The Friday E-Pistle

A message from Bishop Vásquez

Permanent Diaconate ordinations

All are invited to the permanent diaconate ordination of 17 men on Nov. 19 at 10:30 a.m. at St. William Parish in Round Rock.

Office closures

All diocesan offices will be closed Nov. 24-25 for the Thanksgiving holiday. Offices will reopen on Monday, Nov. 28.

E-Pistle schedule

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the E-Pistle will not be published on Nov. 25.

V Encuentro

The V Encuentro  is a process of reflection and action that invites all Catholics in our diocese to become authentic and joyful missionary disciples. The V Encuentro is an invitation for us to have a renewed vision that can develop effective pathways to engage the Hispanic/Latino community. Forty percent of growth in registered Catholic parishioners between 2005 and 2010 was from Hispanics or Latinos. The V Encuentro process is ongoing in our diocese; the last introductory session is Nov. 19 at St. Anthony Marie de Claret Parish in Kyle. The session will begin at 8 a.m. Presentations will be made in English and Spanish. Registration is not required but encouraged. For more information, call (512) 949-2426.

Reflection question

Gospel meditation

Consider using the following meditation for the First Sunday of Advent (Nov. 27):

• In our busy lives, we have the tendency to run from one event or project to another. In the midst of our business, are we running toward the Lord or have worldly distractions and concerns captured our attention? Advent is a season of preparation. Are your daily tasks done for God’s glory? Are you prepared to meet the Lord at any moment?
• En nuestras vidas ocupadas, tendemos a correr de un evento o proyecto a otro. En medio de nuestros negocios, ¿estamos corriendo hacia el Señor o las distracciones y preocupaciones mundanas han acaparado nuestra atención? El Adviento es un tiempo de preparación. ¿Realiza sus tareas diarias para la gloria de Dios? ¿Está preparado para recibir al Señor en todo momento?

Vocation Office

Dominican retreat

The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist invite young Catholic Women ages 16 to 32 to attend a Vocation Discernment Retreat. The retreat is Dec. 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Convent in Buda. The retreat includes Eucharistic Adoration, Mass and the Divine Office prayed with the sisters, talks and testimonies about women’s religious life and discernment, and more. Come with an openness to seek a deeper relationship with Christ and a desire to know the path of holiness. Registration is $25 per person. Click here for more information or to register.

Stewardship and Development

CSA Follow-Up Weekend

Follow-Up Weekend for the Catholic Services Appeal is Nov. 12-13. Pulpit announcements, prayers and more are available online in English and Spanish on the CSA web page.

Return instruction for CSA pledges

A reminder to send the first two parish batches in your Return Mailer to the processing center in Connecticut. The remaining smaller batches should be returned to the Stewardship and Development Office and we will process them. If you have questions, please contact Lisa Rosenberger at (512) 949-2450.

Weekly notes

Bishop Vásquez’ prayer request

Please consider Bishop Vásquez’ prayer request for the First Week of Advent (Nov. 27):

• For our communities of faith, that, by being attentive to Christ’s constant presence, we may be prepared to greet Christ when he comes again, we pray …
• Por nuestras comunidades de fe, que, estando atentos a la presencia constante de Cristo, podamos prepararnos para recibir a Cristo cuando venga de nuevo, oremos ...

Ethics and Integrity in Ministry

EIM Workshop

Click here to login to your EIM account in order to find the workshop schedule and Sign Up for a Workshop (bottom right of your account page). Instructions are provided in case you do not recall how to login to your EIM account. 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, please click here.

EIM Workshops are scheduled by the EIM Office, coordinating with the EIM site administrator at parishes, schools and other diocesan agencies. Staff of any site wishing to host a workshop should coordinate with their EIM site administrator. If the site administrator has arranged workshop details with a facilitator, then an email to the EIM office with those details is sufficient to request a workshop; otherwise workshop requests should be made by the site administrator using the Workshop Request Table. EIM site administrators may direct inquiries about EIM workshop scheduling to Emily Hurlimann in the EIM Office at (512) 949-2447.