Message from the Parish Office

Message from the Parish Office:

On Thursday, August 18 during the noon Mass, a volunteer’s backpack was stolen from the sacristy. The bag contained a key to the church. After reporting the theft to the Austin police, parish staff tried to have the church rekeyed immediately. Unfortunately, a locksmith was not able to rekey until Friday morning. Fr Charlie was concerned that the thief might return Thursday night, and therefore stayed on campus monitoring the parish security cameras. At 12:04 am, the thief did return and began trying to unlock parish buildings with the stolen key. This was all recorded on security cameras. Fr. Charlie called APD who responded quickly. The thief entered the church, but was unable to steal anything due to the staff having secured valuables within the church. The thief ran from the church after being discovered. Fr. Charlie followed the thief to a UHaul van and obtained the license plate number which was reported to APD. The thief left the campus just before APD arrived and the thief escaped. APD has security footage, the license plate number, and other information, and is investigating the case.As a result of this, Fr Charlie plans to upgrade the locking and security systems on the campus. Donations to fund this would be appreciated. The second collection this weekend will be for this purpose. Donations can also be made electronically through VANCO on the parish website.Let us all remain vigilant. If you see something suspicious, please report it to parish staff. Please keep the parishioner who was victimized in your prayers, and pray for the thief’s conversion of heart.