It all started back in 1995 when Bishop John McCarthy asked then Father Daniel Garcia to begin the process of building a new parish in Northwest Austin. The parish has since grown, and a strong faithful family continues to grow with it all while celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

Father Hurlimann, who today is parochial administrator of Holy Trinity Parish in Llano and St. Joseph Parish in Mason, has fond memories of his time at St. Vincent de Paul and working with Bishop Garcia, who was pastor of the parish for 18 years.

“For the longest time, Bishop Garcia, Father Danny, was the only priest I knew,” Father Hurlimann said. “He really shaped the community, helping it grow and find an identity. His example and guidance were pivotal as I was navigating my discernment and teenage years.”

Deacon McNaughton agrees as “Father Danny” was his pastor from kindergarten to high school, and he remembers him always there and shepherding the parish.

“Bishop Garcia was one of my primary models of priesthood throughout my childhood,” Deacon McNaughton said. “He was always joyful and kind, which helped plant the seeds of my vocation. He was a great role model as my parish priest and a witness to the joy that comes from following Christ.”

Deacon McNaughton, who was ordained to the transitional diaconate in May, is in his last year of priestly formation and hopes to be ordained next year.

“God willing, I will be ordained next June, and it will be Bishop Garcia ordaining me,” he said. “It’s a great gift that I could be ordained to the priesthood by him, who I have known and admired as long as I can remember.”

The impact and connections Bishop Garcia, a Central Texas native, has had and the influence he has had in the lives of all those he served are testament to his vocations, as well as examples of the continuity and beauty of our faith.

Father Hurlimann recalled fondly Bishop Garcia’s presence at his own ordinations to the diaconate and to the priesthood. And he delivered the homily at Father Hurlimann’s first Mass.

“Now, having someone who grew up here and served the people of God in so many ways and returning to guide us is such a blessing,” he said.

Deacon McNaughton was equally excited and happy to hear of the bishop’s appointment to Austin.

“I was grateful to hear the news that Pope Leo XIV had appointed a new bishop for the Diocese of Austin, and I was even more excited when I heard it was Bishop Garcia,” he said. “There is lots of excitement and gratitude in the diocese for Bishop Garcia to return home as our new shepherd.”

Father Hurlimann remembers him accompanying him and another young man on a Saturday to downtown Austin for a discernment event and also taking the time to break down and thoroughly explain the new Roman Missal to young altar servers, which Father Hurlimann was at the time.

“His desire to teach, to help and to serve others are what stand out most,” Father Hurlimann said. “He taught primarily through his example. I remember him being constantly present at parish events and his attentiveness in conversations.”

Which brings us back to St. Vincent de Paul himself, who never forgot where he came from and never veered away from being a man of the people and a man of prayer, traits Bishop Garcia brings with him to his new position and to the people he loves and serves.