Adventures in the Archives

The history of St. Austin Catholic School dates back to 1917 when Fr. J. Elliott Ross, CSP, the pastor, prevailed upon Mother Pauline, superior of the Dominican Order, to start a parochial school for the new St. Austin parish.

The Paulists bought two small houses on San Antonio Street adjacent to St. Austin Chapel. The Sisters moved into one cottage and opened a school in the other cottage. The new school was named Newman School and enrolled 46 pupils in six grades.

In 1952 a drive for funds to build a larger school was begun and the new St. Austin School was dedicated in 1954.
           
Marina Thomas was an eighth grader at St. Austin’s School in 2003 when she shared some of her memories of being a student there for nine years.
           
“I realize how St. Austin’s is all I have ever known. There is a special connection between St. Austin’s and its students. I still remember when I was in kindergarten and I cried like so many others because my mother was leaving. The first graders in my class all reached out and told us we would be fine, that this was a new family we would learn to love just like the one we had at home.
           
There is a certain sense of community at St. Austin’s that is wonderful. Any time someone is in need, there is a team of people working to satisfy that need. When I was in the 6th grade, one of my classmates’ mother died. The entire school pulled together to make that family as comfortable as possible. Mothers made meals, fathers wrote letters, children said prayers.
           
And the teachers at St. Austin’s are the most fantastic people you have ever met. They introduce ways of learning that make you never want to stop. In second grade we read Mr. Popper’s Penguins. I don’t believe I have ever had more fun reading a book in my life.
           
In the 8th grade we read To Kill A Mockingbird. I have never been shown how to comprehend a book so well or taught to analyze every sentence with such thought. I felt that after reading that book, I could read any book.
           
Our technology program has grown immensely and is a very important aspect of our well rounded education. In our computer lab we have access to everything we would ever need to research a paper and there is always a teacher ready to help.
           
I am Catholic but no matter what religion you are, St. Austin’s helps you grow in God’s world. When I was young we had Mass buddies to show us our way. Now I am a Mass buddy to a 1st grader.
           
St. Austin’s has been the most important part of my childhood. For all the times I cried in the hallways, I laughed on the blacktop twice as much. I am proud to be a member of the St. Austin’s community.”
                                                                                               
Marina Thomas                                                                                               
St. Austin Catholic Parish Newsletter
June 2003
 

The month of May has a special feast day for St. Austin parish. On May 27, we honor St. Augustine of Canterbury, or St. Austin as he is known here, the patron saint of St. Austin church.   

When the Paulists accepted the invitation of Bishop N. A. Gallagher of Galveston to establish a center of missionary activity for Catholics and non-Catholics in 1908, they chose St. Augustine of Canterbury as the parish patron. St. Augustine brought the knowledge of the Christian faith and the Rule of St. Benedict to England in 596. Susan Kerr wrote in “The Spirt,” Summer 1989, that part of the Paulist charism is to meet people where they are, so the name of our church is an expression of their gift for evangelizing.

St. Augustine was named Archbishop of England and Canterbury became his see. The icon of St. Augustine of Canterbury is displayed near the side entrance of St. Joseph’s altar in the church. Icons are a form of sacred art and this one was created especially for St. Austin church by Nicholas Markell, a liturgical artist who works with the art of iconography from his studio in Hugo, MN. The entire process of creating an icon is one of study, prayer and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

The icon shows St. Augustine with his Bishop’s mitre, staff, and pallium. The pallium is decorated with five Fitchee crosses which display a pointed base. These crosses were often used by missionaries to push into the ground for daily devotions. Augustine’s pallium appears on his shield, in the upper left-hand corner of this icon. The cross of Canterbury is in the upper right-hand corner of the icon.

Thank you,
Mary Lou Gibson

In January 2001 the U.S. bishops unanimously approved a statement titled “Sudan’s Cry for Peace” that laments the slavery, torture, executions, religious persecution, and discriminatory laws of the Sudanese government.

Sudan was very much on the minds of the Paulist Fathers then when Fr. Patrick Hensy, CSP (the former director of the University Catholic Center) volunteered to spend part of his post-UCC sabbatical working with a Sudanese Roman Catholic bishop. The article stated that Fr. Pat was scheduled to return to Austin later that month in 2001.

In 2001, Fr. Patrick Johnson, CSP (then pastor) wrote that the bishops’ statements remind us that there is much we can do to envision the kingdom of God – a kingdom whose most prominent features are peace, love, justice, hope, and redemption. In that same message, the bishops encouraged Catholics to welcome immigrants into their parishes and church institutions.

The situation in Sudan remains chaotic as this ABC news website states: “US embassy staff in Sudan evacuated in ‘fast and clean’ operation.” (April 23, 2023)

Thank you,
Mary Lou Gibson
 

The Easter season has always been a time for many young parishioners to make their First Communion. The preparation and events for that special day have changed over the years.

Here are some memories a few parishioners shared of their First Communion from many years ago
Mary Kay Hemenway: “I remember my First Communion because our school was about two blocks from the church, and for First Communion, they arranged for policemen to come and block all the traffic on the street. We marched down the middle of the street in our little white dresses and the boys in their little suits.”
Dan Kaderka: “I remember that the girls were all dressed in white. The boys had to wear a white shirt and it was kind of an ordeal getting ready.”

Patti Waltermath: “I remember being scared I would do something wrong. Like drop the host, or you know, that it might fall. We had nuns and they were very strict. I remember receiving the host and how special I felt when I walked back to my seat.”

Phyllis Nugent: “It was December 8th and it was snowing. I remember it being such an awesome experience to me. The name of the church was the Immaculate Conception. We all had our white veils and our white hose and a big procession. It was a lovely day. The biggest challenge was getting there, because there was so much snow.”

Catherine Flahive: “We were excited about our clothes and the occasion which was so special. One little child wanted a drink of water and she couldn’t get the fountain to work because they had turned it off so we wouldn’t be tempted to drink water. At that time the fasting requirement was from midnight on – no water, no food.”

Mary Berwick: “I remember my Frist Communion in Dublin. My mother made my communion dress, which was a short dress with little cap sleeves. Because we didn’t have a car, my father ordered a taxi. I had my white shoes and my white socks. We had practiced in the church with unconsecrated hosts. It was, of course, the time when you had to be very careful that you didn’t bite it, and that you didn’t let it choke you.”
Elizabeth Grant: “I remember the preparation for it. We made banners. I remember shopping for the First Communion dress being a very big deal. I remember being very excited to eat during Mass. Because everybody else go to and I never did. That’s how I perceived it.”

Fr. Tom Foley, CSP: “It was a great day. It was at St. Theodore’s Church in Albert Lea, MN. I wore white pants, a white shirt and a blue blazer. I remember kneeling down and putting my hands underneath the communion rail cloth and putting my head back and sticking my tongue all the way out and quivering ready to receive Jesus.”
                                                                                           Susan Kaderka, April 1999
                                                                                           St. Austin Parish Newsletter
 

Intertwined in the practices, reflections and atmosphere of the season of Lent is a primary thread. An often unspoken theme pervades these forty days. This is a season of preparation for reconciliation. And in the whole movement of reconciliation there lies the truth of sin.

The concept of sin has become more and more uncomfortable for us. We would rather call it by another name, perhaps one with a psychological or even sociological flavor. However, as people of faith we are called to look at all of reality with “sacramental” eyes. Every aspect of my existence speaks of my connection with my Lord. So what is this pain saying to me?

Perhaps our focus for this forty-day retreat we call Lent could be this question: where is sin in my life? This investigation need not be one of self-punishment or give rise to fear. Instead it can be a chance to look within for the cause of a nagging pain that needs healing. For from the heart comes sin, but in the heart also resides goodness. And we are blessed with a sacred encounter that heals and strengthens, where sin is washed away, and goodness is given nourishment for growth – Reconciliation.

As Jesus challenged the man at the pool of moving water, “Do you want to be healed?”

                 Michael Flahive, Pastoral Associate
                                                                          St. Austin Parish Newsletter
January/February 2002

The celebration of Catholic Schools Week brings back some memories from more than 20 years ago when St. Austin Catholic School students celebrated the unique Paulist influence on the parish and school community.    
In January 2001, Paulist Heritage Week honored the eight Paulist Fathers then in residence at St. Austin. The priests received handmade cards and pictures. Parents prepared and served lunch on the Paulists’ feast day, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. Students learned more about the Paulists and their charism through daily readings from Isaac Hecker. Students and teachers were also treated to doses of Paulist trivia.

Each priest visited the class that adopted him and answered questions and shared about his life. “The Paulist Fathers teach us how to treat each other, so they must be a very important influence on our relationship with peers,” said eighth grader Greg Maher. Other Paulist trivia that made an impression on the students when they learned that Paulist founder Isaac Hecker was a convert to Catholicism and the Paulists were the first order of priests founded in America.

This Paulist Heritage Week was a first for St. Austin Catholic School.

                                                                                               ~Michelle Sneed

February 2001
St. Austin Parish Newsletter

It was 20 years ago in December 2002 when something happened that radically changed the expansion and renewal of our parish facilities. Here is how Pastor Rev. Patrick Johnson, CSP described this event in the January 2003 St. Austin Catholic Parish Newsletter.

“It was a week and a half before Christmas and I was dropping something off to Bishop Gregory Aymond’s secretary when the bishop called out from his office, ‘I hear you’ve bought yourself a gas station.’ 

It was on December 6th, 2002, with the strong encouragement and support of Bishop Gregory Aymond and the diocesan staff, that St. Austin Catholic Parish made an offer to purchase the property on the northwest corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and San Antonio Street, just across the street from McDonald’s.

The site was currently being used as a contract surface parking lot, but many of you will remember it as the site of the old Choate’s gas station and, later, auto repair shop. To find property that close to our campus is a break we have not had in many, many decades. If we can reach an agreement with the seller and if the property becomes ours, we have some new options and gain some flexibility. This opportunity is truly Spirit-sent!”

And truly it was Spirit-sent, because we were able to buy that property and our parish parking garage and office space were built on that corner.

2021 Archives

2022 Archives