Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken everyone by surprise. The staff of St. Augustine has tried to be present to you in every way possible. Thank you all for your support and your prayers.
On April 29, 2020, His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop Galveston-Houston issued a letter to the priests and another to the faithful of the Archdiocese offering initial guidelines for re-opening our parishes and churches for liturgies and the sacraments. He has given each pastor the freedom to use the guidelines and apply them according to the needs and abilities of the parish.
Public Masses Resume
We will begin to open the church gradually, adding Masses as attendance increases. Therefore, St. Augustine Church will resume celebrating public Masses, starting with the 5:30 pm Mass on Wednesday, May 13. Initially, the Sunday schedule will continue as we are currently following for our live-streamed Masses, primarily to allow time to sanitize the church between Masses. For more information, please go to www.staugustinecc.org or call 713-946-8968.
Weekday Mass Schedule: (Effective May 13, 2020)
Wednesdays: 5:30 pm
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays – 8:30 am
Weekend Mass Schedule (Effective May, 17, 2020):
Sunday: 9:00 am (English), 11:00 am (Spanish)
Live Streaming
We will continue to live stream both English and Spanish Sunday Masses.
Limited Capacity
We are limited to 25% capacity of the church, a maximum of about 100 people. After all of the sectioned-off pews are filled, we are obligated to close the doors. Because of the restriction on space, we are suggesting to those who can participant at daily Mass to consider their fellow parishioners who cannot attend daily Mass. For now, the obligation to attend Sunday Mass remains suspended, and that no one is required to attend Mass during this time of pandemic. Therefore, if you are able to attend Mass during the week and refrain from attendance on Sunday, it opens space in the church for others who may not be able to attend during the week.
Guidelines for Mass attendance at St. Augustine
Please note! The obligation to attend Mass remains suspended. If you are over 65, have a compromised respiratory or immune system, are at risk in any way, or are sick in any way, please do NOT attend Mass. We will continue to live stream Mass at 9:00 am in English and 11:00 am in Spanish.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
We will offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation, for now, on Wednesdays, beginning May 20 from 6:00 – 6:45 pm, or by appointment. Confessions will be heard in the chapel.
Parish Staff/Offices
Our parish was able to receive a loan through the Payroll Protection Plan. With this loan, we can pay our staff for eight (8) weeks. We are hopeful that our collections, by that time, will have resumed and will meet our budget needs.
Parish Finances
Because of the amazing generosity of a few of our parishioners, most of our ministries have continued and we have been able to attend to the needs of our parishioners who have reached out. However, our parish can only function by your direct generosity. We continue to discuss how we can, financially, afford ministry to you and keep our staff employed. Daily, we are evaluating our finances. The Finance Council will begin working with our staff to determine our budget for our new fiscal year (July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021). They are working to project our income, which directly determines the size of our staff and the ministries that we can provide. We encourage you to participate in our online giving through ParishSoft: https://giving.parishsoft.com/app/giving/staugustine If you are able, please continue supporting your parish.
More Information
Always check the website for updates and new information.
Be assured of my continued prayers. Meanwhile, let us be in prayer for one another.
Blessings and Peace,
Rev. Paul Foltyn, Pastor