St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church & School

My favorite church in DC — I come here for all holidays Easter, Christmas, etc. the atmosphere is always welcoming and amazing. I always feel better after visiting this church.

I came here for Easter Sunday Mass and it’s a very beautiful church. Reminds me of something I’d see in Europe with lovely gold accents all around! There are many rows of pews with seats alongside the pews as well to accommodate the amount of guests.
The choir is not as traditional as other churches I have been to and there was even a dance performance at the end of Easter Mass which I am not used to seeing but I didn’t mind. Still a pretty place and I’d come back. :)
Mass Schedule:
Saturday 4:30pm
Sunday 8/10/12:30pm

I completely agree with the previous reviews about St. Augustine being welcoming, inclusive, and warmer than many other churches. Especially the Gospel choir mass at 12:30 can be moving and inspiring. However, one downside is that after a while one feels more like a spectator than a participant at St. Augustine. The singing is good but it is the monopoly of the choir. St. Augustine can improve by making sure that the congregation participates, can sing along, it is not just cheering the choir from the pews like others cheer the Redskins at the stadium… For instance there is no one to encourage the congregation to sing along, a music director for the faithful in the pews. Involving the congregation is essential. It is OK to reserve some songs only for the choir but when the whole program is mostly just for listening and watching, regardless of how good, is not enough food for the soul and in the end it reinforces Protestants’ criticism that Catholic rituals are not inclusive but «reserved» to priests and professional choirs… I like St Augustine and I am offering this critique with the intent that it becomes even better, not just a tourist stop where you sit, watch, enjoy, applaud and go for brunch. Open up and encourage the congregation’s participation!!! Otherwise, it becomes a bit boring and passive… That is why I stopped going. In the end I was bored to just be clapping… I want to go where I am an active participant, at least at times.

I moved down here about 4 years ago, and searching for a good church was proving very difficult. After exploring quite a few options in the area, I’m so glad I came across St. Augustine’s. The first time I went there I just felt welcomed and the sense of community is amazing, more than I’ve seen in a while. I’ve been to the 10am & 12:30pm masses, and both choirs are fantastic. Having sang in my old church choir before I moved down here, I gravitate more to the 10am mass with more traditional hymns, but the gospel choir at 12:30 is amazing, so you can’t go wrong either way.

My fiancé and I attended the 1230 Mass, all I can say is Wow. It was one of the best services I’ve attended in awhile. The choir was phenomenal and the parishioners was very multicultural. We definitely plan on becoming a part of the church, we felt very welcomed.

I liked this church so much i joined! This is not your father’s Catholic church. I can’t wait until the major interior renovation is done and the scaffolding is gone. It is going to be an epic reflection of of the Creator’s creative hands.

**NOTE: The CHURCH is located at the corner of 15^th and V, while the SCHOOL is located at 1421 V Street NW. This confused the mess outta me when trying to find it on Unilocal.**
I came here with a friend last Sunday to check out the 12:30 Mass. He is in the process of looking for a parish in DC, had heard about the uniqueness of this one, and asked if I was interested in tagging along. Although Protestant, I’m glad that I obliged because I highly enjoyed the worship experience at St. Augustine.
As a historically African American Roman Catholic church, St. Augustine is quite a bit different than what I was accustomed to growing up (my mother’s family is Catholic and I went to a Catholic elementary school). First of all, the worship is gospel. And secondly, the priest is black. There’s something so inspiring about people of African descent being able to maintain and incorporate their cultural influences across the diaspora. In the realm of social science we call this a healthy example of acculturation, and it is here that you will find a refreshing synthesis of Catholicism and the African American traditions. More than anything, I found the strong sense of community among the ethnically diverse congregation to be especially endearing. It’s a very welcoming atmosphere, and the sermon was both spiritually challenging and theologically didactic. Definitely a word I needed to hear.
I don’t have any particular aspirations of converting, but I would (and plan to) attend another service at St. Augustine Catholic Church. I highly encourage others to do the same. It was worth the experience by far.

This church is great. Its uplifting, accepting and friendly. Go to the 12:30 mass, the choir has won many contest.

Born in Catholic Country-​midwest, I have been on a hunt for a good church fish fry during lent. My hunt was not taking me anywhere, until I heard about St. Augustine’s.
And I was impressed. I should say as a disclaimer though, don’t come expecting some 5 star level cooking, if you are looking for that, you shouldn’t be looking for a volunteer cooked meal anyway.
But the ladies cooking here really did it up right. I had the boneless fillets, which were fresh, skin on, crispy and hot.
Other main courses that were available were a whole fried fish, crab cakes and shrimp.
With each main course you get 2 sides (macaroni, french fries, corn bread, green beans). I went for the macaroni and green beans and YUM. You also get a cute little juice box with it, so hey, why not.
Everything I had was damn good, it felt like I was back in Michigan. almost.
One thing that really put St. Augustine’s Fish Fry over the top though, was that THEY TAKE CREDIT CARDS. It is so rare for a church to do something like this for a cheap meal, but I was stoked. And better yet, the whole kitten caboodle cost $ 9. I shall be back friends, but only for your fish. I am not convinced to come back for religious services quite yet.

I’m surprised that nobody reviewed St. Augustine yet! A beautiful church building, friendly congregation. Diverse members, but most impressively a choir that is dynamic and memorable. Everyone was extremely welcoming. We felt right at home at St. Augustine. The gf and I are «church shopping» — as odd as that may seem. I’m born and bred Catholic, she is born and bred Methodist.