude for your blessings
made clearer against a backdrop of loss.
We bring thanks for all that is good:
family and friends, health and
abundant food
and the hope we gain from Your presence. We bless You for all
You've given usand we strive to be Your mercy and justice.
Amen.
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Paulist Thanksgiving Parade
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Our Parish Thanksgiving Liturgy
Watch our ~
Thanksgiving
Liturgy
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Our Lady Of Sorrows Memorial Prayer Service
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Paulist Foundations from Coast to CoastGather in Prayer, Song, and Reflection
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Together in Our SorrowTogether in Our Prayer
On the the Feast of our Lady of Sorrows, the Paulists observed a Memorial for COVID-19 Victims. Paulist parishes and foundations near and far joined together for this prayer service that remains available through this portal ~
Our Lady of Sorrows & COVID-19
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New Challenge to Connection - We took it on!
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St. Austin Connect-by-Phone Ministry
Human beings are social beings, and meaningful contact with others is vital to our wellbeing regardless of age or overall health. Our connect-by-phone program was designed for those interested in staying connected via phone. If you have any questions please contact Linda Carson at (512)589-2991.If you would like to receive phone calls or to call others, please email Stay Connected
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From the Parish Pastoral Council
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Link to Letter of June 21, 2020 by clicking on the photo below
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Masks for the Time of COVID-19 - Please Help!
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Make Masks
- Local furniture manufacturer Austin’s Couch Potatoes realized that their upholstery shop had all the materials needed to make face masks for medical personnel. These aren’t equivalent to the N95 masks that filter out some viruses, but these masks are good enough for some purposes. For the local sewing community, Austin Couch Potatoes assembled kits that make 50 masks, along with directions. Five criteria to receive a kit include (1) functioning sewing machine, (2) thread, (3) ability to sanitize assembly process, (4) ability to view instructional video, (5) agreement to make 50 masks. Austin’s Couch Potatoes sends a courier to the house to deliver the kit and to pick up the completed masks. Request a kit to make 50 masks here or visit their website.
- Parishioner Cindy Belcher, with husband Gary and their two adult daughters, pooled their talents for a month-long stint making face masks. While their production has stopped but if you’d like to make masks, Cindy can e-mail you mask patterns (adult, child, infant) and sewing instructions, as well as suggest possible sources of materials. E-mail her at [email protected].
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Give Masks
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Parishioner Amie Chopra of Austin State Hospital welcomes masks of any kind. Fastenings may be either elastic loops or ties. There are no other guidelines. Drop off finished masks at the front of the campus, 42nd St & Guadalupe.
E-mail [email protected] the day and time you will bring the masks, and she will tell security to expect you. The security guard can retrieve the masks from your trunk, and you don’t even have to get out of your car. -
Casa Marianella welcomes displaced immigrants and promotes self-sufficiency by providing shelter and support services. They posted an appeal for masks for their community. Contact Casa Marianella through their website to offer masks and learn about the incredible work they do every day.
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How do the experts deal with the risks?
