It's a time to sing, pray, give thanks and reflect on another chapter of history for St. Austin Church.
Parishoners bound by a common faith have been coming to St. Austin for the past 100 years.
Priests said prior to this church, the diocese of Austin did not exist. It was originally the diocese of Houston/Galveston.
"The bishop down there really felt a need for a parish Church here to look after this part of town, this Central area in Austin as well as the student population over at the University,” Father Jerry Tully said.
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100 years
This Central Austin church was founded in 1908.
 
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St. Austin was founded in 1908 with the help of the Paulist Fathers. Ten years later they built a school.
These days, St. Austin is home to more than 2,000 families from all over the Austin area.
Parishioner Danielle Carpenter said the church has a faithful following.
"We have a wonderful spirit,” Carpenter said. “I think we have a lot of young people who come that give us a lot of new feelings and a lot of old people who are very, very faithful."
Many older parishioners say they began attending St. Austin during their college days at the University of Texas and never left.
“It’s home and everyone wants to come back to celebrate,” Father Tully said. “It's like you know a gathering at Thanksgiving or Christmas when family gets together."
For artist and parishioner Mark Landers, this celebration was a time to give back to the church he loves. He built and designed a brand new altar and ambo, a birthday present to the Church.
"When you build an altar and realize that entire communities for years are going to share around that table, it's hard to describe, it's very emotional," Landers said.
Emotions centered around their love for God and their faith with hopes for many more years to come.
