At St. Theresa you can live out your Catholic faith by serving others in one or more of these outreach ministries. Note: many of these ministries have been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.“Mercy is the Very Foundation of the Church’s Life” – Pope Francis others:
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a worldwide organization dedicated to providing short-term assistance for the needy. The St. Theresa chapter members work in pairs visiting families in need and assisting them with prayer, food debit cards or financial help to prevent eviction or the cutoff of utilities or to help with other emergencies. Ministers also direct people to other providers of assistance. Funds for this ministry come almost entirely from the St. Theresa parish monthly black bag collection.
Time Commitment: Members meet every Wednesday evening for 45 minutes and then provide additional volunteer time of about one hour a week. To volunteer contact Ned Ahearn at nedahearn@aol.com
If you are in need of assistance from SVDP, please see the helpful information on our parish FAQ page.
The Early Bird Taco Ministry serves the day laborers and homeless who gather at Austin Resource Center (ARCH). Early each Friday morning 50 to 100 men and women receive breakfast tacos, orange juice and vitamins from parishioners. This ministry needs shoppers to purchase food supplies, cooks to make about 100 breakfast tacos midweek in the Family Center, and “early bird” volunteers to meet early each Friday morning to warm-up the midweek tacos, make 100 more tacos and deliver breakfast to the hungry and appreciative folks at ARCH. Volunteer as often as works for your schedule. Contact Teresa Duncan at tadduncan7@gmail.com.
If you have lost a loved one or a dear friend and feel a need for support, please contact Sr. Ann Pennington at (512) 451-5121 ext. 1017 or at ann@sttaustin.org. Due to many parishioners being away on vacation, our grief support ministry does not meet during the summer but will resume in September.
"They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green." -- Psalm 92:14
The nursing home ministry helps Catholics in Assisted Living and nursing facilities stay connected to their faith and the Sacraments. The ministry provides a Communion Service on Fridays at Brookdale NorthWest Hills, and supports a Communion outreach weekly at Brookdale Spicewood Springs Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, and Rehab, as well as a monthly mass on the second Wednesday of each month. Nursing home ministers also lead a Rosary once a month at the Atria retirement home and spend time visiting with residents after the service.
The Minister of Senior Adults visits senior adult parishioners in assisted living and nursing homes as requested. Contact ann@sttaustin.org.
This ministry performs seasonal and Sunday food collections for the hungry in Austin. Drivers are needed to deliver collected food to Caritas. Contact ann@sttaustin.org to volunteer.
This year the Church celebrates the 25th anniversary of the landmark pro-life encyclical Evangelium vitae (The Gospel of Life). Written by Pope St. John Paul II, this prophetic document passionately reaffirmed the Church’s constant teaching on the value and sacredness of every human life. It remains a foundational text for all our efforts to ensure that the life of every human person is protected and cherished. (Most Reverend Joseph F. Neumann, Chairman USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities.
The annual Respect Life Program is a year-round, nationwide effort by leaders to help Catholics understand, value, and become engaged with building a culture that cherishes every human life. The U.S. bishops produce materials each year to assist you in these efforts. These materials can be found at www.respectlife.org .
Walking With Moms in Need Initiative
Pro-Life Committee Chairman of the USCCB, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, of Kansas City has asked bishops to invite their parishes to join a nationwide effort from March 25, 2020 to March 25, 2021 entitled: “Walking with Moms in Need: A Year of Service.”
This Year of Service will coincide with the 25th anniversary of Evangelium Vitae. . . (The Gospel of Life), a landmark encyclical by Pope John Paul II. The Pro-Life Committee is developing educational, pastoral, and action-oriented resources for parish use, including reflections on the teachings of Evangelium Vitae, Evangelii Gaudium. . . , and Laudato Si. . . ; prayers for building a culture of life; tools for documenting an inventory of local resources for pregnant mothers in need; and ideas and support for improving parish responses.
More information about the initiative can be found at www.usccb.org/moms-in-need
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The Social Outreach Ministry of St. Theresa Catholic Church seeks to promote the Catholic Social Teachings on building a just society in our parish and community through education, advocacy, and outreach to our less fortunate brothers and sisters. The committee meets the third Tuesday evening of every other month at 7:30 p.m. in Bldg. E, Rm. 102.
Pope Francis in Laudato Si' calls on the Church and the world to acknowledge the urgency of our environmental challenges and to join him in embarking on a new path. This encyclical is written with both hope and resolve, looking to our common future with candor and humility. The Holy Father's Encyclical on Care of our Common Home. In response to Laudato Si, our parish has formed a Creation Care Team to work with the Faith and Energy Action Team to learn from other congregations in our city, assess waste reduction options in our parish and to educate parishioners through ideas for being better stewards of God’s creation. See more information on the Paris Climate Agreement and the Ignatius Carbon Challenge.
One important social justice issue is human trafficking. Below is some note about a recent film on the subject.
Blind Eyes Opened Summary, February 2020
by Selma D'mello, parishioner
BLIND EYES OPENED is a first-of-a-kind Christian documentary that dives deep into the sex trafficking industry in the U.S. The film exposes the darkness that fuels demand, highlights survivors' transformations through Christ, engages lawmakers, law enforcement, organizations, ministries and experts across the country committed to ending the atrocities, all while showing Christ as the hope for all involved.
Did you know that Texas is ranked #2 in the nation for the most reported human trafficking cases?
Key Take-aways from the film:
Look up additional resources – blindeyesopened.com
Contact Sr. Ann Pennington, leader of our Social Outreach ministry ann@sttaustin.org to join this ministry or request more information. Join our Creation Care Team by contacting Selma D’Mello - sdmello_2000@yahoo.com
Catholic Charities of Central Texas
Allison Cavazos, Director of Social Services
Allison-cavazos@ccctx.org
Foundations Communities of Austin
Donna Williams, Community Outreach Manager
donna.williams@foundcom.org
Mary House Catholic Worker of Austin, Inc.
Lynn Goodman-Strauss, Founder and Director
theegglady@sbcglobal.net
Austin Clubhouse: Working for Wellness
info@austinclubhouse.org