News RSS Feed

Last week the Bishop issued a letter stating his desire to return to near normal liturgical practices starting at the end of May. The Bishop was speaking about Catholic worship and sacraments. He wants parishes and parishioners to return to Church and to fulfill their Sunday obligation. He also wants us to celebrate Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals as near to normal as possible. We will continue to follow guidelines issued by Austin Public Health. These guidelines speak to wearing masks, social distancing and how many people can gather indoors in safety. Click this article to read Fr. Pat's full statement.

During the week of Monday, April 26 thru Friday, April 30, we will be replacing all of the entry doors and glass frontage in the Church. It is possible this work might continue into the early part of the following week but we will not know for sure until the job is in process. During this time, Adoration from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m., all noon Masses and the Tuesday evening Mass and Reconciliation will take place in Johnson Hall. Because we do not have cameras in Johnson Hall, these Masses will not be livestreamed during construction. We expect the Saturday Vigil and all Sunday Masses on May 1 and May 2 will take place in the Church.

This weekend, Bishop Vásquez issued a pastoral letter to the faithful informing us of his plan to rescind the temporary protocols for the celebration of the sacraments and lift the dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass on May 23, Pentecost Sunday. Click this article to read the full letter.

The Knights of Columbus will host a Drive-Thru Food Drive in support of the Abiding Love Food Pantry. They will collect your donated food items (cereal, soup, canned vegetables, canned beans, and peanut butter are suggested) on Sunday, April 25 and May 2 at the Abiding Love Lutheran Church parking lot between 1-3 p.m. Please remain in your car and the Knights will remove the bags from your vehicle.

Join us as we examine Wisdom: God’s Vision for Life, a new course from Ascension Press. After each of us watches the video lesson and reads the workbook, we will meet online via Zoom on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. for a discussion. This Bible Study will meet from Apr. 18 through Jun. 6. Click on this article for more information.

HAPPY EASTER! We prayed, fasted and gave alms—and now we rejoice because Christ is risen! Our journey with CRS Rice Bowl challenges us as we begin the Easter season to share the joy of having a loving God. Let’s do the same by being present to our global family by caring for their material and spiritual needs. Don’t forget to turn in your CRS Rice Bowl donations. You may donate online, place in the weekly collection basket, mail/drop off to the parish office. Thank you!

As we prepare for Easter, there are many activities this week at St. Catherine. On Wed., Mary's Way of the Cross will be held in the church at 1:30 p.m. Holy Thursday Mass will be celebrated at 7:30 p.m. On Good Friday, the Stations of the Cross will be held at 3:00 p.m. in the Church. The Passion Service will take place at 7:30 p.m. On Holy Saturday, we will have the Blessing of the Easter Baskets and Food at 9:30 a.m. in the Courtyard. The Easter Vigil Mass will be held at 8 p.m. The Parish Offices will be closed Thursday, April 1 through Monday, April 5.

Would you like to remember a loved one through a memorial gift of Easter lilies?  Your loved one's name will appear in the Easter bulletin and on the decorative donation board in the narthex to be displayed during the Easter services. A donation of $10 will help decorate the church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ. Deadline is Mon., March 29. Click here for more information.

On the nine days leading to the Feast of Saint Joseph, we will recite the Litany of Saint Joseph before all liturgies at St. Catherine. This includes all daily, Vigil and Sunday Masses from Thurs., March 11 through the Feast itself, Fri., March 19. We will have The Litany available as a physical prayer card in the Narthex beginning this weekend. It can also be downloaded from the website.

Contrary to the Governor's decision regarding masking and social distancing, we will continue with our current policy regarding these and other related issues. At present only a mere 7% of the Texas population has been fully vaccinated. We believe that it is too soon to make any substantive changes that may compromise the safety of our Parish community. Yours in Prayer, Fr. Pat and Sue

Most of our campus survived the historic weather of last week without any damage. Our one casualty was the water heaters affixed to the Parish Center by the kitchen entrance. These tankless heaters exploded causing water to flow into Johnson Hall. On Sunday, we found water flowing from the heaters and about ¼ of an inch of water on about 50% of Johnson Hall. With the help of the Knights of Columbus, we were able to remove the water quickly to avoid damage to the floor. For now, the Parish Center has no water until it can be repairs. We are grateful to the Knights for their help.

We are trying to be flexible and creative this year in the midst of the pandemic. We realize that not all parishioners may be able to physically come to the church to pick up reflection booklets. We have purchased a license for Ann Naffziger’s Words for the Weary: Embracing the Lenten Season after a Challenging Pandemic Year to make it available to the parish. Download these reflections for Lent and take a few minutes each day to think about our lives this year and entrust ourselves to God.

This has been such a difficult week for so many of our faith family. Many have lost power for bone chilling hours and now much of the City of Austin is dealing with the loss of water. The Church campus has been without water for two days and we do not expect water to be restored in time for our weekend Masses. Consequently, we cannot open the Church for this first weekend of Lent. Instead, we will livestream Masses at 5:00 pm on Saturday and 9:30 am and 1:15 pm on Sunday. There will be no Reconciliation on Saturday. Due to these Mass changes we will not be able to dispense any ashes this year.

All Masses and Services have been cancelled through Friday. (Ash Wednesday Services have been cancelled. As an alternative, distribution of ashes will be available BETWEEN the Sunday Masses on 2/21.) Parish Offices are currently closed. We will resume our normal Mass schedule on Saturday, Feb. 20, with Reconciliation, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, Mass at 5:00 p.m. 

Due to the continued inclement weather, we have cancelled ALL Masses and Reconciliation on Tues., Feb. 16. (No Daily Mass, Reconciliation, or 7:00 p.m. Mass.) Ash Wednesday Services have also been cancelled. Parish Offices are closed until weather permits safe travel.

Parish Offices are closed today in observance of Presidents' Day. Due to weather concerns, there will be no Adoration or Daily Mass today. Stay safe.

Due to the continued inclement weather, Ash Wednesday services are CANCELLED. As an alternative, distribution of ashes will be available between the Sunday Masses on Feb. 21.

Parishioners have been receiving emails and text messages from me asking for money and gift cards, sometimes saying they will be given as charity or to hospitalized children. These messages are NOT from me! There is a nationwide scam going on targeting priests. Do not reply to these messages. Do not send money. Do not buy gift cards. I am sorry that you have been inconvenienced. Contact the Parish Office to report any texts or email. With Love, Fr. Pat

Senior Ministry is hosting a special live online presentation, "Spirituality for 2021: Finding God" by Paula D’Arcy on Thurs., Feb. 4, at 10 a.m. (This presentation will not be recorded.) Everyone is invited. To participate, register by Feb. 3.

All women are invited to an upcoming virtual retreat entitled "Who Am 1? Who Did God Create Me to Be?" It will be held Sat., Feb 20, 8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. via Zoom. This morning of reflection will help you gain insights and clarity into your strengths and weaknesses in order to improve your relationships in your family, workplace and communities. Cost is $5. Register online on the parish website.