Pastoral Council

In order to serve the needs of the people of God in the Diocese of Austin and to be responsible stewards of the gifts given to the Diocese . . . a PASTORAL COUNCIL is to be established and is to be operative in every parish and mission in the Austin Diocese.

(Diocese of Austin, Policy on the Pastoral Council)

Lance Arnaud

Lance was born in the Beaumont-Port Arthur area of Texas and graduated from Nederland High School.  He attended Lamar University in Beaumont, TX and received a BBA in Accounting.  While in college, Lance started a home medical equipment company, Med Choice, Inc., which he successfully operated until 2015.  In August of 2015, after selling the business, Lance moved his family to Austin and became a Realtor®.   Lance resides in Jonestown with his wife, Holly, their daughter Hazel and their dog Jasper.   Lance enjoys the outdoors, spending time with family & friends and watching college football.

Lance would like to serve on the Pastoral Council to contribute to the spiritual well-being of the parish and to share the impact that God has had on him.  Also, he would like to help others grow in their faith and stay connected to the Gospel.  Lance would bring to the position his skills in planning, information systems and organizational development. Lance also brings his many years of experience in finance, group collaboration and human relations.

Anoma Foster
 

Anoma was born in Vientiane, Laos, and came to the United States as a three-year-old refugee during the Vietnam War. Fleeing the hidden war in Laos, her family lived in refugee camps in Thailand before ultimately arriving in America with only seven dollars to their name. Though Laos is a traditionally Buddhist country, Anoma's family was part of a small minority who practiced the Catholic faith and carried it with them. Upon arrival to the U.S., her family lived in their sponsor's garage and became involved in Sacred Heart Catholic School and Parish of Clovis, New Mexico, where Anoma's parochial education began. Though educated and fluent in five languages, Anoma's parents took manual work to support their family and rebuild their lives. They followed the meatpacking plants to Amarillo, Texas, where they came to own and operate their family's grocery store.  Anoma worked at the store her entire childhood, living in the backrooms of the store while attending the Catholic elementary and junior high schools of the Diocese of Amarillo. With the help of scholarships, she went on to obtain two undergraduate degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, and her Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona, where she was an Ares Fellow and on Law Review. She then practiced commercial litigation for a decade, becoming a partner at a large law firm in Phoenix, Arizona. A licensed attorney with both the State Bar of Arizona and the State Bar of Nevada, Anoma was named one of the “Best Lawyers Under 40” by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, a “Forty Under 40” by the Phoenix Business Journal, and received the Judge Learned Hand Leadership Award from the American Jewish Committee.  Following a brief stint living and traveling abroad, Anoma came back to serve in the administration of the University of Arizona, holding the roles of Assistant Dean for Advancement & External Relations and, most recently, Deputy and Chief of Staff of the UA health sciences center.

Anoma and her husband, Joe, chose to move back home to Texas to raise their young family. Anoma's current focus is staying at home with their two girls, volunteering at the children's school, Holy Family Catholic School, and working on independent projects. She and Joe are active members of St. Vincent de Paul, where Anoma serves in the Lector Ministry and Joe is in the Knights of Columbus and an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. Anoma's diverse background, professional and legal expertise, and most importantly, her focus on faith and family, will be added assets to the Pastoral Council.

David West

With his wife, Rebecca, and their one-year old son, Patrick, David has been a parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul for nearly two years.  Before coming to our parish, he and Rebecca met in the choir at St. Mary Catholic Church in College Station while attending Texas A&M University.  St. Mary is where his love for the Church really caught fire, fostering him to begin his journey of service through music, retreats, leadership, and humility. After graduating, getting married and settling down in Houston for a few years, he and Rebecca moved to the North-Austin area to pursue a new job opportunity where he’s been working as a Systems/Aerospace Engineer for a company called 5‑D Systems in Round Rock, TX. Upon joining St. Vincent de Paul, he and Rebecca immediately felt welcomed by the wonderful community here and are proud to call this church their home.

While David considers it a privilege to serve our parish through the music ministry (5:00 PM Choir), he feels called to expand his capacity for service and share more of his time and talents with the church. As a relatively new parishioner, he believes he can offer new insight, perspective and energy in his commitment to the growth of our parish.  As he states, “I will always work towards our common goal to dedicate ourselves to reach out and minister to the needs of others with love, respect, and support. As we endeavor to know and love God and be Christ to one another, I would be honored to grow with this community by serving as a member of the Pastoral Council.”
 

Michael Wiltz

Michael was born and raised in New Orleans, and grew up in a household where Catholicism was the center of family life.  He  attended parochial school within the Archdiocese of New Orleans from kindergarten through high school, and served as a Lector, Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion (EMHC) in his school and parish community.  Michael was involved in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of New Orleans, and, while in college joined the Wake Forest Catholic Community (WFCC) there.  During his junior and senior years, he served on the WFCC Executive Board as Treasurer, responsible for preparing the annual budget and securing funding from the university for WFCC activities, sang in the choir, served as an EMHC, and participated in and planned retreat programs for incoming freshmen and WFCC members.

When beginning his professional career with Apple here in Austin, Michael regularly attended Mass at St John Neumann Catholic Church, assisted with the Men’s Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) weekends, served as a sponsor for a CRHP team member who became Catholic through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), and delivered meals and clothing in downtown Austin through Mobile Loaves and Fishes.  After moving to Cedar Park, he began attending Mass at St. Vincent de Paul, formally registering in 2016.  Since then, he has been active serving as a Lector and EMCH.  Throughout his life as a Catholic and in his professional career, Michael has had significant experience in leadership positions, serving in an advisory capacity, counseling employees, performance evaluations, and development discussions.  The majority of his time at work was spent assessing opportunities and providing recommendations for improvement. Michael states, “To be effective on the Pastoral Council, key qualities would include active listening, discernment, empathy, and effective communication – all of which I’ve exhibited in church activities and in my career.  I also believe that an effective council member should have a desire to serve God and the Church, of which I have an established history.  I’ve enjoyed serving the St. Vincent de Paul Community over the past two years in liturgical ministries, and would welcome the opportunity for an expanded role.
 

Maria Huemmer

Maria Huemmer has been a parishioner since 2014 and celebrates her vocation as a wife and mother to two small children here. Throughout her 15 years in the Diocese of Austin, Maria has served as a Lector, Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, parish Gabriel Project coordinator, Religious Education teacher, teen youth minister, retreat speaker, food pantry volunteer, and leader in the Catholic Longhorns for Life and Williamson County Young Adult ministry. During the first 5 years of her career, she advocated for the life and dignity of the most vulnerable through her work as the Communication Director for the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, the public policy voice of the Bishops of Texas. She answered "Yes" to the call to serve on the Council in order to facilitate decisions that engage and enrich the lives of our parishioners, especially families with young children, and those who are new to our community and to our Catholic faith.