Fr. Chuck's Column, August 7, 2016

We are already in August, and Summer is zipping by. What is going on with the renovation of the exterior of the church and rectory??? For about 8 weeks our plans have been in at the City of Austin Building Dept, awaiting approvals. We received a first set of comments on the plans after a month. The architects told us that on other projects they have in for permitting took two months to get back initial comments, so they were pleased we got ours with less delay. The issues were relatively minor, asking for a plumbing fixture count, information on a fire separation, and concern that the light fixture at the top of the tower may not comply with the City’s dark sky requirement. We can deal easily with each of these. I am hopeful that we will have final approval in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, our contractor has been soliciting prices from various subs on the job. Perhaps we can start demolition next month. Please continue to pray for a successful outcome of our project. The next Property Committee meeting is Aug. 10.

Before you know it school will be starting again: UT, St. Austin School, AISD, etc. And with the end of August our regular programming at the parish also kicks into high gear. We will be having a Ministries Fair on the weekend of Aug. 20-21 and the following week conduct Registration Weekend.  So I urge you to start thinking and praying now about participating more fully in your parish. We need your help. You can do it. If you are unsure about how you can participate more fully in the life of our parish, any of the priests, or any of the parish staff, or any of the Parish Pastoral Council members would be happy to talk with you and explore some possibilities. You can also check out our parish Guide Book & Directory for some great ideas. If you do not get a copy by Aug. 22, call the church office, and we will send you one.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO for St. Austin Catholic Parish.