The Essentials

The Essentials is an 8-week mini-course on the basics of the Catholic Church with a concentration on What Makes Us Catholic or different from other Christian denominations.

Attend any or all sessions which interest you or fit your schedule!  It's a smorgasboard of Catholic identity.

Concentrating on particular Catholic worldviews, beliefs, practices and church structures, the course assists Catholics who need a refresher course or an introduction to their faith or for those active Christians from another Church interested in learning what makes Catholicism different from their own upbringing.

On Select Monday nights, 6:30 - 8:30 pm (except where noted)
On Zoom
Sept. 14 thru Nov. 23, 2020

Attend any or all sessions which interest you or fit your schedule!
No Registration required. Admission is Free!
Pick and Choose which sessions interest you!

Father Ed Koharchik, MA, MLM, MAPS, is pastor of our parish. He holds Masters degrees in Liturgical Studies and Liturgical Music, both from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and a Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies from The University of St. Thomas in Houston. Fr. Ed was a team member with The North American Forum on the Catechumenate for twenty years. He served on the Diocesan Presbyteral Council and currently serves on the Diocese of Austin's Diocesan Liturgical Commission and leads the diocese's RCIA task force.

Father Bruce Nieli, CSP., is a Paulist evangelist and missionary based in Austin, Texas. As part of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, he was named a Missionary of Mercy of Pope Francis. A native of Long Island, Fr. Bruce was ordained in 1973.  He is past director of evangelization of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Fr. Bruce leads parish missions and retreats, and speaks at a variety of conferences.  He is bilingual and presents in both English and Spanish.


Michael Ryan is an IBM retiree. He and his wife Brenda have attended St. Vincent de Paul since 2007, and have two grown sons. Michael has been active with the RICA for several years, as an aide, sponsor and catechist.

Mr. Chris Sperling  is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) in the state of Texas. He is an Approved Consultant in EMDR (since 2019) and a Certified Therapist in EMDR (since 2017). Chris is a diaconate candidate.



Dr. John Osman specializes in catechesis with a special emphasis on inculturation and communication within the digital culture. Currently the Director of Evangelization and Catechesis at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Austin, Texas, he has worked on the parish and diocesan levels to create programs such as a 10-month training for catechists of adults and online retreats. He has taught the history and theory of catechesis and liturgical catechesis and has presented at various diocesan, state, and regional religious education conferences to hundreds of catechetical leaders on the topic of pastoral ministry in a digital age. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Missouri-Rolla, an M.A. in Theology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, and his Ph.D. in Catechetics from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

Mrs. Helen Osman is a church communication specialist having worked with multiple levels of church organizations. She is president of SIGNIS (World Catholic Association for Communication) and was chief communications officer of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, organizing media preparations for the visits of Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 and of Pope Francis in 2015. She previously served as editor and communications director for the diocese of Austin.