Our History - Since 1858

"The parish continued to grow and flourish with a strong commitment to education and good liturgy."

Saint Augustine Parish traces its heritage to 1858 and the efforts of a group of dedicated emancipated Black Catholics.  Faced with a society that was not yet willing to put off the last vestiges of slavery and a Church that, at best, tolerated the presence of Black people in its congregation, these men and women founded a Catholic school and chapel on 15th Street under the patronage of Blessed Martin de Porres.  In what is perhaps a touch of historical irony, this school was operating four years before mandatory free public education of Black children became law in the Nation’s Capital.

One of St. Augustine’s neighbors was a large Catholic parish, St. Paul, whose original membership was primarily of Irish and German descent. With the rise of integration and shifting urban demographics, membership at St. Paul dwindled steadily until 1961, when Archbishop Patrick O’Boyle decreed that the parishes of St. Paul and Saint Augustine would be united.

In 1979, the Saints Paul and Augustine parish, through the parish pastoral council, staff and the Archbishop of Washington, made a decision to sell the Saint Augustine property at 15th and S Streets.  The old Saint Paul buildings at 15th and V Streets would be renovated to house the consolidated schools and other ministries of the parish.

On November 12, 1982, Archbishop James Hickey decreed that the parish of Saints Paul and Augustine, served by the Church at 15th and V Streets NW, would again be called the parish of Saint Augustine. With two thousand registered members and three thousand who call it their home church, Saint Augustine is now one of the largest parishes in Washington DC.

Saint Augustine’s proud history continues.