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Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend. Don't forget to set your clocks BACK 1 hour on Sun., Nov. 1 at 1 a.m. or you will be early for church!

All are welcome to bring a memento or photo of your loved one for the Dia de los Muertos altar to be displayed until In November, the "Book of the Dead" will be displayed in the Narthex for you to add the name of loved ones past.

One of our beloved parish customs is that on All Souls’ Day we offer an evening Mass to remember all the loved ones of our parish who have died in the last year. Families of recently deceased loved ones for whom we have prayed at weekend Mass or in a funeral liturgy have been sent letters confirming that their loved one’s name is on the list. If you wish to add a loved one to the list and have not already received a letter, contact Diane Bily no later than Fri., Oct. 23.

Our Giving Tree Program will be different this year due to COVID-19. We will not have tags to choose from or a food drive. Instead we are asking for donations of $25 Target, Walmart or Visa gift cards. These will be given to families in need chosen by our St. Vincent de Paul Society. We will also support five other organizations which include The Gabriel Project, St. Louise House, Casa Marianella, Posada Esperanza and Mary House Catholic Worker. The deadline to return your gift cards is Sun., Nov. 29. Find more details in this article.

On Sat., Nov. 7, the Knights of Columbus Council 8156 is hosting a Veterans Day golf tournament at Plum Creek Golf Club in Kyle. The Tournament is limited to 100 players and will use staggered tee times from  8:30 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. Entry fee is $125/player, $135 if you register after Oct. 30. Proceeds from this tournament support our Council and its 501c3 charitable organization Central Texas Charitable Works.

Fr. Paul F. McCallum, founding pastor of St. Paul Catholic Church passed away on Oct. 6. His funeral services will be held at St. Catherine of Siena this week. The Vigil and Rosary will be held on Wed., Oct. 14 from 6 – 8 pm. The Funeral Mass will be held on Thurs., Oct. 15 at 10 a.m. Masks are to be worn and social distancing observed at all services. Both services will be livestreamed on our parish website.

Fr. Lou will present the Bishops' document, "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, A Call to Political Responsibility." This presentation will be recorded and posted it on the website for later viewing.

St. Catherine’s Preschool is offering an At Home Preschool option for preschoolers ages 2 to 5 years old. This option is for families who want to continue to teach their children at home, but may not have the resources or time to develop lessons. Each set of lessons will be emailed weekly and be set up in a way that you will be able to choose from a variety of activities for your child. For more information email Camille Parker at camille.parker@stcatherine-austin.org.

The Diocese of Austin has asked all parishes to resume their normal Mass schedule starting on Oct. 4th. Saturdays, we will be available for Confessions on Saturday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The Vigil Mass will be celebrated at 5:00 PM. On Sundays, we will resume Masses at 7:30, 9:30, and 11:30 AM and 1:15 and 5:00 PM. We will continue with our existing Pandemic protocols at all Masses.

It is with deep sadness that we announce that our lovely receptionist, Esther Quintanilla, passed away on Sat., Sept. 12, after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was always so loving and welcoming to everyone that called or visited our offices and worked tirelessly to be sure that every need was met with calm and grace. Esther leaves behind her beloved husband, Roy Quintanilla, her mother Susie, and many siblings, children and grandchildren. May she rest in peace.

This year's annual fundraiser will be a virtual event held on Fri., Sept. 25, 7:30 - 9 p.m. Although this year’s event will be online, there will be plenty of action for you to enjoy. There will be a silent auction, discounted gift cards, wine pull and other events throughout the evening. This is a free event but you need to pre-register at CTCWAustin.org to visit the silent auction and purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win top prizes of $1000, $500, or $250. 

A new Bible Study on the Gospel of John will begin on Sun., Sept. 27. Sessions will meet online from 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. and will be hosted by Pam Neumann. We will use "Follow Me: Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John" an eight part study featuring Dr. Edward Sri from Ascension Press online. Click this article for more information.

Do you have questions about life? About God? Alpha is driven by the belief that everyone should have the chance to explore the Christian faith, ask questions and share their point of view, whatever they maybe. We will meet online on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m., join us!

We are excited to announce that our parish now has access to premium video content from Word on Fire through Flocknote. These films and videos feature Bishop Robert Barron who has been hailed as “one of the Church’s greatest messengers" and is the second most-followed Catholic in the world on social media (behind only Pope Francis.) He is best known for his CATHOLICISM film series and his Emmy-nominated Pivotal Players series. Click the title of the article for information on how to access.

Parents are now able to register their children in grades Pre-K through 12th grade for classes. This year our program will look different. In brief, we will not have online Zoom classes for elementary school students. We will also have one model of faith formation for everyone that we believe to be simple, meaningful and integrated. We hope that by the spring we might be able to move toward some in-person gatherings at the parish; however, out of an abundance of caution, we are not going to do that this fall. For more information regarding our program this year, visit our Faith Formation website at www.stcatfamilyfaith.com/.

Senior Ministry will host two online sessions in August. On Thurs., 8/13, join us at 10 a.m. for “The Role of Grandparents in the Spiritual Lives of their Grandchildren” by Sarah Pedrozo. On Thurs., 8/27, Fr. Lou Brusatti will present “How the Gospels Were Constructed, Part 3.” Both presentations will be online via Zoom and are open to the parish. Click the title of this article for more information and to register to receive a meeting link.

Terri Moser was a great supporter of eCatholic, the website provider for our church website. She believed in their mission since their founding in 2005. They have since become the largest provider of Catholic websites in the United States. To honor her legacy, eCatholic has recently created a website theme in her honor along with a special tribute to her. Terri spent many hours dedicated to our website. We are proud to announce this to the parish. Read more about the story at https://ecatholic.com/blog/moser.

We have renewed our subscription to Formed.org. Enjoy the content, which is suitable for adults, families and children. It is a great online resource for inspiring movies and studies, audio talks, and e-books. With FORMED you’ll find video programs that explain the Catholic faith, explore the deepest meaning of marriage, receive Bible studies on a variety of topics and includes inspiring audio talks. Different parish programs will be using materials as we go online with learning and building community. Visit formed.org/signup and select our parish.

Are you age 55 or older? Would you like more social interaction—especially during this pandemic? “Lifetime Connections Without Walls” is a telephone program that provides opportunities for isolated older adults to connect with others. They offer social and educational sessions, friendly conversation and support—all over the phone. There are 33 different sessions to choose from. This free program is offered by Family Eldercare and is open to all U.S. Residents. Click on the title of this article for more information or contact Rhonda Smith in Community Ministries.

Traditionally, Summer Challenge is a week of fun, faith formation and service for our middle school students. Teams come together to learn about our Catholic faith and the spirituality of service before being sent out around Austin to serve. This year, we have to be creative, we're not willing to let COVID-19 stop us! More than ever we need to help our young people learn to be part of the common good by putting others before themselves and give their time, talent and treasures. We are calling it the 2020 Summer Challenge CHALLENGE! It will take place the week of July 12. Click this article for more information on the program.