Ministries
Many ministries make their home at St. Paul's, including:

"The Samaritans . . . Reaching Out"

The services offered by this Ministry are: Aid to the Sick: Visits,  phone calls and Communion Calls to the homebound. Funeral Aid: Helping family and friends  plan the funeral services, vigil and Mass. Providing information for preplanning.  Bereavement: A support group which meets monthly for lunch on the second Wednesday, composed of those who have lost a spouse or loved one. The Samaritans is a safe haven where we can talk, share anger, guilt and fears with those who understand. We offer information, listen and support one another by sharing with those who have been through the experience of a loss, by death or divorce. Grief takes time to heal just as a wound does, and this healing comes from within by sharing. All is done with confidentiality. There is no charge for these services. For more information, contact Ron Balsam at 830-693-3084 or ronbet99@nctv.com or Rene Pfiffner at at 512-755-6148  or renepfif@gmail.com

Scholarship Committee

Each year, in late April or early May, the scholarship committee reviews applications from our two area high schools, Llano High School and Marble Falls High School. Members of the committee include the Chairman, Debbie Engler, a teacher at Llano High School; our Religious Education Director, Theresa Phillips; retired teachers Lourdes Langston and Mary Williams; Georganna Zaba, Paige Schweizer, and Karen Jones, the parishioner who approached me about having parish scholarships. Applicants must be practicing Catholics, must be actively involved in their parishes and must perform community service. After careful consideration, a finalist is chosen from each high school. Then those two names are presented by the chairman to the parish council and forwarded to the parish administrator. Each high school is contacted with the scholarship winner's name. After graduation, the winners' names are announced in our parish bulletin.

Paulist Associates

For many years, the Paulist Fathers have worked together with lay people in their foundations and ministries. To allow them to have an even more intimate connection with the Paulist Fathers, the Paulists created the Paulist Associate program. Men and women - even non-Catholic Christians - are invited to freely associate themselves with the Paulist spirituality and charism by making a commitment to embody the ideals of the Paulist in their daily living. With these associates, the charism of the Paulist - incarnating the Roman Catholic faith in North American culture - is extended beyond the limited membership of the Paulist community itself. If you are interested in becoming a Paulist Associate, please contact Father Rubén Patiño at rmpatino@aol.com or 830-598-8342.

Knights of Columbus in the Highland Lakes Area

Assembly 2976 of the Knights of Columbus is home-based at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, Horseshoe Bay. Its membership is made up from Knights who have reached the level of 4th Degree in their respective 3rd Degree Councils, which include Marble Falls, Kingsland and Burnet Councils. At this time there are 40 plus members in the Assembly. Each of the three 3rd Degree Councils in the surrounding areas is focused on Charitable, Fraternal and Unifying activities. In the last 12 months the combined efforts of all of the three 3rd Degree Councils have accomplished much which including providing scholarships to deserving high school graduates, financial assistance to seminarians from the Austin diocese, collecting food for local food pantries, and many other worthwhile endeavors. The Knights of Columbus is a fraternal organization of Catholic men, 18 years and older who actively practice their faith. The organization is not all work. Social activity is a big part of the organization which includes the members and their families. We encourage all men to look into the Knights. We feel there is something in it for you!!

Music Ministry

If you enjoy singing, we invite you to join our Music Ministry at St. Paul’s. We sing for the regular scheduled masses of Saturday evening at 5:30pm, and Sunday morning at 8:30am, and 10:30am. There are two ways to participate -one as a cantor and the other as a member of the choir. The members meet on the 1st & 3rd Wednesday of the month for practice from 7:00pm - 8:30pm. Then as we get closer to Easter & Christmas, we practice every Wednesday to learn the many song & hymns required. If you love music (singing or playing an instrument), especially music that enriches the celebration of the liturgy, then this is the perfect home for you. Please contact Mary Williams, Music Director for more information. 325-388-9120 or jrmmwms@tstar.net

Catholic Scripture Study

We are a group of parishioners who come together once weekly for two hours during the October through April calendar year to participate in a Catholic Scripture Study that allows us to grow in our faith and love of God by deepening our understanding of the Scriptures. This will be our fifth year and our numbers have grown each year. Last year we participated in The Great Adventure Bible Series wherein we studied the story (the narrative) of the Bible from Adam and Eve to Jesus and the beginning of the Church. It gave us a great overall picture of the Bible and its story, which is our story. This year we will continue The Great Adventure program with the study of Matthew to see how Jesus builds on the foundation laid in the Old Testament by inaugurating the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. For further information, please contact Patti Adami at padami@texoma.net or call 903-821-4235.

Flower Committee

The flower committee consists of 7 women at the moment - one of whom serves as chairman. We are each assigned weeks to be on duty, carrying out our duties one week at a time. Our responsibilities include the care and watering of the permanent green plants inside the chapel, keeping the fresh arrangements tidy, reusing as many flowers that remain fresh at the end of our week for a small bouquet in the Eucharistic Chapel. We are also responsible for the decorations and flowers for Christmas and Easter as well as a small display for Lent.

Finance Council

The Finance Council aids the pastor in the administration of the parish expenses: regular obligations and miscellaneous items. It facilitates achieving the goals of the Parish Council with judicious monitoring of expenditures and in overseeing investment savings. The council develops a yearly budget with input from all areas, reviews quarterly budget reports, and presents an annual financial report to the entire parish.

Stewardship

It is the policy of St. Paul the Apostle to donate ten percent of the regular collection to the Stewardship fund. The chair of this committee makes a monthly disbursement to local charities from this fund. Periodic reports are made to the Parish Council for their assessment and recommendations. Current Charities being funded are: the Crisis Center, St. Frederick’s Mission Outreach (Meals on Wheels), the Helping Center, the Neighborhood Center, CASA, the Boys & Girls Club, the St. Vincent de Paul Society and various special requests. A yearly report is presented to the parish.

Liturgical Ministries

The coordinator for Liturgical Ministries has the privilege and opportunity to work with people who are called by God to serve Him more closely by assisting at mass. Our volunteers play a vital role in parish functions. We assist Father in meeting the spiritual needs of our congregation as sacristans, ushers, lectors and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. Using the gifts given us by God, we strive to make the celebration of Holy Mass a more meaningful experience for our faith community.

Catholic Book Club

Broadening our understanding of the Catholic faith through the study of selected books and enjoying the company of fellow parishioners. Contact K.K. Rice, 596-1449, kkrice1449@gmail.com or Claudia Haydon, 598-9364, c.ehaydon23@gmail.com

Christmas Basket Project

Every year St. Paul the Apostle Parish participates in a Christmas Basket Project that benefits the Helping Center and the Neighborhood Center in Marble Falls as well as several families identified in the St. Paul Parish. In late November and early December, the parishioners are asked to bring food and toys and an item of clothing for families in need to be given in behalf of St. Paul Parish at Christmas time. The committee works hard to provide gifts for over 20 families and is always in need of volunteers to help distribute the bags, sort the gifts and deliver them to the centers. It is a very rewarding endeavor to help families in need. For more information, call Marie D’Arcy 598-6100.

Maintenance Ministry

The buildings at St. Paul the Apostle Parish are both beautiful and approaching middle age. As such, repairs, restoration and fix-ups are becoming more common. The Maintenance Ministry has the responsibility to keep our structure in good serviceable condition. Additional members are needed who are handy and have an interest in keeping our buildings of worship beautiful. If interested, call Chairman Justin Bochat at 830-598-4932.

Food Drive Ministry

Our primary responsibly is the coordination of the collection and distribution of our monthly food drive. This food is presently being distributed to three charities: the Helping Center, the Senior Citizens Project, and the Crisis Center. The collection is rotated monthly between these three charities. This ministry is usually done by two or four people, depending on the size and type of the collection. This monthly food drive is possible because of the generosity of our parish family.

Ladies Bible Study

The Ladies Ecumenical Bible Study of Horseshoe Bay originated in the early eighties. The group is composed of ladies from the Protestant Church and the Catholic Chapel. In recent years, studies have included several books from the Women of Faith series, works from Beth Moore, and a challenging study of the Book of Revelation by noted Catholic biblical scholar, Dr. Scott Hahn. None of our group claim to be scripture scholars. We tend to choose studies that provide workbooks which guide our path. This has always been a very congenial group with one thing in common: a deep Christian faith and the desire to grow in that faith. Meetings are held on Mondays at 3:00 p.m., at St. Paul's. New members are always welcome. For further information you may contact Claudia Haydon at 598-9364.

Directory Committee

The purpose of the Directory Committee is to assist in the process of preparing the parish pictorial directory for publication. Volunteers serve in the following capacity: signing up parishioners for appointments to have their photograph taken, calling parishioners to set up appointments if necessary as well as reminding them of appointment times, greeting parishioners at the time of their photo appointments, and submitting the design layout for the directory. This committee meets for about 4 months ony during those years that the parish contracts for publication of a directory. This is generally about once every 4-5 years.

St. Vincent De Paul

St. Vincent de Paul Conference is a joint conference between St. John the Evangelist Parish in Marble Falls and St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Horseshoe Bay. This conference is made up of trained home visiting teams from both parishes to serve the poor and needy with emergency assistance. This assistance comes in the form of payments for utilities, rent, food, prescription medications and other emergency needs for persons who reside in the 78654 & 78657 zip codes. Anyone needing assistance is asked to contact the conference by calling (512) 755-3299.

Altar Linens

Our group consists of six volunteers who see that the small altar linens used at Mass are laundered each week. They each commit to a consecutive two month period for this ministry.

Children's Religious Education

We offer religious education for students from first grade through high school. After Confirmation, youth groups have been formed to meet the needs of our older students' spiritual growth. The following duties are involved in the coordination of our curriculum:
  • Setting a yearly schedule in conjunction with school events
  • Assigning willing teachers to assist proper grade level needs
  • Overseeing the teachers to make sure they have the proper ethics and education classes
  • Overseeing the students to make sure they have the proper instruction
  • Helping with appropriate parties and religious functions
  • Ordering books for various grade levels
  • Staying current with Diocese standards
  • Assisting with altar servers for Father Ruben - if students want to serve
All aspects of religious education are conducted on a volunteer basis. The director of Religious Education assists with registration and substitutes for teachers, if needed.