About St. Augustine · New Orleans, Louisiana
St. Augustine Catholic Church is a historic parish in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, widely recognized as the oldest Black Catholic parish in the United States. Founded in 1841 by free people of color and dedicated on October 9, 1842, it sits on land that was once part of the Claude Tremé plantation. The parish is the spiritual home of the Sisters of the Holy Family, Venerable Henriette DeLille, Homer Plessy, A.P. Tureaud, and jazz great Sidney Bechet, and is famous for its rousing Sunday gospel-jazz Mass and the Tomb of the Unknown Slave memorial on its grounds. Today the parish is served by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), with Father Emmanuel Mulenga, OMI, as pastor.
- Established
- 1841 (parish established); dedicated October 9, 1842
- Patron
- St. Augustine of Hippo
- Rector
- Father Emmanuel Mulenga, OMI (Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of New Orleans
Why belong here
St. Augustine offers something rare in American Catholicism: a worshiping community with nearly 185 years of unbroken witness at the heart of Tremé, the nation's oldest surviving Black neighborhood. Its Sunday 10:00 AM Mass is celebrated with the parish's famous gospel-jazz choir, drawing locals and visitors alike. Members join a parish that openly embraces its history of racial integration, that guards the Tomb of the Unknown Slave memorial on its grounds, and that is currently rebuilding its 19th-century sanctuary through a community-wide restoration effort supported by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Mass times at St. Augustine
Weekly Mass schedule
History of St. Augustine Catholic Church
St. Augustine was established in 1841 when free people of color received permission from Bishop Antoine Blanc to build a Catholic church in the Faubourg Tremé. The Ursuline Sisters donated the land on the condition that it be named for their patron, St. Augustine of Hippo. The parish was dedicated on October 9, 1842, and within months its free Black founders had out-bought local white parishioners in the now-famous 'War of the Pews,' purchasing three pews for every one bought by whites and dedicating the side aisles exclusively to enslaved people — a first in U.S. history. On November 21, 1842, Henriette Delille and Juliette Gaudin knelt in the church and founded the Sisters of the Holy Family, the second-oldest African American congregation of women religious. St. Augustine has been in continuous use as a place of worship for nearly 185 years.
- 1841 — parish established under Bishop Antoine Blanc; land donated by the Ursuline Sisters.
- October 9, 1842 — church dedicated.
- 1842 — 'War of the Pews' results in the country's most integrated congregation.
- November 21, 1842 — Sisters of the Holy Family founded within the parish.
- 1963 — Society of the Divine Word (SVD) begins serving the parish.
- 2005 — Saved from post-Katrina archdiocesan closure by parishioners and Fr. Jerome LeDoux, SVD.
- 2021 — Hurricane Ida causes catastrophic roof damage.
- June 7, 2025 — Parish returns to its sanctuary after a nearly five-year restoration.
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
Since 1963 the parish has been served by religious-order priests, first the Society of the Divine Word and now the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI). The current pastor is Father Emmanuel Mulenga, OMI, a Zambian-born Oblate who previously served the parish from 2014 to 2023 and has now returned. He has shepherded the community through the long Hurricane Ida recovery and the 2025 return to the sanctuary.
- Fr. Emmanuel Mulenga, OMI — Pastor (current)
- Fr. Jerome LeDoux, SVD — former pastor (saved the parish after Katrina)
- Abbé Étienne Rousselin — founding pastor (1842)
Music & Liturgy — The Gospel-Jazz Choir
St. Augustine's Sunday liturgy is renowned for its vibrant gospel-jazz music, a living expression of New Orleans' Black Catholic musical heritage. The choir is a draw for both parishioners and visitors from around the country. The parish's musical tradition is closely tied to its historic identity, given that jazz great Sidney Bechet was once a parishioner here.
Sacraments & Devotions
The parish publishes its weekly Mass and Rosary schedule online. Holy Day schedules are posted to Facebook or available by calling the parish office. Other sacramental information (baptism, marriage, anointing of the sick) is not currently published on the website and is best requested directly from the office.
- Wednesday Rosary — 4:30 PM
- Sunday and Wednesday Masses (see Worship & Mass Schedule)
Parish Ministries & Community Life
St. Augustine's small but devoted lay community carries much of the parish's life. The Ladies' Altar Society has been described as central to keeping the parish running through lean times, and a Restoration Committee is currently leading the multi-year effort to repair the 19th-century sanctuary.
- Ladies' Altar Society
- Gospel-Jazz Choir
- Restoration Committee
The Tomb of the Unknown Slave
On the parish grounds stands the Tomb of the Unknown Slave, a memorial of grave crosses, chains and shackles erected in 2004 by the Faith Community of St. Augustine. It honors the nameless Africans and Native Americans enslaved on the Tremé plantation who lie in unmarked graves beneath the neighborhood. The monument — large chains in the shape of a cross with chains at the base — was deliberately placed on the site of the old Tremé Plantation House.
- Dedicated October 3, 2004 by the Faith Community of St. Augustine.
- Marks the burial ground of enslaved Africans and American Indian slaves on the old Tremé plantation.
Restoration & Preservation
After Hurricane Ida's 2021 roof damage left the 1842 sanctuary unusable, St. Augustine launched a $2.5 million restoration campaign in partnership with the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The parish received a $200,000 grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Saints owner Gayle Benson has been among the Catholic donors supporting the work. The 180-year-old iron steeple cross was reinstalled in 2024.
- $2.5 million restoration campaign underway (about $1 million remaining to raise as of late 2025).
- $200,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.
- 180-year-old iron steeple cross reinstalled in 2024.
- First Sunday Mass back in the sanctuary held June 7, 2025, attended by Mayor Helena Moreno and City Councilman Freddie King III.
Notable Parishioners & Visitors
St. Augustine's pews have held some of the most consequential figures in African American Catholic, civil rights, and New Orleans cultural history. Pope St. John Paul II heard about the parish during his 1987 visit to New Orleans.
- Venerable Henriette DeLille — foundress of the Sisters of the Holy Family (1842 vows taken here).
- Homer Plessy — plaintiff in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).
- A. P. Tureaud Sr. — pioneering 20th-century civil rights attorney (baptized here April 2, 1899).
- Sidney Bechet — legendary jazz saxophonist and clarinetist.
- George Herriman — creator of the comic strip 'Krazy Kat.'
- Tootie Montana — celebrated Mardi Gras Indian Chief.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Abbé Étienne Rousselin (Rousselon)1842–
Founding pastor of St. Augustine; guided the early community and the founding of the Sisters of the Holy Family on November 21, 1842.
- Priests of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD)1963–
Began serving the parish in 1963, taking over pastoral care for many decades.
- Father Jerome LeDoux, SVD
African-American Divine Word priest; pastor during Hurricane Katrina (2005) who led nonviolent resistance that saved the parish from archdiocesan closure.
- Father Emmanuel Mulenga, OMI2014–2023; returned (current)
Zambian-born Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate; has served as pastor for 10 of the last 12 years; led the parish through Hurricane Ida recovery and the 2025 return to the sanctuary.