Bishop Joe Vásquez of the Diocese of Austin has done it again. People are protesting. Among the protesters are former Austin Mayor Gus Garcia and local activists. And people are upset. According to the local paper, “More than a dozen Catholic parishioners” are upset. Yup, Bishop Joe has done it again. He’s stood up for… [Read More]

Continued from Part 1. That first Mass I visited with my fiance (we’ll call him Tom) was an experience I’ll never forget. I had been reading about Catholic theology, but had done next-to-no research about what actually happens at Mass. I scoured message boards, trying desperately to find a post that broke it down into… [Read More]

I was on a retreat last summer when my friend Elizabeth, a novice with the Servants of the 11th Hour, taught us to pray “and bless the hands that made the food” after grace. At first, I was a little flattered as I was one of those who helped cook lunch. By end of the… [Read More]

When this post goes live, there will be just twenty days remaining before Easter Sunday.  I can’t help but wonder where the time has gone. It seems like just a few days ago when we entered into prayer and fasting on Ash Wednesday.  The whole season of Lent, with its promises of sacrifice and devotion,… [Read More]

The fact that God permits physical and even moral evil is a mystery that God illuminates by his Son Jesus Christ who died and rose to vanquish evil. Faith gives us the certainty that God would not permit an evil if he did not cause a good to come from that very evil, by ways… [Read More]

“Life without Jesus, is like a donut, like a donut, like a donut. . .” Rob Evans, aka, The Donut Man, penned the song that was the overarching musical theme of my childhood. (For all you cradle Catholics who haven’t a clue what I’m talking about, the punchline to the song is ‘Cause there’s a… [Read More]

This past Sunday Archbishop Timothy Dolan took another step towards cementing his position as one of the leading voices in the American church. In an interview conducted on “60 Minutes” the Archbishop tackled the subjects that are always at the forefront when anyone from the Church is put in front of the camera. Those being… [Read More]

[The following posting, written by Joe Sales, originally appeared on his blog on April 25, 2010 and is reprinted with his permission.]  There are so many prayers i have gotten to know over the years. If  someone were to ask me the question, what are your favorite prayers? Well in all honesty, the prayers that reach heaven  And yes i… [Read More]

Each month, the Pope asks the Catholic world to join him in a common prayer. This month, we pray that the Church may offer new generations, through the believable proclamation of the Gospel, ever-new reasons of life and hope. For our missionaries, we pray that missionaries, with the proclamation of the Gospel and their witness… [Read More]

I’m a story-teller. I love to write and I am a photographer. Short stories, poetry, blogs, faith reflections, a single photo or a series of photos… pretty much anything that can evoke a sense of peace, a sense of worry, a sense of anger, a sense of joy, a sense of faith, or evoke memories… [Read More]

My wife and I moved last summer from a little condo to a house. In both cases, there was a homeowners’ association (HOA). Our previous HOA wasn’t very active–there were a few active folks, but everyone else was apathetic. The new place is a whole different story. Many active people in many different committees and… [Read More]

This past Friday, people from all over the country and the world converged on Austin for South By South West. Most people quickly associate SXSW only with partying and wild fun, and while there is a lot of that, it’s not all that South By is about. Austin gets a unique opportunity to be on… [Read More]

Why do we need New Media? What do blogs, podcasts, web sites, viral videos and other virtual expressions of faith have to add to the mission of the Church?  After all, we went almost 2,000 years without access to these means of communication and the Church has done pretty well for herself, hasn’t she? There is… [Read More]

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to discuss new media with a group of people, some for new media some against. Now I love a good debate, and in the early days of my reversion, I would often find myself “picking a fight” with anyone who wasn’t Catholic or “not Catholic enough” in my… [Read More]

Be Active in Promotions, Not Passive. It’s easy for those of us who use New Media to be detached from our followers, to just put up information about an event and expect people to come of their own volition. Truth is, social media is passive and best when given to its audience, not just available… [Read More]

With an institution as rich in tradition as the Church, tradition can sometimes be seen as “stuck in the past”. Many times, this is for good reason and, truth be told, good to not be swept up in the latest fad. In the realm of communications, however, by definition, the need to reach out and… [Read More]

Pope Benedict’s general prayer intention for March is: “That the nations of Latin America may walk in fidelity to the Gospel and progress in justice and peace”. His mission intention is: “That the Holy Spirit may give light and strength to those in many regions of the world who are persecuted and discriminated against because… [Read More]

I remember my first impression of Austin Catholic New Media. Or rather, my first misconception. It was along the lines of, “Um, what’s the big deal?” New media was commonplace to me. Aren’t Catholics already utilizing it to fulfill JPII’s call to a New Evangelization? But, that was over four months ago. Today, I couldn’t… [Read More]

New and Social media have changed the way we communicate, consume media and news.  For me, it also changed the way I learn about my faith. Five years ago when I had my reversion and came back to the faith I didn’t have a clue what it meant to be a real Catholic and I… [Read More]