To Be Ordained June 6, 2026
With praise and thanksgiving, the Diocese of Austin has announced that Deacon Christopher Lee Haberberger will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Presbyter on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 10:30 AM at St. William Parish in Round Rock.
Once ordained, he will be Father Chris Haberberger. His Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Mary’s will be celebrated the following day.
Diocesan Ordination AnnouncementMass of Thanksgiving at St. Mary’s
After his ordination to the priesthood, Fr. Chris Haberberger will return to St. Mary’s to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving. All are invited to join us for Mass, the Corpus Christi procession, and a reception in the gym.
Sunday, June 7, 2026
9:30 AM Mass
St. Mary’s Catholic Church
Temple, Texas
Schedule
Come celebrate with us
The ordination of a new priest is a gift for the whole Church. Please join us in prayer, thanksgiving, procession, and fellowship as we celebrate this joyful day for Fr. Chris and for the Diocese of Austin.
Biography
Birthday: September 19
Home Parish: St. Thomas Aquinas, College Station
Seminary: St. Mary’s Seminary
Level of Formation: Transitional Diaconate
Patron Saints: St. James the Greater, St. Christopher, St. Francis de Sales, St. Peter, and St. Thomas the Apostle
Random Fact: Before entering seminary, he worked as a youth minister and once broke a finger while playing dodgeball.
College: Texas A&M University
Vocation Story
Dcn. Chris grew up with the thought of becoming a priest somewhere in the background of his heart, though he set that question aside during his teenage years. While studying at Texas A&M, he made a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, walking across northern Spain. That pilgrimage brought the possibility of priesthood back to the front of his mind.
Even after that experience, his discernment continued gradually. He completed more years of school, including graduate studies, and then served for three years as a youth minister at St. Thomas Aquinas. In August 2020, he entered seminary.
Since entering seminary, his formation has been a daily journey of trusting in the Lord’s generosity, leading him through diaconal ministry and now toward priestly ordination.
Pray for Fr. Chris
O Jesus, our great High Priest, hear our humble prayers on behalf of your priest, Father Chris. Give him a deep faith, a bright and firm hope, and a burning love which will ever increase in the course of his priestly life.
In his loneliness, comfort him; in his sorrow, strengthen him; in his frustration, point out to him that it is through suffering that the soul is purified. Show him that he is needed by the Church, he is needed by souls, he is needed for the work of redemption.
O loving Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests, take to your heart your son who is close to you because of his priestly ordination, and because of the power which he has received to carry on the work of Christ in a world which needs him so much. Be his comfort, be his joy, be his strength, and especially help him to live and to defend the ideal of consecrated celibacy.
Amen.
Supporting Fr. Chris
Your prayers and support are the most important gift you can give to Fr. Chris as he is ordained to the priesthood. He is deeply grateful for the love, encouragement, and prayers of the St. Mary’s community.
If you would also like to give a monetary or physical gift, Fr. Chris has created a gift registry. The registry includes vestments and other items for priestly ministry, as well as the opportunity to contribute toward his first Mass vestments.
View Fr. Chris’s Gift Registry
