Everything is operating normally here. The Capitol Tower garage is open for parking again.
As we are under a boil water notice, please do not drink the tap water or from the water fountains here.
Our offices will be open and we wil have a normal schedule this week. There are no Confessions on Tuesday of this week due to a priests day of prayer in the morning.
Our diocesan Catholic Charities office is offering disaster relief assistance for those who have been and are still affected by the winter storm. Information can be found here.
At this point, we anticipate that all weekend Masses will occur as normally scheduled. We are very blessed to have water and power. We did experience a burst pipe with flooding in the school office building and the bride's room bathroom is still thawing and we anticipate some damage (if you know where the water cut off for the middle building is, we would appreciate your help). We are currently assessing the rest of the campus for damage.
There will be an additional Extraordinary Form Mass today at 5:30 PM. Stations of the Cross will follow at 6:30 PM.
A few additional notes if you plan to come to Mass or Stations:
For all Catholics in the Diocese of Austin, in recognizing the difficulties experienced over the past few days by so many, including the inability for some to secure food for themselves and their families, Bishop Joe S. Vásquez has dispensed all from the obligation to fast and abstain from eating meat for this Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021 and Friday, Feb. 19, 2021 (Canon 87§1).
This unprecedented weather event only compounds the suffering our community has endured together throughout the pandemic. Bishop Vásquez asks each of us to pray for those who are suffering in the cold and, if possible, to offer support where we can. On this Ash Wednesday, he also calls each of us to turn to God, knowing that God will never leave us to face our challenges alone.
We will have 6:30am and 12:05pm Daily Masses on Thursday and Friday of this week and Confessions also from 11am-11:50am.
There is no fish fry this Friday but we will have Stations of the Cross at 6:30pm.
Because of the anticipated difficulty of travel, the Ash Wednesday Mass Schedule has been modified as follows. All services will be streamed. You can find the readings here. Please note our internet has been affected by the cold and the quality may be poorer than usual:
Also, the heat in the Cathedral is not working well and temperatures within the building are hovering in the mid-40s. The parking ramp at Capitol Tower is closed due to the fire life safety system down. The freezing temperatures have caused damage to the sprinkler system.
ASH WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE:
6:30 am English Mass - CANCELED
8:00 am English Mass - CANCELED
9:30 am Mass (Ordinary Form, English)
11:00 am Liturgy of the Word - CANCELED
12:05 pm Mass (Ordinary Form, English)
12:15 pm Liturgy of the Word (Bishop's Hall) - CANCELED
2:00 pm Liturgy of the Word - CANCELED
3:45 pm EF Low Mass - CANCELED
5:30 pm Mass (Ordinary Form, Spanish)
7:00 pm Mass (Extraordinary Form, Latin)
Livestream links:
Streaming Video Page
FB Live Page
The Blessing and Distribution of Ashes will take place at all of the services held on Ash Wednesday. There will be no distribution of Ashes on other days per the liturgical norms.
Here are some ideas for how you can live Lent this year.
The Cathedral office will be closed Tuesday, February 16th. Please contact us at office@smcaustin.org for any questions and inquires. Keep up to date on our website www.smcaustin.org/alerts God bless.
At this point, all Masses will continue as scheduled. However, in light of the weather, please exercise prudence when deciding whether to travel today. If road conditions are not good in your area, please stay home, and pray with those in the Church from afar. If you cannot come to Mass because of the weather, your obligation is dispensed (this constitutes a grave reason to miss Mass per Canon law c. 1247-1248.1). We will monitor weather changing conditions and communicate any changes as necessary.
CYA Cardinal Virtue Study will be all online. Look for a link in the GroupMe and via flocknote.
As of this time (1 PM, 2/13/21) Masses, tomorrow, February 14th, will be held as normally scheduled. Nevertheless, in light of the weather, please exercise prudence when deciding whether to travel tomorrow morning. If road conditions are not good in your area, please stay home, and pray with those in the Church from afar. If you cannot come to Mass because of the weather, your obligation is dispensed (this constitutes a grave reason to miss Mass per Canon law c. 1247-1248.1). We will monitor weather changing conditions and communicate any changes as necessary.
Due to the inclement weather, the Cathedral office will be closed Monday, February 15th. If you have questions or inquires, please e-mail office@smcaustin.org Updates regarding the office hours will also be available on the website. God bless. Keep up to date on our website www.smcaustin.org/alerts