Vocations start in families, bishop tells ADCCW
Catholic Spirit, June 2010, In Our World
By Shelley Metcalf
Catholic Spirit Staff
“Moving Forward with Faith and Joy” was the theme of the 61st annual convention of the Austin Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (ADCCW) held April 26-27 in Austin.
Bishop Oscar Cantú, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, was the keynote speaker at the convention. He said the Year for Priests has given the universal church the opportunity to reflect on what a great gift Christ gave to us when he instituted the Eucharist and the priesthood.
“Jesus wanted to remain present in the heart of the church, so he gave us the priesthood beginning with his disciples,” Bishop Cantú said.
First the disciples were Jesus’ friends. They spent several years with him, listening to his teachings, witnessing his miracles. Friends trust one another; they open up their minds and hearts to one another; they speak the truth to one another, the bishop said.
“Jesus invites each of us to the same type of friendship,” he said. “We must teach our children and grandchildren this concept of friendship with the Lord.”
Vocations often come naturally out of such friendships, Bishop Cantú said.
“When I came to realize Christ was a friend I could trust, I realized he would not call me to do something I could not handle,” he said. “As priests ,we trust the one who call us. Though we do not know the future, we trust that God will provide.”
He went on to say to the 200 or so women in attendance, priests don’t come from the moon nor do they grow on trees. They come “from families like yours and mine.”
The domestic church, the family, is the first place a child comes to know God. The family, he said, is where young people learn to hear the voice of God and learn to trust him.
The ADCCW seeks to unite Catholic women in the diocese in purpose and direction. The organization serves as a medium through which Catholic women can speak and act as a unit on matters of public interest.
The Clerical Endowment Fund (CEF) is a major project of ADCCW. It provides tuition for seminarians and provides loans to diocesan parish building programs. During the convention banquet, the CEF presented a check of $106,104.32 to Msgr. Mike Sis, who represented Bishop Joe Vásquez at the event.
“I will make sure to deliver this check faithfully,” Msgr. Sis said. “Every year the diocese is grateful for the good work of the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women and for their outstanding generosity.”
To date, the ADCCW has given more than $3.2 million to the Austin Diocese to help pay for educating seminarians. The money originates in the form of personal enrollments, bequests from estates, special donations and annual drives in diocesan parishes.
This year 10 burses were named for several priests and long-time supporters of the ADCCW.
A burse was named for the First Catholic Slovac Ladies Association #77 of West, which is one of nearly 450 branches across the U.S. The association offers life insurance, visits the sick, assists in times of disaster and offers scholarship programs for young members.
A burse was named for Msgr. Bill Brooks, who is the pastor of St. Theresa Parish in Austin. He was born in Ohio, and ordained a priest of the Austin Diocese in 1976. He has served at parishes in College Station, Luling, San Marcos, Waco and Austin.
A burse was named for Msgr. John McCaffrey, who is the pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Bryan. He was born in New Hampshire, and was ordained a priest of the Austin Diocese in 1976. He has served St. Joseph Parish in Bryan for nearly 25 years.
A burse was named for Father Howard Goertz, the pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Kyle. He was raised in the Rockne/Bastrop area and was ordained a priest in 1977. During his 20 years as pastor of St. Anthony, he has seen the parish grow tremendously as more people settle in the area just south of Austin.
A burse was named for Father Leon Strieder, who teaches at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston. Prior to his ordination to the priesthood in 1976, he studied theology in Rome. He worked in campus ministry at Texas A&M University, as well as serving at parishes in Austin, Round Rock and Taylor.
A burse was named for Father Bernard Goertz, who was ordained a priest in 1952. He served as a chaplain in the National Guard and he has pastored several parishes in the diocese. He retired in 2007, and celebrates weekly Masses in two Bastrop nursing homes.
A burse was named for Bishop W. Michael Mulvey, who became bishop of Corpus Christi earlier this year. He was ordained a priest of the Austin Diocese in 1975 and served the diocese in various capacities before being named bishop of Corpus Christi.
A burse was named for Father Robert Becker, the pastor of St. Mary Parish in Lockhart. He had planned to teach science, but felt called to the priesthood and was ordained in 1979. He has served at St. Louis Parish and Sacred Heart Parish in Austin.
A burse was named for Bishop Joe S. Vásquez, who was installed as the fifth bishop of Austin on March 8. He was born in Stamford and studied for the priesthood in Rome from 1980 to 1985. He was ordained a priest of the San Angelo Diocese in 1984, and ordained a bishop in 2002 for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
A burse was named for Edward Anthony Till, who is the son of Mary Ann and Alfred Till of San Marcos. He works for the Department of Public Transportation in San Marcos and enjoys traveling.
For more information about the Austin Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, visit www.adccw.com.