Diocese of Austin

In union with the U.S. bishops' consecration of our country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Bishop Daniel E. Garcia has decreed the following parishes as pilgrimage sites through July 4.

Sacred Heart, La Grange
Sacred Heart Rockne, TX
Sacred Heart, Waco

Learn more by visiting our diocesan webpage on the Consecration of the U.S. to the Sacred Heart: https://www.austindiocese.org/consecration-to-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus

"The Holy Father has asked bishops to acknowledge the 800th anniversary of St. Francis so that 'every faithful Christian, following the example of the Saint of Assisi, shall become a model of holiness of life and a constant witness of peace.'” - Bishop Garcia,

"In the Diocese of Austin, now through Jan. 10, 2027, three parishes serve as places of pilgrimage where people can pray and invoke the intercession of St. Francis and his counterpart St. Clare and earn a plenary indulgence. I am hopeful that on the feast of St. Francis, which is Oct. 4, our three parishes with St. Francis connections will have special celebrations honoring him."

Read Bishop Garcia's full interview here: https://austindiocese.news/st-francis-model-holiness-and-witness-peace

Bishop Garcia's Message for Father's Day
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My dear brothers and sisters: Today, we offer our gratitude for all fathers, living and deceased. In various ways these men have nurtured us, not only from the day we were born, but throughout our lives. In a world where ‘gratitude’ can be so easily forgotten, we set aside this day to call to mind the endless ways in which our fathers and father figures have been a source of inspiration, hope, courage and strength.

In our families today, the presence of stability amidst the storms of life can be so life-giving. Whether we are a child, teenager, young adult or an adult child, we will always be the son and daughter of our parents who have given us life.

Today, we ask St. Joseph, the guardian of the Holy Family and protector of families, to watchover fathers everywhere, to guide them and help them to know of the profound esteem and love that we have for them. For our fathers who have died, we thank God for the gift they have been to us. We ask God to allow them to celebrate the gift of eternal life and we ask them to continue to watch over us.

"The Catechism begins with an astounding claim: 'God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created [us] to make [us] share in his own blessed life.' (1) In other words, the infinite, invisible God wishes to share his own life with finite creatures of his own making. But between us and God there is an infinite difference and so God himself has to bridge the gap, raising our lowliness so that we can participate in divine life." - Doug Culp,

"The word we use for the way God extends a share of his divine life to us is grace. Grace is the free, unmerited help God gives us to make it possible for us to respond to his call to eternal life in communion with the Trinity."

Read the full story: https://austindiocese.news/grace

It was an evening of smiles and joy in Temple as Bishop Garcia celebrated the Lumen Gentium awards on June 16. Pastors nominated 87 individuals and couples who “shine with the light of Christ” for this honor. Congratulations to those who received the 2026 Lumen Gentium award.

Find more photos and the complete list of names of the awardees at https://www.austindiocese.org/lumen-gentium-award-honorees

A Special Opportunity for Those 70½ Years Old and Older!

If you’re looking for a tax-saving way to support support the diocese, your parish, or a Catholic school, you can give any amount (up to a maximum of $111,000) this year from your IRA directly to a qualified charity without having to pay income taxes on the money. This popular gift option is commonly called the IRA charitable rollover, but you may also see it referred to as a qualified charitable distribution, or QCD for short.

Learn more by visiting https://austindiocese.myplannedgift.org/give-from-your-ira

"Bishop Daniel E. Garcia dedicated the newly built church of St. Paul Parish in Austin on April 11 before a standing-room-only crowd of parishioners. The long-awaited sanctuary can accommodate 650 worshipers." - Alfredo E. Cárdenas, Senior Correspondent

"Schoenstatt Father Johnson Nellissery, pastor of St. Paul, said the new sanctuary stemmed from the fact that the existing multi-use structure was not meeting the parish’s needs... The previous sanctuary doubled as a parish hall and religious education center, housing eight classrooms."

"The parish’s founding pastor, Father Paul McCallum, celebrated the first Sunday Mass at the Williams Elementary School Cafeteria on Sept. 3, 1989. The first parishioners included airmen and their families from Bergstrom Airforce Base, transplants to Texas, and native Austinites. The community met at Williams Elementary for nearly five years."

Read the full story: https://austindiocese.news/new-sanctuary-blessed-st-paul-parish-austin

“No one wants to be 96 years old,” Mrs. Loris Edwards said with a German accent, “but I have to be grateful.”

Confined to a recliner in her home, the former long-time principal of St. Mary’s Catholic School in Temple said, “I find physical complaints tedious. It’s not that I am virtuous, but I learned what virtue is.”

Mrs. Edwards was born to affluent parents in what was German Silesia before World War II. She knew a happy home filled with frequent guests.

“In our house, we held dances and moved the tables to the wall. My father played piano badly and sang badly,” she said. “We laughed a lot.”

Despite their affluence, Milly and Artur Nickel lived a life of deep spirituality. Artur was educated by Jesuits, and Mrs. Edwards found out after the death of her mother that Milly had been a Franciscan Tertiary. Both had risked their lives to help Jews during World War II, something Mrs. Edwards also found out later.
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Read the full story by Norine Shaivitz, Correspondent, at https://austindiocese.news/loris-edwards-shares-her-love-her-faith-forgiveness-education