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• ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

  Beautiful church. I was recently baptized here through the RCIA process & the church has been very welcoming & open arms.

  Added May 08, 2017 by Calvin Roberts
• ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

  There are many wonderful things to love about St. Augustine and there are some things that need strengthening.
  
  Here is what is great: St. Augustine cares about its community and outreach to the poor and downtrodden outside the church definitely takes place. The pastor is a big advocate for social justice and stays involved in the policies of DC that affect the lives of the church, its community and its school. He deserves tremendous kudos for saving the only Catholic school committed to serving inner city children in the rapidly gentrifying corridors that abound 14th Street.
  
  The services are generally good. My favorite---and apparently most people's---is the 12:30 Gospel Mass. It is long, but you see at least a thousand people of all races gathered in a church to enjoy the rich traditions of black music. Herein lies some of its problems: the minister of music seems to be becoming lazy---the same predictable songs are song over and over and he is no longer providing the wide variety of black gospel and spiritual music. We should hear anthems, contemporary gospel, old-time gospel and Negro spirituals. The full range of black worship music is getting lost, as he and the choir sing the same songs over and over.
  
  People should visit other masses. More traditional masses are offered at other times of the day and they are shorter, addressing a complaint that some have about how long the Gospel Mass seems to have become. Also, there are other choirs: a youth choir and more traditional Catholic mass music are offered at other masses, particularly the early masses and weekday masses.
  
  Negatives: Because St. Augustine has become so large, it is losing its community feel and its feel as an African American historical congregation. Diversity is good, and I love that St. Augustine is one of the few churches in Washington, D.C. that is not all one race or the other, but at the same time, the African American roots should be maintained.
  
  Leadership of the church remains tightly confined to a cohort of people who are not particularly welcoming to new comers. The pastor-Father Patrick---is welcoming. But the African American heavyset woman who heads the worship service at 12:30 (I think her name is Marcia) almost never smiles, is abrupt and flat out rude when people ask her questions, and is one of those women whose general demeanor makes people think of church-folk as grim, judgmental and unwelcoming. I have no right to judge her heart---it may be in the right place---but she should display the warmth of Christianity to worshippers, not just her power.
  
  The church is involved heavily in helping outsiders, but should do more to help its actual membership. Rarely are calls made to the congregation to help the sick, visit the bereaved, or to do anything to help make the congregation get to know one another better or feel that the church has their back. I am a member, and when I lost two sisters, no one ever contacted me or followed up on my requests for prayer. This is after leaving a direct message for the Pastor. Months later he called and left an apology on my phone---I do believe it was sincere---but still no follow-up by having a person who deals with the sick and shut-in. There simply is no compassion being shown to members. The "church" is beginning to just feel like a venue for Sunday "performances."
  
  Another negative is if you are what many refer to jokingly as a "CME" Christian (someone who only comes on Christmas, Mother's Day or Easter), this is definitely not the church for you. St. Augustine has so many visitors on those days that you will not find a seat if you get there less than one hour before the service. Those services usually are the worst, for everything is rushed, crowded, hot, and people are complaining constantly to the poor ushers about having to stand. Worse, real members---particularly the elderly and infirm---are robbed of the seats they so richly deserve to people who just show up for the "show" on holidays and to feel good about themselves when for the rest of the year.

  Added November 11, 2016 by MyCollege Advisor
• ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

  I was calling to get my name put on list to recieve a basket for the holidays and everytime I would call the lady whom answered the phone was very rude a definetly not people friendly. She will tell me I would call to early or to late and she could not take my information or knew what time they left in the afternoon when I called at 3 o'clock one evening. I just called today and was told by the same woman the list was closed as if she had a problem answering the phone.

  Added September 30, 2016 by Karen Burr
• ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

  If you prefer the usual lukewarm/slightly stale Catholic Mass found it 90% of Catholic Churches across the US ( and the District of Columbia), this place is not for you. Although I usually blush at clapping and swaying in Mass, I get over it when I'm here because of the beautiful music, and more importantly the inspiringly vibrant community spirit.
  
  Every time I leave full of joy, and my hope for humanity is restored. Why? Because It's so hard to find a truly diverse, warm, and genuinely WELCOMING Catholic parish such as this. It's alive with young families, a plethora of singles, students, and a healthy dose of just about any demographic imaginable (except socially conservative folk and segregationists... for whom holding hands with those who look and dress differently may be uncomfortable).
  
  It's no wonder that it's usually packed on Sundays from people all around DC and the world. This is particularly of note for a neighborhood church tucked away from the main tourist destinations like Chinatown, Capitol Hill, St. Matthew's, & The Shrine. This place not only has a fabulous gospel choir that has performed for two consecutive Popes, (more?), it's a Catholic church where people don't just quietly mutter through the songs, they actually lift their voices in praise. I've known the sermons to be inspiring and engaging as well.

  Added August 13, 2016 by T Sirtosky