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Bishop Daniel E. Garcia delivers the homily at the Fall Adult Confirmation, which took place at San Jose Parish in Austin.

Ha sido un mes de bendiciones desde mi instalación, y les escribo con un corazón lleno de gratitud y alegría mientras comienzo mi ministerio como Obispo de Austin. Desde el momento de mi nombramiento, he sentido sus oraciones, su apoyo, y su cálida bienvenida y estoy profundamente conmovido por la fe y la generosidad de la gente de esta diócesis.

It has been a blessed month since my installation, and I write with a heart full of gratitude and joy as I begin my ministry as Bishop of Austin. From the moment of my appointment, I have felt your prayers, support, and warm welcome and am deeply moved by the faith and generosity of the people of this diocese.

No matter what ministry or program in which you may serve—you are uniquely positioned to be a sanctuary of safety. Safe adults are advocates, which means that we advocate for youth, and with youth for their safety and wellbeing. As a safe adult, you have tremendous power to make a profound difference for children—not only by recognizing and responding to unsafe situations, but also by teaching children about their rights to safety and creating environments where they can speak up and get help. To be clear, it is our responsibility as adults to create safe environments for the children in our care, and there are also things we can teach to children to help them to be safer.

Consider a situation in which a child abuser, named “Jerry,” who, as part of the grooming process, manipulates a 14-year-old girl named "Sarah,” to create and then text him sexually explicit images of herself. Later, when Sarah refuses to meet him for sex, Jerry threatens her and retaliates by deliberately posting her intimate images on various social media platforms and websites. In many situations, this scheme ultimately can result in the child capitulating and meeting with the adult in person, or providing monetary payment to prevent additional retaliation. In some situations, the resulting stress and shame of the retaliation culminates in the child taking his or her own life. However, there are actions that can be taken to address this type of Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery (NCII) abuse for victims like Sarah, that can remove these images and protect her before further harm can occur.

Al comenzar mi servicio como Obispo de Austin, me siento conmovido por la fe y la generosidad que he presenciado en nuestra diócesis. Con este mismo espíritu, los invito a participar en el próximo Llamado Para Los Servicios Católicos (CSA por sus siglas en ingles), que comienza el fin de semana del 25 y 26 de octubre. Sus oraciones y su apoyo financiero son vitales para brindar programas y servicios a miles de personas en el centro de Texas.

As I begin my service as the Bishop of Austin, I am humbled by the faith and generosity I have witnessed in our diocese. In that spirit, I invite you to participate in the upcoming Catholic Services Appeal (CSA), which begins the weekend of October 25-26. Your prayers and financial support are vital for providing programs and services to thousands of people across Central Texas.