“Mercy is the Very Foundation of the Church’s Life” – Pope Francis
By word and by example, Pope Francis reminds us that showing mercy to our brothers and sisters in need is “the very foundation of the Church’s life.” Many have been moved by the Pope’s U.S. visit and his call to serve the poor. Right here in our parish and in our community at large we have a number of opportunities to live out our faith in service to others:
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a worldwide organization dedicated to providing short-term assistance for the needy. The St. Theresa chapter members work in pairs visiting families in need and assisting them with prayer, food debit cards or financial help to prevent eviction or the cutoff of utilities or to help with other emergencies. Ministers also direct people to other providers of assistance. The SVDP chapter has a furniture request page to link those wanting to donate furniture with current requests for furniture. Funds for this ministry come almost entirely from the St. Theresa parish monthly black bag collection.
Time Commitment: Members meet every Wednesday evening for 45 minutes and then provide additional volunteer time of about one hour a week. To volunteer contact Gil Koss, gkoss@austin.rr.com
The Early Bird Taco Ministry serves the day laborers and homeless who gather at Austin Resource Center (ARCH). Early each Friday morning 50 to 100 men and women receive breakfast tacos, orange juice and vitamins from parishioners. This ministry needs shoppers to purchase food supplies, cooks to make about 100 breakfast tacos midweek in the Family Center, and “early bird” volunteers to meet early each Friday morning to warm-up the midweek tacos, make 100 more tacos and deliver breakfast to the hungry and appreciative folks at ARCH. Volunteer as often as works for your schedule. Contact Jeff Gordon at jeffgordonlawfirm@gmail.com.
If you have lost a loved one or a dear friend and feel a need for support, please contact Sr. Ann Pennington at (512) 451-5121 ext. 1017 or at ann@sttaustin.org. Due to many parishioners being away on vacation, our grief support ministry does not meet during the summer but will resume in September.
"They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green." -- Psalm 92:14
The nursing home ministry helps Catholics in Assisted Living and nursing facilities stay connected to their faith and the Sacraments. The ministry provides a Communion Service on Fridays at Brookdale NorthWest Hills, and supports a Communion outreach weekly at Brookdale Spicewood Springs Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, and Rehab, as well as a monthly mass on the second Wednesday of each month. Nursing home ministers also lead a Rosary once a month at the Atria retirement home and spend time visiting with residents after the service.
The Minister of Senior Adults visits senior adult parishioners in assisted living and nursing homes as requested. Contact ann@sttaustin.org.
This ministry performs seasonal and Sunday food collections for the hungry in Austin. Drivers are needed to deliver collected food to Caritas. Contact ann@sttaustin.org to volunteer.
The Social Outreach Ministry of St. Theresa Catholic Church seeks to promote the Catholic Social Teachings on building a just society in our parish and community through education, advocacy, and outreach to our less fortunate brothers and sisters. The committee meets the first Tuesday evening of every other month at 7:30 p.m. in Bldg. E, Rm. 102.
Pope Francis in Laudato Si' calls on the Church and the world to acknowledge the urgency of our environmental challenges and to join him in embarking on a new path. This encyclical is written with both hope and resolve, looking to our common future with candor and humility. The Holy Father's Encyclical on Care of our Common Home. In response to Laudato Si, our parish has formed a Creation Care Team to work with the Faith and Energy Action Team to learn from other congregations in our city, assess waste reduction options in our parish and to educate parishioners through ideas for being better stewards of God’s creation. See more information on the Paris Climate Agreement and the Ignatius Carbon Challenge.
Diverse Disabilities
Sr. Ann Pennington of St. Theresa chairs the Diocese of Austin Committee on Diverse Abilities and authored this article about their Day of Reflection for Diverse Abilities on April 6, 2019.
Catholic Charities of Central Texas
Allison Cavazos, Director of Social Services
Allison-cavazos@ccctx.org
Foundations Communities of Austin
Donna Williams, Community Outreach Manager
donna.williams@foundcom.org
Mary House Catholic Worker of Austin, Inc.
Lynn Goodman-Strauss, Founder and Director
theegglady@sbcglobal.net
Austin Clubhouse: Working for Wellness
Emily Edwards, Community Outreach Director
info@austinclubhouse.org