About St. Augustine · Austin, Pennsylvania
St. Augustine Church is a historic Catholic church located at 33 Turner Street in Austin, Potter County, Pennsylvania, established in 1885 during the region's bituminous coal-mining boom. It belongs to the Diocese of Erie and is currently a secondary church (without mission status) of Saint Eulalia Parish in Coudersport following the diocese's December 1, 2023 parish reconfiguration. As a secondary church, St. Augustine no longer hosts a regular weekend Mass, but it remains open to the faithful for sacred worship and is required to have Mass celebrated each year on its patronal feast, August 28. Pastoral care for St. Augustine is provided through the pastor and staff of Saint Eulalia Parish.
- Established
- 1885
- Patron
- Saint Augustine
- Rector
- Very Rev. Richard J. Allen
- Diocese
- Diocese of Erie
Why belong here
St. Augustine offers the small Austin, Pennsylvania community a continuing Catholic presence — worship space, sacramental life, and connection to the wider Saint Eulalia Parish family — in a part of the Pennsylvania Wilds where Catholic churches are few and far between. As a secondary church of Saint Eulalia Parish, it remains open for sacred worship and for the annual Mass on its patronal feast of August 28, and it serves not just Austin residents but camp owners, seasonal visitors, and Catholics from neighboring Emporium and Coudersport. For anyone living in or traveling through Potter County, it is a quiet, historic place to pray, belong, and stay connected to the faith.
Mass times at St. Augustine
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity & Patron
St. Augustine is a Catholic church in Austin, Potter County, Pennsylvania, named for Saint Augustine and observed liturgically each year on his feast day, August 28. As a secondary church of Saint Eulalia Parish in Coudersport, it continues the Catholic worship life that began in this small Pennsylvania Wilds borough in 1885.
- Patron: Saint Augustine
- Feast day celebrated annually: August 28
- Diocese: Erie
- Type: Secondary church of Saint Eulalia Parish (no mission status as of Dec. 1, 2023)
History
Founded in 1885 to serve immigrant Catholic families in the coal, lumber, and railroad town of Austin, St. Augustine has long been a mission church rather than a stand-alone parish. It was served for most of its history from Saint Eulalia Parish in Coudersport, was briefly cared for from Saint Bibiana in Galeton, and on December 1, 2023 was reconfigured by diocesan decree into a secondary church of Saint Eulalia Parish without mission status.
- Established 1885
- Long served as a mission from Saint Eulalia, Coudersport
- 2017–2018: Proposed consolidation threatened weekly Mass; Pastor Father Joseph V. Dougherty and parishioners urged the diocese to reconsider
- June 22, 2023: Presbyteral Council unanimously approved the merger plan
- Decree effective December 1, 2023: St. Augustine merged into Saint Eulalia Parish as a secondary church without mission status
- Required annual Mass on August 28 (solemnity of the church's title)
Pastoral Care & Staff
Pastoral care for St. Augustine is provided through the pastor and staff of Saint Eulalia Parish in Coudersport. The Very Rev. Richard J. Allen currently serves as pastor, supported by parish staff and liturgical musicians who serve the wider multi-site parish family.
- Pastor: Very Rev. Richard J. Allen
- Parish Support Staff: Wendy Jo Willenbecher
- Liturgical Music: Gloria Richardson
- Former pastor (c. 2017–2018): Rev. Joseph V. Dougherty
Sacraments
Because St. Augustine is a secondary church without mission status, sacramental celebrations are coordinated through Saint Eulalia Parish in Coudersport. The church remains available for weddings, funerals, and other sacred occasions by arrangement.
- Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick — coordinated through Saint Eulalia Parish
- Weddings and funerals — celebrated at St. Augustine by arrangement through Saint Eulalia Parish
Visit & Contact
The church sits at 33 Turner Street in Austin, Pennsylvania. All parish mail, phone calls, and email are handled through Saint Eulalia Parish in Coudersport.
- Physical address: 33 Turner St., Austin, PA 16720
- Mailing address: c/o St. Eulalia Parish, 6 E. Maple St., Coudersport, PA 16915
- Phone: (814) 274-8646
- Email: [email protected]
- Webpage: http://www.steulaliacoudersport.org
Parent Parish: Saint Eulalia, Coudersport
Saint Eulalia Parish in Coudersport is the parent parish for St. Augustine, Saint Bibiana in Galeton, and Sacred Heart in Genesee. It was itself established in 1883, with its first church built in 1885 — the same year St. Augustine was established. The parish is named in honor of a deceased daughter of the Keating family, who donated the land on which the church was built. A brownstone church replaced the original wooden structure around 1902, and from 2009 to 2023 Saint Eulalia shared a pastor with Saint Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Port Allegany.
- Established 1883; first church built 1885
- Pastor: Very Rev. Richard J. Allen
- Pastoral care also covers Sacred Heart, Genesee (secondary mission) and St. Augustine, Austin, and St. Bibiana, Galeton (secondary churches without mission status)
The 2023 Parish Reconfiguration
In response to the shrinking number of priests in the Diocese of Erie (roughly 120 priests, 70 of them age 65 or older in 2017), Bishop Lawrence T. Persico led a multi-year pastoral planning process for the McKean, Potter, and Warren county region. After deanery meetings and individual input, the Presbyteral Council unanimously approved a revised plan on June 22, 2023. The decree, effective December 1, 2023, merged Saint Bibiana Parish (Galeton) — along with its three churches, including Saint Augustine in Austin — into Saint Eulalia Parish, Coudersport, leaving St. Augustine as a secondary church without mission status but still open for worship.
- Bishop: Most Rev. Lawrence T. Persico
- Presbyteral Council approval: June 22, 2023
- Effective date: December 1, 2023
- St. Augustine designated: secondary church without mission status
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph V. Doughertyc. 2017–2018
Served St. Augustine together with Saint Bibiana in Galeton and Sacred Heart in Genesee; publicly urged the Diocese of Erie to reconsider the initial plan that would have ended weekly Mass in Austin.
- Very Rev. Richard J. Allencurrent
Pastor of Saint Eulalia Parish, Coudersport, to which St. Augustine belongs as a secondary church under the Dec. 1, 2023 reconfiguration decree.