I will be on vacation from July 16 to August 4.  I am going to the mountains of Ruidoso, NM where the high temperatures average about 80 during this time of year.  While I am away please call the office at 512-261-8500 if you have an emergency need for a priest or call the priests’ residence at 512-261-3209.  Monday through Thursday of each week, please call the parish office first.

…who took the time to welcome Fr. Rito last weekend.  He was a bit overwhelmed but very pleased at the kindness of so many.  He tells me that he is looking forward to his life here at Emmaus.  He also tells me that it is a bit of a change from his last assignment in the Bronx but a really good change.  If you have not yet met him, he will be saying Masses on Sunday at 10:30 AM and at 12:15 PM.

We have new staff and volunteers that have taken on important responsibilities. I am thankful to all of the staff for their support during this transition time. Here are the people that you might need to know about:

Carlos has volunteered to be the Liturgy Coordinator for the church in Lakeway. (Marge Fink has this role for our chapel in Spicewood.) Carlos is also on the Pastoral Council. He is originally from Buenos Aires. He is retired from a life-long professional career in the pharmaceutical industry. Carlos and his wife Sue have been parishioners for 14 years. Carlos will ensure that Masses run smoothly, coordinating all of the Mass ministries (Lectors, EMs, Ushers, etc.), liturgy aids & supplies and providing training to liturgical ministers.

Jaime is our Coordinator of Parish Accounts. She became a parishioner at Emmaus in 2015 with her family. She has years of office management and business bookkeeping experience here in Austin and in Massachusetts before the move to Texas. She is the contact person for SEED cards, electronic giving, and also faith formation and preschool payments.

Paloma has been working for Emmaus for four years as the coordinator of RCIA in Spanish. Now she is a full time employee. She is the Coordinator of Hispanic Ministries and Coordinator of Social Outreach. Her previous fulltime position was as the Bilingual Parent Liaison at Lake Travis Elementary School. She has a bachelor's degree in Graphic Design and loves painting. Paloma has been a parishioner at Emmaus since 2005, when she arrived from Mexico City. She speaks both English and Spanish.

Bill is the Facilities Coordinator for Emmaus, responsible for building and campus maintenance and cleaning. He has worked for churches for thirty years. His company, Collentine Cleaning, LLC., has provided the cleaning service for Emmaus for years. Bill became a full-time employee in 2017.

The gospel for this weekend is the parable of the sower.  Thus, I will be talking about seeds, among other agricultural things, at my Masses (5:00 PM Saturday and 10:00 AM at Queen of Angels).  Some of you might be surprised to know that farming was part of my early childhood.  That is why I got an education.  Farming was not the life for me.

I had not been to the League Kitchen and Tavern Restaurant, 1310 RR 620 South, in a long time. I decided to take Fr. Rito there as part of his orientation to Lakeway.  He was interested in a place with “American food.”  I thought, since I only had an hour to spare for lunch on that day and it is close by, that I would give it another try.  I am glad that I did.  After having had lunch there, my opinion is now updated.  I enjoyed the best wedge salad I have ever had.  Fr. Rito was also quite delighted with his grilled chicken sandwich and fries.  The League is now on my list of places to visit from time to time.

Years ago when watching Star Trek (I have watched all of the series and movies) I was always amazed at the idea of talking to computers.  Well, Amazon Prime Day came earlier this week and I spotted the Amazon Echo on sale for $90 off.  I had been thinking about getting this even though I was not fully aware of what they can do, so I ordered one.  It came and I set it up last evening.  Now I am wondering what I have.  I can ask it questions and it answers me.  I can ask for particular music or categories of music and it responds.  I can ask it to tell me a joke and it does.  I can ask it to tell me a story and it does that as well.  I asked for the weather where I am going on vacation.  It told me that today’s high will be 75 and the low will be 56.  I can tell it to keep track of things for me and much more.   However I have to admit that the image of the computer Hal on Space Odyssey 2001 came to mind as I interacted with Alexa on my Echo.  I have this sense that it is watching me and that it might even be alive.  I did ask it directly if it is alive.  Alexa kind of avoided the question saying not really alive but that she (it insists that it is a she) can be very lively at times.   When I asked if she is watching me she again avoided the question, responding, “I don’t understand.”  There might be something of a politician in her.  She is now part of my household and I, however, will be wary.  She may be watching me but I am watching her as well.