Longhorn Catholic 2-3 November 2006

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LonghornCatholic

Vol. 2, Iss. 3 November 2006University Catholic Center

Mass ScheduleSunday Mass

9AM 11:30AM, 5PM & 8PM

Daily Mass

Mon, Wed, Fri: 12:05PMTues, Thurs: 12:30PM

Ministry TeamDirector

Fr. Dave Farnum, CSPxt. 14, [email protected]

Associate Directors

Fr. Ed Koharchik, CSP

xt. 12, [email protected]

Michelle Goodwint. 18, [email protected]

Pastoral Staff

Fr. Bob Scott, [email protected]

Deacon John De La Garza, [email protected]

Director of Development

Amber Fogartyxt. 20, [email protected]

Business Administrator

Tom Johnson

ext. 11, [email protected]

Receptionist

Beth Borent. 10, [email protected]

Administrative Assistant

Brandon [email protected]

Phone: 512.476.7351

At present, there are four University of Texas grads in the seminary

for the Diocese of Austin: Kevin Jackson, Mark Lavergne, Matt

Mumaugh and Jonathan Raia (proles on page 5). We are very proud of

our Longhorns who have chosen to pursue a vocation to the priesthood.

Father Mike Sis, the Vocation Director for the Diocese of Austin, tells

us, All baptized members of the church are called by God to the vocation

of holiness, whether that call is lived as a married or single person, a priest or deacon, o

member of a religious community. Fostering vocations to the priesthood is the responsibil

of all of us.

Fostering vocations of holiness is a call I take seriously as director of Campus Ministry

the University Catholic Center. Each month I, along with my associate, Paulist Father

Koharchik, host a dinner or event with a group of UT students to discern vocations. Regula

20-25 men come together to talk about priesthood, the permanent diaconate, marriage, and

single life. One month we will invite a guest speaker like seminarian Jonathan Raia or Fath

Mike Sis, or Deacons John De La Garza and Tom Johnson. Another month we will meet wBishop Gregory Aymond at Project Andrew or attend a dinner hosted by the Paulists in th

residence at St. Austin Church. Every Catholic man and woman is obligated by their bapti

to consider Gods desire for them. Thats what discerning a vocation is all about.

According to Mark Lavergne, a current seminarian: It was at the University Catholic Cen

that I rst discovered what a joy it is to fellowship with and to serve other members of t

Mystical Body of Christ. Ill never forget giving a talk on Awakening and just being

there proclaiming, and thinking

to myself, Ya know, I could

do this for the rest of my

life. But ultimately I thinkits the friendships you make,

the people you get to know

that causes you to realize the

Church isnt just a building.

Its the people. I couldnt be

a priest for a building. But for

these people? Heck yes.

Fr. Dave Farnum, CSP

Turn to page 5 for proles on each

Longhorn seminarian.

MEET THE LONGHORN

SEMINARIANS

LonghornSeminarians


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University Catholic Center November 2006

A M E S S A G E

from the Director...Things are hoppin here at the UCC!Longhorn Awakening #41 was a huge successwith 60 retreatants and 100 staff praising

God as the Body of Christ on re. STRONG,

our youth retreat team, is bringing the GoodNews to middle and high school students throughout the Diocese ofAustin. Mu Epsilon Theta and Lambda Omega Alpha have record numbers

of pledges this Fall. Deacon John and his wife Dorothy worked with a hostof UCC members to produce an excellent marriage preparation weekend

for 25 engaged couples. Father Ed and Michelle Goodwin hosted a dinnerfor our Muslim friends during their holy month of Ramadanover 65

people attended. I convened a Visioning Day with students and residentcommunity to discover shared dreams for the future of the UCC. So manyopportunities to celebrate the Catholic faith at The University of Texas!

In the whirl of all this activity, I read the words spoken recently by PopeBenedict XVI. The Holy Father warned of the danger of falling intohardness of heart as a result of excessive daily occupations.

On August 20, Benedict spoke of St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153) as

an example of how to balance prayer with activity. The saint wrote in aletter to Pope Eugene III: See where these accursed occupations can leadyou, if you continue to lose yourself in themwithout leaving anything of

yourself for yourself. Benedict XVI said: It is necessary to pay attentionto the dangers of excessive activity, regardless of ones condition and

occupation, observes the saint, becauseas he said to the Pope of that

time, and to all Popes and to all of usnumerous occupations often lead

to hardness of heart, they are no more than suffering for the spirit, loss ofintelligence and dispersion of grace.

This admonition is valid for all kinds of occupations, including thoseinherent to the governance of the Church, the Pope added. How useful

for us also is this call to the primacy of prayer! The Pope continued, Forhim [St. Bernard], love is the greatest force of the spiritual life. God, who islove, creates man out of love and out of love rescues him.

While the University Catholic Center is a center of holy activity, it strivesalso to be a house of prayer. In the midst of busy schedules and burn thecandle at both ends mentality of some college students, the UCC andits designated spaces and times of prayer help call us all to the primacy of

prayer. May God bless us all with a rich experience of prayer.

Fr. Dave Farnum, CSP

UCC ExesDebra Watson (73) works as an acting

coach in California and Texas. Last year

she recorded her rst CD with her band

The Smokin Aces. The new CD can be

heard online at CDbaby.com/dwatson.

Erika and Johnny Vargas (96) wel

comed baby girl, Alexa, on September 27

2006. Alexa is preceded by J Christophe

born in December 2003. The Vargas fam

ily now calls New Braunfels home and

makes a living with several Internet-based

businesses.

Matt (98) and Christina (97) Soder-

berg welcomed a baby girl, Macy Chris-

tina, on August 15th, 2006.

Vanessa Luna (00) recently became li

censed to practice law in Texas. She now

resides in Chicago and hopes to become

licensed to practice law in Illinois as well

Vanessa is making wedding plans for De

cember 30 in Houston.

Do you want to share your news wit

Longhorn Catholics? If so, email your up

date to [email protected].

JANUARY 19-20, 2007Mu Epsilon Theta 20th Anniversary

For more information, email:

[email protected]

JANUARY 27, 2007Annual Date Auctionbenetting the UCC

For more details, email:[email protected]

FEBRUARY 14, 2007, 3:30PMSister Helen Prejean, CSJ

Speaking about the death penalty; SisterHelen is the author of #1 best seller, DeadMan Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the

Death Penalty in the United States .

ALL are welcome!

Upcoming Events


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First Ever Matching Gift Sunday a Huge Success

On Sunday, November 5th, the University Catholic Center held its rst

ever matching gift Sunday. A generous benefactor offered to match theoffertory collection, up to $5,000. A typical Sunday collection at the UCCis between $2,500 and $4,000.

On November 5th, the generosity of the UCC community shined once

again. The total amount given during the Sunday collections at the fourMasses totaled $14,876. With the $5,000 benefactor gift, the UCC raised$19,876 in one day. Thanks to all for your support.

If youre interested in matching a Sunday collection in the Spring, please contactAmber Fogarty at 512-476-7351 x20 or email her at [email protected].

Stewardship Corner...offering gifts of time, talent & treasure

Imagine you set foot on the University

of Texas campus for the rst time. With

hundreds of students in a single classand dorms that hold thousands, UT can

be an intimidating place where new

students often feel lost in a crowd. The

University Catholic Center provides a

much-needed home away from home

where students can worship, study,

and make friends within a supportive

community of faith. The UCC kicked-

off the academic year with Welcome

Week, a jam-packed week of events to

bring students, new and old alike, intothe community and show-off all the

UCC has to offer.

Starting on the rst day of class when

so many students are looking to get

involved in new organizations, the

UCC sponsored an information table

on campus to hand out everything

from candy to Mass times and ministry

welcome week 2006 - 2007brochures. All the UCC student groups

participated with yers and volunteers

and actively engaged UT students ontheir way to class. Several students

also handed out 850 cold water bottles

over two days with Mass times printed

on the label to provide relief to students

during the hot Austin days.

Welcome Week, this year September

4-9, started with a bang as the

Catholic fraternity, Lambda Omega

Alpha, hosted a Labor Day BBQ and

pool party to say goodbye to summer.

Tuesday featured a casual dinner and

game night sponsored by Compass

Bible Study, giving active students

and new faces a chance to relax and

get to know each other better. Even

the ministry team, Fr. Dave, Fr. Ed,

and Michelle Goodwin grabbed a

bite to eat with the new students.

Couples for Christ Youth, a new group

to the Center this year, organized

an amazing night of praise and

worship music on Wednesday, whilethe Catholic sorority, Mu Epsilon

Theta, put on a Bunco game night on

Thursday. Welcome Week culminated

in the annual Welcome Retreat which

literally lled the building with

students. Organized by STRONG

the resident youth ministry team, the

retreat was a rousing success with 55

participants and over 70 members o

the student community on staff.

All of the events were a success with

20-30+ new students attending any

given night. By the end of the week

students were hooked on the UCC

with all organizations enjoying a huge

spike in participation. New people

crowded the Centers halls and study

rooms at night, attended daily night

prayer, and bonded with each other in

community. With an energetic star

to the year, UTs Catholic communitywelcomed another generation to the

University Catholic Center!

Stephanie Maher, Class of 07


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UCC Catholic / Muslim Iftar DinnerOn Thursday, October 5, the UCC hosted a community-

wide potluck dinner to honor our Muslim brothers and

sisters during their holy month of Ramadan. During

Ramadan, Muslims fast throughout the daytime and break

their fast at sundown with a special Iftar dinner, a feas

to be celebrated with family and friends. Approximately

sixty-ve people participated at this event, with wonderful

food and fellowship being shared.

Interfaith Progressive Dinner Hits the UCCOn October 18th, the UCC

participated in the annual

University Interfaith Progressive

Dinner. The Longhorn Catholic

students joined their Jewish,

Lutheran, Episcopalian, Baptist,

Mormon and Muslim brothers

and sisters in this great evening

of food, fellowship, and prayer.

There were approximately 120

students in attendance. The

evening began at Texas Hillel, the

center for Jewish life at UT, for

the rst course of the meal. Then

the students proceeded to the UCC for the main course. The

Latter Day Saints Institute hosted dessert, and the evening

ended with an ecumenical prayer service. It was an honor

for the UCC to host the main course of this wonderful event

and to be a part of encouraging dialogue with our friends of

other faith traditions.

ministryspotlight

Catholic Longhorns for Life CelebrateRespect Life Month

This years Respect Life month kept Catholic Longhorns for Life

on its feet! The groups activities including running the UCCs

baby bank fundraising campaign, hosting prayer vigils and movie

screenings, bringing in guest speakers from the Diocesan Ofce

of Pro-Life Activities, the Austin Pregnancy Resource Center, and the Texas

Coalition to End the Death Penalty, and attending a benet dinner with guest

speaker Father Frank Pavone, director of Priests for Life. To wrap up the month,

Longhorns for Life members presented the UCC black bag collection to the

Annunciation Maternity Home at their March for Moms fundraiser (see picture,

right) and participated in Austins 7th Annual March to Stop Executions (see

picture, top right). Catholic Longhorns for Life is a pro-life group that works to

instill respect for human life at all stages of existence through education, activism,

spiritual growth, and volunteerism in our community. For more information on

the group, please contact Maria Frederick at [email protected].


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OUR FAITH~OUR LEGACY LONGHORN SEMINARIANS

Kevin holds a degree

in government from the

University of Texas at

Austin, where he was

very active in a Christian

fraternity. He interned forState Senator Jane Nelson

during his college years

and then worked on her

staff for several years.

Working in the Texas

Senate taught me a lot

about leadership and

dealing with difcult

situations, he said. His

favorite cartoon character

is Homer Simpson.

KEVIN JACKSONHoly Trinity Seminary

Pre-Theology

Mark holds a journalism

degree from the University

of Texas at Austin and

enjoys writing; he most

recently worked for

the dioceses Pro-lifeActivities Ofce.

Three years ago he spoke

with Bishop Aymond

about his discernment. The

bishop asked What is your

hearts deepest longing?

What energizes you? What

makes you come alive

inside? After nearly three

years of pondering those

questions, Mark decided toenter into formation.

MARK LAVERGNEHoly Trinity Seminary

Pre-Theology

MATT MUMAUGHSt. Marys SeminaryII Pre-Theology

JONATHAN RAIASt. Marys Seminary

Pastoral Year

Matt said that his most

recent and profound call

to discern the priesthood

happened on the rst

Sunday of Advent 2005,

at St. Cecilia Cathedral inOmaha. I was moved to

tears of joy in receiving a

sense of Gods purpose in

my life, he said.

Matt enjoys theater and

has played the role of

Prince Charming and the

Mad Hatter in childrens

musical productions in

Austin. He also played

rugby while a student atthe University of Texas in

Austin, where he received

a bachelors degree in

philosophy.

A Houstonian, Jonathan

graduated from UT with

a double major in Plan II

(Liberal Arts) and Spanish

in May 2002. He has

coached summer leagueswim teams and been a

private swim instructor

and says he is a huge fan

of the television sitcom

Seinfeld. He was very

active at the UCC, and it

was during those years that

he really came of age

as a Catholic. Through

the friendships I made and

the ministry opportunities

I had at the UCC, hereects, my faith was

deepened and I was able to

discern in my heart Gods

call to the priesthood.

He entered seminary for

the Diocese of Austin in

the fall of 2002 and will,

God willing, be ordained a

priest in June 2009.


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Longhorn Catholic 2-3 November 2006