Our Pastor
Pastor
Father Brett is an Independent Catholic priest and board-certified hospice chaplain serving Central Texas. Raised in West Texas, he learned the value of loving folks just as they are. Today he pastors Holy Spirit Catholic Church—an inclusive community in Georgetown that opens Christ's table to every person, without exception.
When not serving as a pastor at Holy Spirit or providing support as a grief counselor and chaplain for a local hospice agency, he can be found walking his three dogs, tending a menagerie of reptiles, or diving into sci-fi lore—constant reminders, he says, that every creature is beloved and every story sacred.
Our Deacon
Deacon
Born and raised in H. Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Deacon Elsa graduated from Escuela Normal J. Guadalupe Mainero with a double major in Psychology and Elementary Education. She came to Austin unable to speak English, studied English as a Second Language at Austin Community College, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Bilingual Education and a Master of Arts in Human Services from St. Edward's University. She taught in the Austin Independent School District for 30 years before retiring in 2016.
Her path to the diaconate grew from a deepening life of faith. After worshiping in several Catholic churches around Austin, she found a spiritual home in the inclusive Catholic tradition, where she studied its history and theology and took part in Bible classes, diaconate formation, the Theological Institute, and conferences. Feeling called by the Holy Spirit to serve God's people, and supported by mentoring clergy, she was ordained to the diaconate on October 30, 2021 by the Most Rev. Mark Elliot Newman, Presiding Bishop of the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch.
Deacon Elsa gives thanks to the Holy Trinity, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to all who support her ministry in prayer, and she continues her religious education through ongoing study. Beyond her ministry, she loves teaching and performing Mexican folk dances, traveling, sewing, embroidering, crocheting, hiking, growing plants, and caring for her two parrots and two tortoises.
