About St. Augustine · Dallas, Texas
St. Augustine Catholic Parish is a bilingual (English and Spanish) Roman Catholic parish in the Pleasant Grove neighborhood of southeast Dallas, Texas, belonging to the Diocese of Dallas. Founded in 1939, it has grown into a large community of more than 3,000 active families, the great majority of whom are immigrants from Mexico. The parish celebrates Mass primarily in Spanish — five of its six Sunday Masses are in Spanish — with one English Mass each Sunday and a bilingual Saturday Vigil. A current capital campaign aims to build a larger church to accommodate a congregation that has outgrown its 500-seat building, and in November 2025 Pope Leo XIV personally blessed the cornerstone brick destined for the new church.
- Established
- 1939
- Patron
- St. Augustine of Hippo
- Rector
- Rev. Paolo Capra
- Diocese
- Diocese of Dallas
Why belong here
St. Augustine offers an unusually rich liturgical life for a parish of its size — six Sunday Masses plus a Saturday Vigil, daily morning and evening Masses, weekday confessions, daily Eucharistic Adoration, and an all-night Adoration on every second Friday. The parish is genuinely bilingual, with Spanish-speaking ministry at its heart, and sustains an active constellation of groups including the Neocatechumenal Way, Legion of Mary, Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul, Women's Guild, Marriage Encounter, Homebound Ministry, and a vibrant Faith Formation program. It is also a community with deep missionary energy: the Women's Guild collects baby items for the White Rose Women's Center, blankets shut-ins at Christmas, and runs a Sunday-morning Rosary service before the 10 a.m. English Mass.
Mass times at St. Augustine
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday – Friday, 5:00 pm – 6:20 pm (bilingual)
Adoration times
- Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 6:20 pm
- All-night Adoration every 2nd Friday each month, 8:00 pm – 6:00 am (Saturday)
Parish Identity & Mission
St. Augustine Catholic Parish proclaims the love of God in Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. Its mission statement — offered in both English and Spanish on the parish website — says that this love is celebrated in the sacraments, lived in communion among the faithful, passed on through faith formation for youth, adults and families, and shared through service to the poor and those in need. The parish community seeks ongoing conversion and growth in fidelity to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. The parish is named for St. Augustine of Hippo, whose feast day is August 28.
History of St. Augustine
St. Augustine was established in 1939 in the Pleasant Grove area of southeast Dallas. The parish grew alongside the surrounding Mexican and Mexican-American Catholic community and now numbers more than 3,000 active families. St. Augustine Catholic School opened on the campus in 1957, was staffed by the Sisters of the Holy Spirit, was formally dedicated the following year by Bishop Thomas K. Gorman, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007, and is now part of the unified St. Philip & St. Augustine Catholic Academy.
- 1939 — parish founded
- 1957 — St. Augustine Catholic School opens; dedicated 1958 by Bishop Gorman
- 2007 — school marks 50th anniversary
- 2016 — parish enters sale-and-option agreement with Cristo Rey Dallas High School, clearing the way for expansion
- 2025 (Nov 28) — Pope Leo XIV blesses the cornerstone brick of the new church in Istanbul
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently shepherded by pastor Father Paolo Capra, who in 2025 received Pope Leo XIV's blessing on the cornerstone of the parish's new church. Other clergy named in diocesan and parish directories over recent years include Father Anibal Adorno (ordained 1992, longtime pastor), Father Luca Simbula, parochial vicar Father Herbert Sebastián Martínez, and deacon Jorge Castillo. Lay staff include Jill Killam (parish finance) and María Narváez, Safe Environment Coordinator (945-214-6696, [email protected]).
- Pastor: Rev. Paolo Capra
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Herbert Sebastián Martínez
- Deacon: Jorge Castillo
- Safe Environment Coordinator: María Narváez
- Parish Finance: Jill Killam
Liturgical Ministries
Parishioners serve at the altar as Eucharistic Ministers (Ministros de la Eucaristía), Lectors (Lectores), and Altar Servers (Monaguillos). All three ministries welcome new volunteers through the parish office.
- Eucharistic Ministers | Ministros de la Eucaristía
- Lectors | Lectores
- Altar Servers | Monaguillos
Faith Formation, Schools & the Neocatechumenal Way
St. Augustine runs a parish Faith Formation (CCD) program for children and youth. The parish also hosts the Neocatechumenal Way, the post-Vatican II Christian-initiation itinerary founded in Spain in the 1960s by Kiko Argüello and Carmen Hernández and recognized by St. John Paul II as a valid itinerary of Catholic formation. The Dallas academy serving Pleasant Grove — St. Philip & St. Augustine Catholic Academy — is the successor to the original St. Augustine Catholic School (opened 1957).
- CCD / Faith Formation (children & youth)
- Neocatechumenal Way (Camino Neocatecumenal) — contact: Guillermo Rodriguez, 972-388-6603
- St. Philip & St. Augustine Catholic Academy (Pleasant Grove)
- Adult faith formation referenced in the parish mission statement
Parish Ministries, Apostolates & Outreach
Beyond the altar, the parish sustains a wide range of lay apostolates: the Apostolado de la Nueva Evangelización (New Evangelization), the Homebound Ministry (Ministerio a los Enfermos) that brings Communion to the sick and shut-in, the Knights of Columbus (who run the annual Lenten Fish Fry), the Legion of Mary, Marriage Encounter, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and the Women's Guild (Cofradía de Mujeres). The Women's Guild meets once a month and carries out a rich set of works: collecting baby items for the White Rose Women's Center, assisting CCD with the All Saints Party in October, distributing Christmas blankets to shut-ins, running the 'General Store' booth at the parish Carnival, providing rosaries at the Sunday morning Rosary service, and supporting the Knights of Columbus during Lent.
- Apostolado de la Nueva Evangelización
- Homebound Ministry (Ministerio a los Enfermos)
- Knights of Columbus — Fish Fry in Lent
- Legion of Mary
- Marriage Encounter (Encuentro Matrimonial)
- St. Vincent de Paul
- Women's Guild (Cofradía de Mujeres) — contact: MaryLou Rodriguez, 214-931-1054
Building for the Future — The New Church Campaign
The current 500-seat church on St. Augustine Drive is too small for a parish of more than 3,000 active families. In 2016 the parish entered into a sale-and-option agreement with Cristo Rey Dallas High School, and Phase I of the building project — a larger church, offices, and site work — carries a $17 million goal. As of the iGive Catholic campaign the parish had raised roughly $7.6 million. The project received a remarkable boost on November 28, 2025, when pastor Father Paolo Capra, on pilgrimage in Istanbul for the 20th anniversary of the Diocese of Dallas's Redemptoris Mater Seminary, asked Pope Leo XIV to bless the first brick of the new church. The Pope agreed; the brick is destined to be the cornerstone.
- Phase I goal: $17 million (church, offices, site work)
- Started raising funds via iGive Catholic
- Cornerstone brick blessed by Pope Leo XIV in Istanbul, Nov. 28, 2025
- New church planned to seat up to 900
Safe Environment
St. Augustine follows the Diocese of Dallas Safe Environment program; training is now online. The parish coordinator for both English- and Spanish-speaking volunteers is María Narváez (945-214-6696, [email protected]).
Visit, Contact & Emergencies
The parish office is at 1054 N. St. Augustine Dr., Dallas, TX 75217, in the Pleasant Grove neighborhood of southeast Dallas. Office phone: (214) 398-1583. General email: [email protected]. For after-hours religious emergencies (anointing of the sick, last rites), call (214) 398-1583 and dial #7.
- Address: 1054 N. St. Augustine Dr., Dallas, TX 75217
- Phone: (214) 398-1583
- Email: [email protected]
- Religious emergencies: (214) 398-1583, dial #7
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Anibal Adorno
Long-serving pastor (ordained 1992 for the Diocese of Dallas); celebrated funerals at the parish as recently as 2009 and is still listed as pastor on several third-party directories.
- Rev. Luca Simbula
Listed as Párroco on BusinessYab's parish-details entry.
- Rev. Paolo Capra2025–present
Current pastor; in November 2025 received Pope Leo XIV's blessing on the cornerstone of the parish's new church during a pilgrimage to Istanbul.