The Friday E-Pistle

A message from Bishop Vásquez

Official appointments

• Msgr. Lonnie Urban has been granted retirement status as of July 3, 2017.
• Deacon E. Generes “Doots” Dufour has been granted retirement status, effective July 1, 2017.

Congratulations

Congratulations to all 2017 Lumen Gentium awardees. Thank you for joining Bishop Garcia and me at the Mayborn Center in Temple. The next Lumen Gentium awards ceremony will be in 2019.

Special collection: July 1-2

All parishes in the Diocese of Austin are to take up a special collection for Peter’s Pence at all Masses on the weekend of July 1-2. The following announcement should be read before all Masses that weekend:

• The Peter’s Pence Collection is taken up worldwide to support the most disadvantaged – victims of war, oppression, natural disasters and others in need of emergency assistance. Pope Francis has asked us to “care for those who are in need of attention, understanding and help, to bring them the warm closeness of God’s love through tangible actions of sensitivity, of sincere affection and of love.” The Holy Father uses the Peter’s Pence Collection to strengthen dioceses, religious orders and struggling communities of faith when they need it most.
• La Colecta Peter's Pence se recoge a nivel mundial para apoyar a los menos privilegiados – víctimas de guerra, opresión, desastres naturales y otras personas necesitadas de asistencia de emergencia. El Papa Francisco nos ha pedido que “cuidemos de aquellos que necesitan atención, entendimiento y ayuda, para llevarles la cálida cercanía del amor de Dios a través de acciones sensibles, de sincero afecto y amor”. El Santo Padre usa la Colecta de los Peniques de Pedro para fortalecer diócesis, órdenes religiosas y comunidades de fe en pleno conflicto  cuando más lo necesitan.

Reflection question

Gospel meditation

Consider using the following meditation for the 14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (July 9):

• Jesus and God, his Father, are so closely related that knowledge of Jesus gives knowledge of the Father, but this is not solely an intellectual knowledge. It is a knowledge based in experience – the intimate experience of a child and a parent. Jesus invites us to rest in him and become refreshed through knowing and loving him. How do we find time to rest in the Lord? How do we prioritize our relationship with God?
• Jesús y Dios, su Padre, están relacionados de manera tan cercana que el conocimiento de Jesús da conocimiento sobre el Padre, pero no es únicamente un conocimiento intelectual. Es un conocimiento basado en la experiencia -la experiencia íntima de un hijo y un padre. Jesús nos invita a descansar en Él y a renovarnos a través del conocerlo y amarlo ¿Cómo encontramos tiempo para descansar en el Señor? ¿Cómo damos prioridad a nuestra relación con Dios?

Young Adult Ministry

Survey of Young Adults

Young people (ages 16-30s) and those who know young people are invited to fill out a short survey at austindiocese.org/synod so that the Diocese of Austin may contribute your experiences to the 2018 Synod of Bishops called by Pope Francis on the topic of Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment. This survey will be available until Aug. 1, 2017. For more information, please contact Elizabeth Lagoe at (512) 949-2464.

Vocation Office

Parish’s Religious Vocations

The Vocation Office is compiling information for its annual religious vocation poster. This poster depicts women and men from our diocese who are aspirants, postulants, novices or temporary professed in religious communities. These women and men should either be born and raised in the diocese or have studied and/or worked in the area for a number of years. To submit information please contact or have them contact Adrian Sanchez by email or phone at (512) 949-2495. All submissions should be made by Sept. 1 and include name, religious community, stage of formation and home parish in the diocese along with contact information for the person and a headshot photograph.

Weekly notes

Bishop Vásquez’ prayer request

Please consider Bishop Vásquez’ prayer request for the 14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (July 9):

• For the Church, to proclaim the message of finding rest in the Lord especially in a world where being busy is mistaken as a sign of importance and success, we pray…
• Por la Iglesia, por que proclame el mensaje de encontrar descanso en el Señor, especialmente en un mundo en el que estar ocupado se toma erróneamente como un signo de importancia y éxito, oremos...

Ethics and Integrity in Ministry

EIM Workshop

Click here to login to your EIM account in order to find the EIM Workshop schedule and to Sign Up for a Workshop (bottom right of your account page). Please contact your parish or Catholic school EIM site administrator if you need assistance or if you do not have Internet access. For general information about EIM workshops, including instructions on how to login to your EIM account, click here.

EIM Workshops are scheduled by the EIM Office in coordination with the EIM site administrator at parishes, schools and other diocesan agencies; other staff members should work with their EIM site administrator regarding workshop requests. EIM site administrators may direct inquiries about EIM workshop scheduling to Emily Hurlimann in the EIM Office at (512) 949-2447.