St. Augustine

Parish Identity and Location

St. Augustine Parish is the Roman Catholic parish serving Montpelier, Vermont's capital city. The parish church stands at 16 Barre Street — a granite Gothic Revival landmark within sight of the Vermont State House — and is identified with the Diocese of Burlington's Capital Deanery. As a parish in the state capital, it has long served a community that mixes lifelong Vermonters, French-Canadian and Irish-descended Catholic families, and newer arrivals drawn to work at State government.

History of the Parish

Catholic life in Montpelier began in the autumn of 1830 when Father Jeremiah O'Callaghan, the 'Apostle of Vermont,' celebrated the first Mass — likely in the home of Antoine Jangraw or John Murphy, depending on the source. For two decades about 200 French-Canadian and Irish Catholics worshipped in private homes until Father Hector Drolet, arriving from Québec in 1850 as the city's first resident priest, bought the old Court House on Court Street and remodeled it as the first Catholic church in the capital. A larger, 900-seat brick church with a double steeple followed in 1859 under Father Druon, and then in 1892 the cornerstone was laid for the present Gothic Revival church on Barre Street, with the first Mass celebrated there at Easter 1903.

• 1830 — first Catholic Mass in Montpelier by Fr. Jeremiah O'Callaghan
• 1850 — Fr. Hector Drolet, Montpelier's first resident Catholic priest, buys the old Court House
• 1859 — larger brick church with double steeple opens under Fr. Druon
• 1892 — cornerstone of present church laid on July 4
• 1903 — first Mass in the new Barre Street church, Easter Sunday
• 1968–69 — interior renovation implementing Vatican II liturgical changes

Architecture of the Church

Designed in the Gothic Revival style, the present St. Augustine church was built of rusticated gray Vermont granite with a slate roof, with a detached circular vestry in the northeast corner. The south facade has three entries; above the central entrance is a large rose window with a lancet pediment, and two towers flank the entrance — the taller eastern tower, completed with a low hip roof instead of the designed spire and parapet. The richly decorated original interior featured elongated neo-Gothic columns, lancet arches, polychrome stenciling in warm gray, madder rose, olive green, and gold, stained glass, and paintings by Vermont artist Thomas Waterman Wood. A central altar was flanked by two smaller side altars, with the pulpit midway down the nave.

• Style: Gothic Revival
• Material: rusticated gray Vermont granite, slate roof
• Notable feature: large rose window with lancet pediment above central entry
• Twin towers flanking the south entrance
• Interior murals and paintings by Vermont artist Thomas Waterman Wood
• Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Montpelier Historic District (added Nov. 3, 1978)

Clergy and Parish Staff

The parish is currently served by two priests: Fr. Patrick (Pat) Forman as pastor (he also serves as Dean of the Capital Deanery), and Fr. Luan Van Tran as parochial vicar. Call the parish office at (802) 223-5285 for staff and ministry contacts and to schedule appointments such as confession, baptism, marriage, or anointing of the sick.

• Fr. Patrick (Pat) Forman — Pastor (Dean, Capital Deanery)
• Fr. Luan Van Tran — Parochial Vicar

Faith Formation and Youth Ministry

The parish runs Christian formation programs for children and youth in Grades 1 through 12, with both in-person class tracks and a home-study option. Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation is offered alongside the regular formation curriculum, and there is an RCIC (Rites of Christian Initiation adapted for Children and Youth) track for those 7 and older who have not yet been baptized.

• Grades 1–5 — Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, Monday evening groups; home study option
• Grades 6–8 — EDGE youth ministry (3 Mondays per month, 6:30–8:00 p.m.)
• Grades 9–12 — LIFETEEN youth ministry (3 Mondays per month, 6:30–8:00 p.m.)
• Home-study option for both grade spans
• First Reconciliation and First Communion preparation (Grades 2+; youth in Grades 6–12)
• Confirmation preparation (high school sophomores and older)
• RCIC for children/youth 7+ not yet baptized, concluding at Easter with Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist

Sister Parishes and Outreach

St. Augustine's history as the mother Catholic church of central Vermont is reflected in the parishes and missions it has founded. The Catholic mission to Barre, launched by a St. Augustine's priest in 1881, became St. Monica's Church in 1887 — named for the mother of St. Augustine — and eventually grew larger than the founding parish. Today St. Augustine's also hosts St. Michael's Elementary School, now the Montpelier campus of the merged Central Vermont Catholic School (a union of St. Monica's School and St. Michael's). As part of the Diocese of Burlington's Capital Deanery, the parish collaborates with surrounding Catholic parishes in central Vermont.

• Founded the Catholic mission to Barre in 1881
• St. Monica's Church, Barre (founded 1887) grew out of the St. Augustine's mission
• Hosts St. Michael's Elementary School (Central Vermont Catholic School, Montpelier campus)
• Member, Capital Deanery, Diocese of Burlington

Visiting and Contact Information

Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Augustine by mail or by phone at the church office on Barre Street, just east of the Vermont State House. The current canonical website is hosted by the Diocese of Burlington at staugustine.vermontcatholic.org.

• Address — 16 Barre Street, Montpelier, VT 05602
• Phone — (802) 223-5285
• Email — [email protected]
• Website — https://staugustine.vermontcatholic.org/
• Diocesan listing — https://www.vermontcatholic.org/church/st-augustine-montpelier/