Effective February 1st, we will be reopening the Parish Center for group meetings. Please contact the Administration Office at (512) 892.2420 to schedule meetings.
The City of Austin has moved into Stage 5 of Covid risk-based guidelines due to the Omicron variant spreading rapidly affecting both those who are vaccinated and those who are not. For these reasons, we are asking everyone at Mass to wear a mask and that unrelated people try to space themselves at least 3 feet apart. In January, we cannot allow groups to meet in the Parish Center. We may need to extend these limitations into February once we see how long this Omicron surge continues. We appreciate everyone's continued cooperation.
We have updated the schedule for our live stream Masses. As of May 23, 2021, the following Masses will be live-streamed: All Daily 12:00 p.m. Masses, the Saturday 5:00 p.m. Vigil Mass, and the Sunday 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Masses. You can access these Masses from our Watch Mass live page.
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.
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
Fr. Pat has issued a statement regarding safety protocols and the commitment of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church. At this time, parish offices will be closed to the public, all church business should be conducted by phone. To read his full statement, please click the title of this article.
On Thursday, April 30, 2020, Bishop Joe Vasquez issued a decree authorizing the parishes of the Diocese to begin to offer Masses and Sacraments with the people of the parish present. The celebration of public Masses will resume under very restricted conditions beginning on Tuesday, May 5. The Bishop has also given a dispensation from attending Mass to those over 65, those who have underlying health conditions or those who feel unsafe attending, and to those who live with persons in these circumstances. The arrangements we are about to announce are temporary. (Click the title of this article to read the full letter from Fr. Pat)
This is the online version of our Liturgy of the Word with Children Palm Sunday for the community of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Austin, Texas, USA. Enjoy, and may God bless you! Thank you to Miss Monica, Miss Connie, and Mr. Jimmy!
This is the online version of our Liturgy of the Word with Children on the 4th Sunday of Lent for the community of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Austin, Texas, USA. Enjoy, and may God bless you! Thank you to Miss Monica, Miss Connie, and Mr. Jimmy!
Due to the Bishop’s Decree, we have cancelled the Easter Lily Memorials for this year. For those who have already contributed, we intend to purchase flowers to dress the Altar on Easter Sunday and will place the names of the loved one’s remembered with those flowers in the bulletin. Thank you.
We will be live streaming Masses from St. Catherine at the following times: Daily Mass will be live streamed daily at 12 p.m., Monday through Friday; Sunday Mass will be live streamed at 9:30 a.m. Simply click the "WATCH MASS LIVE" button on the parish home page to access.
Hi from Fr. Pat. Just as I am sitting down to write these words a member of staff just said down the corridor, “I think I am walking in a fog.” None of us knows how to behave in this crisis. What are the right decisions to make? Do I really have to stay at home all day? Surely I can go to the Church. Maybe the Parish Coffee shop is open? I can hang out there for a few hours. I confess I never bothered with it before but now I need it desperately. Unfortunately, the Coffee Shop is closed. As the Pastor I have to make decisions that affect your lives right now. My bottom line is to think about public safety. (Click title of this article to read the full letter.)
On March 17, the Diocese of Austin released a Decree stating that all public Masses within the Diocese of Austin are suspended until Wednesday of Holy Week. St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church is assessing the situation and working on ways to reach our parish community, including streaming live Masses. We will be updating our parish website and parish Facebook page to reflect the latest news as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience. Click here to see the Decree.
In accordance with restrictions placed by local government on gatherings of more than 10 persons, St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church has suspended Masses and confessions pending additional instructions from Bishop Joe Vásquez. The parish is preparing to offer live- and on-demand streaming of daily Masses; this capacity should be in place on or before Fri., March 20. Any effect on the Sunday Mass schedule will be made known prior to each subsequent weekend; please check the parish website before attending Mass. We regret any inconvenience caused by the effects of the current outbreak, and are grateful for the patience of the parish community as we endeavor to employ best safeguards and practices while remaining obedient to our Bishop and in compliance with all government mandates. Thank you.
The Mayor of Austin has further restricted gatherings to no more than 10 persons. The 7:00 p.m. and Confessions today have been cancelled. We will provide further information regarding Mass scheduling shortly. Thank you.
(March 15, 2020) Following an order by the City of Austin and Travis County, as of 2 a.m. March 15, parish gatherings are restricted to 250 people. The order goes through May 1. The limit applies only to parishes within the City of Austin and Travis County. Bishop Joe S. Vásquez has decreed that anyone unable to attend Mass because of this order is dispensed from the obligation of attending Sunday Mass. Click here for the full announcement from the Diocese of Austin.
We have learned that the City of Austin has restricted all gatherings to less than 250 people, including Church services. The Bishop has asked all Pastors to try to comply. Sunday's Mass schedule will still be followed. However, the number of people in the sanctuary will be limited to 250. Additional people will be directed to the Parish Center to watch the live-feed. The number in the Parish Center will also be limited to 250. Our total capacity is 500. Your attentiveness to your personal health and that of our Community is of paramount importance.
For the health and safety of the community, in light of the Coronavirus Pandemic, we have decided to cancel the Parish Service Day. Many of the sites that were to be part of Service Day have already indicated that they will no longer allow volunteers to visit. This event will be rescheduled in the future.
IN RESPONSE TO A DIRECTIVE FROM BISHOP JOE VÁSQUEZ, St. Catherine of Siena Parish will be instituting measures and practices to help safeguard parishioners and visitors from the current threats of illness and disease being experienced in more and more places. These measures will begin in earnest beginning on March 2nd. We will temporarily discontinue the distribution of Communion directly on the tongue, as well as under the form of the Precious Blood. The Diocese has also asked that communities refrain from the practices of holding hands during the Our Father and of shaking hands at the Sign of Peace, and that holy water be removed from places where it is uncirculated and unfiltered. We will be in complete implementation of the Bishop’s directives during the next week, and we ask and appreciate your understanding as we seek to do all we can to prevent the spread of illness.