About St. Augustine · New Roads, Louisiana
St. Augustine Catholic Church is a historic African American Roman Catholic parish in New Roads, Louisiana, in Pointe Coupee Parish, within the Diocese of Baton Rouge. The parish was founded in 1922 and has been continuously served since its inception by the St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart (SSJ) — the Josephite Fathers, a religious order established to minister to African American communities. Today St. Augustine is a vibrant parish of more than 700 families, with weekend Masses, a daily Mass schedule, a religious education program, altar servers, and a wide array of parish committees and outreach activities.
- Established
- 1922
- Patron
- St. Augustine of Hippo
- Rector
- Father Joseph B. Benjamin, SSJ
- Diocese
- Diocese of Baton Rouge
Why belong here
St. Augustine is a deeply rooted African American Catholic parish with a century of faith, family, and fellowship in New Roads. Worshippers can expect a full sacramental life — daily and weekend Masses, Saturday confessions, baptisms, First Communion, Confirmation, marriage, and anointing of the sick — together with a Religious Education program for children, active altar-server teams (youth and adult), an adult choir, a Prayer Request Team, and a wide range of parish committees and outreach initiatives. A warm, multigenerational community, live and recorded homilies on YouTube, and a tradition of caring for one another (including a long-running aluminum-tabs drive for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital) make St. Augustine a welcoming place to belong.
Mass times at St. Augustine
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:00 PM
- Before each Mass on Sunday and weekdays
- By request or by appointment
History of St. Augustine Catholic Church
St. Augustine's story begins in 1922 with the arrival of Father Edward Hartnett, SSJ, from Baltimore. After establishing a temporary mission in the old Simeon Parent General Store near the Texas and Pacific Railroad depot, he worked with Father Hoes of St. Mary's of False River to build a permanent church on land donated by the St. Mary congregation. The new church — built by Barbay Construction Company of Baton Rouge for $8,900 — was first used on Christmas Eve 1923 and dedicated on May 23, 1924, when 195 boys and 115 girls were confirmed. More than a century later, the parish still stands at 809 New Roads Street, having grown from a mission of a few families into a community of more than 700.
- Founded 1922; first Mass Christmas Eve 1923; dedicated May 23, 1924
- First baptism: Marie Viola Ellois, Matthew Kenneth Powell, Agnes DeRogers
- First marriage: Oliver Phillip and Mary Smith, February 2, 1923
- First funeral: Victoria Jacque, March 17, 1924
- Staffed since founding by the Josephite Fathers (SSJ)
A Parish Rooted in African American Catholic Life
St. Augustine was established at a time when there was no Catholic church in New Roads for African American faithful, and the Josephite Fathers — ordained to serve the African American community — have ministered here continuously since 1922. The parish credits Father John Plantevigne, SSJ, a native of Chenal (near Lakeland), Louisiana, as the first ordained African American Josephite priest to serve in the area, and notes that the order itself has been working in African American ministry since 1893. In the early decades, African American Catholics who continued to attend nearby St. Mary's of False River were first seated in the upper galleries and later given a designated aisle after those galleries were removed in 1925.
The Building and Its Changes Over the Years
The exterior of the church remains largely as Barbay Construction Company built it in 1923, with later modifications. Inside, the most significant changes came in the mid-1960s, when the original rear-wall altar was replaced with a freestanding altar in the center of the sanctuary so that Mass could be celebrated facing the people. Sacristies were opened on each side of the sanctuary — one for the choir and one to expand seating — and the organ was eventually moved from the choir loft at the rear of the church down to the floor near the altar. A new two-story rectory was built on the original 809 New Roads Street site in 1962.
Our Pastor and Staff
St. Augustine is currently served by Father Joseph B. Benjamin, SSJ, of the St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart. Father Benjamin comes to New Roads from St. Peter the Apostle Church in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and succeeds Father Patrick Healy, SSJ, the most recent pastor. Deacon Tom Robinson assists with parish life, Karen Louis serves as parish secretary, and Dinah Bourgeois coordinates Religious Education. Jerome Boyd handles website and mobile-app technical support, and Bianca Derosin serves as the parish's Facebook administrator.
- Pastor: Father Joseph B. Benjamin, SSJ ([email protected])
- Deacon: Rev. Tom Robinson ([email protected])
- Secretary: Karen Louis ([email protected])
- Coordinator of Religious Education: Dinah Bourgeois
- Website/Mobile App Administrator: Jerome Boyd
- Facebook Administrator: Bianca Derosin
Sacraments and Sacramental Preparation
All seven sacraments are celebrated at St. Augustine, including Baptism, First Holy Communion, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Reconciliation, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick. The parish maintains a Religious Education program coordinated by Dinah Bourgeois to prepare children and adults for the sacraments, and special Masses such as First Communion and the Ritual of Confirmation are celebrated each year with photo galleries and video shared through the parish's YouTube channel.
Parish Ministries and Volunteer Life
St. Augustine is a parish that runs on its lay faithful. The parish office regularly invites anyone interested to join a committee or volunteer, and posts a sign-up sheet for altar servers (youth and adult) at the rear of the church. A Prayer Request Team receives online prayer intentions and prays for each request for 30 days, while the parish also runs a long-standing aluminum-tabs collection drive benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, with a collection box at the church entrance. Online Giving is available through the parish's website and mobile app.
- Parish committees (open volunteer positions — call 225-638-7553)
- Altar Servers (youth and adult)
- Choir and music ministry
- Prayer Request Team (30-day prayer commitment)
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital aluminum-tabs drive
- Online Giving via parish website and mobile app
Religious Education and Faith Formation
Faith formation for children and youth is coordinated by Dinah Bourgeois, Coordinator of Religious Education. The program prepares young parishioners for the sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation, and shares photos and video of each year's celebrations through the parish website and YouTube channel so that families and friends who could not attend can still share in the moment.
Music and Liturgy
Music has long been central to worship at St. Augustine. The parish choir originally sang from the choir loft at the top (rear) entrance of the church; in later years the organ was repositioned on the floor near the altar so that the choir could take part more directly in the musical liturgy. The parish continues to share recordings of special Masses and events on its YouTube channel.
Stay Connected: Online, Calendar, and Social
The parish keeps an active online presence. The official website (staugustinecatholic.net) hosts a calendar of public events, online giving, a prayer-request form, photo galleries of recent sacraments, and links to the parish's Facebook page and YouTube channel. Live Masses and special-event recordings are uploaded to YouTube so that parishioners who are traveling, homebound, or simply wish to revisit a homily can take part at any time.
- Official website: https://staugustinecatholic.net/
- Parish events calendar on the website
- YouTube channel (live Masses and recordings)
- Facebook page (administered by Bianca Derosin)
- Online Giving via website and mobile app
Contact and Visiting
The parish office is open at 809 New Roads Street, New Roads, Louisiana 70760 (P.O. Box 548). The office phone is (225) 638-7553, and general inquiries can be sent to the secretary at [email protected]. Visitors are warmly welcomed to weekend Masses and to any of the parish's events, which are listed on the online calendar.
- Address: 809 New Roads Street, P.O. Box 548, New Roads, LA 70760
- Phone: (225) 638-7553
- Email: [email protected]
- Pastor's email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Edward Hartnett, SSJ1922 – c. early 1930s
Founding pastor of St. Augustine, arrived from Baltimore, Maryland in 1922; established the St. Augustine Mission, oversaw construction of the present church (1923), and celebrated the first Mass on Christmas Eve 1923. Assisted in his work by Father Hoes, pastor of St. Mary's of False River.
- Father Patrick Healy, SSJMost recent predecessor
Most recent pastor before Father Benjamin; departed St. Augustine to begin the next chapter of his ministry.
- Father John Plantevigne, SSJ
First ordained African American Josephite priest to serve in the area; native of Chenal (near Lakeland), Louisiana.