Jack Selman, a member of St. John Neumann Parish in Austin, is the 2023 Recipient of the Catholic Man of the Year Award.  

He is a living witness of Jesus’ call to discipleship:  Following Jesus (Come after me); Being changed by Jesus (I will make you); and Pursuing Jesus’ mission (fishers of men) - Matthew 4:19.

Jack is a business owner and faithful, practicing Catholic.  Jack is the Founder and President of Our Kids at Heart (https://ourkidsatheart.com).  Jack is not new to Catholic-oriented social ministries. After participating in a Men’s Spiritual Retreat, he along with other men from the retreat founded the homeless ministry, Mobile Loaves and Fishes,  in Austin together with Alan Graham.  He served as a board member for ten years and has actively supported a number of other ministries well.

Our Kids at Heart, under Jack’s leadership, helps over 250 children of the most disadvantaged families in the Diocese of Austin to attend Catholic schools. Without this support, these children and their families would never have become involved with Catholic schools due to the financial obstacles. One hundred percent of these children who graduate are accepted to universities; the first of their families to attend university. They become engineers, lawyers, pre-med students, teachers, nurses, and professional therapists.

More importantly, these children become “Pentecost Bombs”.  Our Kids at Heart supports parishes that support these families.  The parents all pay the first dollar of tuition. The parents sign an annual contract to regularly attend Mass with their children. The results are “family churches” that grow together in the Sacraments. This program “rescues” many broken families suffering from poverty and strife, showing them a Hope they never knew existed.

Jack and his sisters attended Sacred Heart School in East Austin. That school closed in 2002. Today, through Our Kids at Heart he supports not that parish and 180 children from some 85 parish families now attending ten area Catholic schools. Our Kids at Heart is expanding and now active across the Diocese in other cities, including Bryan, Temple and Taylor.

Jack was nominated for this award by Fr. Mark Hamlet.