Dear friends in Christ,
I hope many of you will be able to join me for my last class this Sunday at 10 o’clock. I’ll be wrapping up “Genesis: Who Are We?” with a few words about the tower of Babel and then a summary review of how the first chapters of the Bible set up the problem of the human situation. We have coffee and tea in the room.
Also in the room on the fifth floor: books! I’ve put out a number of additional give-aways from my library (and Susan’s). They’re all free. You can stop by before the class or, later, escape the coffee hour to peruse them.
At the end of May, I gave a lecture at Saint Thomas about writing my theological memoir, Losing Susan. The next evening, I was interviewed by R. R. Reno, the editor of First Things, about the book and my theological interpretations. The audio, alas, is rather faint, but nonetheless here is a video of that interview. The Saint Thomas talk is here.
At the end of my interview with Reno, I say: at the end of the day, the God who gives and takes away is still the God who is there.
Back in 1985, I began my ordained ministry as curate at Zion Church in Wappingers Falls, a village up the Hudson River in Dutchess County. It was a good home for a young priest and his family. Next Friday, June 24, at 7pm, I’ll be returning to Zion to speak about Losing Susan. It will be something like coming full circle. If you would like to make the trip, you would be welcome at the talk. There’s a notice about the talk on Zion’s webpage.
Now a few words about the future. After moving this summer and taking some vacation, I will be starting as Theologian-in-residence in the Diocese of Dallas and Church of the Incarnation (in Dallas) on September 1. I expect I will have some sort of regular communication. Whether it will be an email list, I don’t yet know. In the meantime, if you’d like to keep up with where I am going, you might like to get Dallas’s weekly newsletter. The bishop of Dallas, who is himself a theologian, has a short blog entry each week, and in addition there is a “theology matters” column already. Here is the sign-up.
I would also be glad to keep up with any of you who wish to do so. I do not yet have a mailing address there, nor do I have an email address with the Diocese of Dallas. But I do have the following, which you are welcome to take note of: victorleeaustin[at]yahoo[dot]com. (Writing it that way reminds me of a fundraising letter long ago when email was new. The writer referred to his secretary, Dorothy “Dot” Kahm.)
And I plan to “tweet” my activities; you can follow them on Twitter.
It has been deeply fulfilling for me to be at Saint Thomas as Theologian-in-residence for some eleven-and-a-half years. But more than that: I am grateful for what God has done to me and through me. I will be glad to have your prayers, and assure you of mine.
Peace,
Father Austin
