November 18, 2013
It might have been difficult to see, surrounded as it was by the small crowd gathered on the southwest corner of the intersection of Guadalupe and 21st Streets in Austin, Texas. But the object of the recent blessing by St. Austin Church was not a plaque to memorialize a generous benefactor or even a saintly statue. It was the recent blessing of a public water spigot.
This may not seem terribly significant to those who simply stop in a convenience store to buy a bottle of H2O or have the stuff freely flowing from faucets in our homes. But for the homeless, many of them young, there is not a lot of access to the life-sustaining liquid that is so much a part of the Catholic faith.
“This water source is a gift to all those who thirst from the parishioners of St. Austin,” said Father Charles Kullmann, CSP, pastor of the church founded by the Paulist Fathers in 1908.
The lack of access to water was brought to Father Kullmann’s attention last year by some of the other members of the Micah 6 Coalition, a network of faith communities within the University of Texas area that work together to identify and meet the needs of the homeless and the impoverished in the University of Texas campus area.
“I took this message to the members of our pastoral council, the parish as a whole, and today we see the results,” Father Kullmann said.
The public water source was made available through the generous contributions of an anonymous parishioner at St. Austin as well as Mobile Loaves and Fishes, a social outreach ministry to the homeless that empowers communities to connect with the homeless through service. St. Austin will provide the regular upkeep of the water source and will also pay for the water used.
The water spigot is especially needed in the area as the benches and water fountain in the public areas known as Renaissance Market have been removed over the past few years, according to Terry Cole, who founded Street Youth Ministry of Austin in 2008.
“These changes were part of a renovation of Renaissance Market,” Mr. Cole explained, noting the lack of public restrooms in the area.
“With so many transient folks and high urban population, there are obvious public health benefits, and, of course, there are many challenges,” noted Mr. Cole. “I believe a healthy neighborhood will better meet the needs of all of the residents, be they permanent, business, churches, seasonal students or transient visitors.”
And the water spigot at St. Austin is a significant, positive step in that direction.
“St. Austin’s would encourage organizations throughout Austin, especially in the downtown area, to take similar actions to ensure that all have access to a convenient and easily accessible source of water,” said Father Kullmann.