About St. Augustine/ St. Monica · Detroit, Michigan
St. Augustine and St. Monica Parish is a Catholic parish on Detroit's east side, in the Indian Village neighborhood at 4151 Seminole Street. It is part of the Central Renaissance 2 Family of Parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit and serves a predominantly African-American congregation with a vibrant Sunday Mass, weekday Adoration, a food pantry, and a celebrated door-to-door evangelization program that walks the surrounding blocks offering Bibles, prayer, and friendship. The parish is housed in the historic former St. Catherine of Siena church complex (school 1913, convent/rectory 1926, church 1929), designed by the firm of Donaldson & Meier in a Romanesque style with Byzantine influences, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
- Established
- 1989
- Patron
- St. Augustine of Hippo and St. Monica
- Rector
- Rev. Francis Asomkase, SSJ (Moderator)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Detroit (Renaissance Vicariate, Central Region; Central Renaissance 2 Family of Parishes)
Why belong here
St. Augustine and St. Monica is a small but lively historic parish where the priest and people literally know their neighbors — the parish is best known for its door-to-door evangelization program, in which trained volunteers walk every block within parish boundaries two by two, offering Bibles, prayer, conversation and an open invitation to Mass. Weekday Adoration, a Wednesday Mass, a Sunday Mass (livestreamed), a St. Vincent de Paul food pantry, OCIA (RCIA), youth ministry, Bible study, a women's Bible study, and a Travel Club all give parishioners concrete ways to belong, while the historic Donaldson & Meier church with its Willet stained glass and new Ashby saint portraits gives the community a beautiful place to pray together.
Mass times at St. Augustine/ St. Monica
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday at 9:15 AM (before Mass)
- Or by appointment — call 313-921-4107
Adoration times
- Sunday — Eucharistic Adoration at 9:15 AM
- Wednesday — Eucharistic Adoration 8:00 AM–9:00 AM (Livestreamed)
About St. Augustine and St. Monica Parish
St. Augustine and St. Monica Parish is a historic Catholic community on Detroit's east side at 4151 Seminole Street, in the Archdiocese of Detroit's Central Renaissance 2 Family of Parishes. The parish worships in the former St. Catherine of Siena church, a Romanesque-Byzantine landmark designed by Donaldson & Meier and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. With a predominantly African-American congregation and a tradition of neighbor-to-neighbor evangelization, the parish sees itself as a small but outgoing community, offering daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, OCIA, youth ministry, a food pantry and a celebrated door-to-door outreach program.
- Location: 4151 Seminole St., Detroit, MI 48214
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Detroit (Renaissance Vicariate, Central Region)
- Family of Parishes: Central Renaissance 2
- Phone: 313-921-4107
- Website: saintamparish.org
Parish History
The parish was formed in 1989 by the merger of St. Catherine/St. Edward and St. Bernard of Clairvaux, taking over the historic St. Catherine of Siena complex on Seminole Street. St. Bernard (est. 1849) was one of the earliest Catholic parishes on Detroit's east side; St. Catherine of Siena (est. 1912) had built the present school, convent, rectory and church between 1913 and 1929. Fr. Don Clark was the founding pastor, followed by Msgr. Daniel Trapp in the mid-1990s. In 2024, Fayoum-style portraits of the parish's patron saints and of Blessed Solanus Casey by local artist Gil Ashby were installed above the tabernacle.
- 1849 — St. Bernard of Clairvaux founded
- 1912 — St. Catherine of Siena Parish established
- 1913 — School built (Donaldson & Meier)
- 1926 — Convent and rectory completed
- 1929 — Church completed (Willet stained glass)
- 1970 — St. Catherine + St. Edward merge to form St. Catherine/St. Edward
- 1989 — St. Catherine/St. Edward + St. Bernard merge to form St. Augustine and St. Monica
- 1991 — Complex listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- 1995–96 — Msgr. Daniel Trapp becomes pastor
- 2024 — Ashby saint portraits unveiled above the tabernacle
Clergy and Parish Staff
Because the parish is part of the Archdiocese of Detroit's Central Renaissance 2 Family of Parishes, it is served by a team of priests from multiple religious institutes in addition to its own deacons and lay staff. The pastor-moderator is Rev. Francis Asomkase, SSJ (Josephite).
- Rev. Francis Asomkase, SSJ — Moderator / Priest-in-Solidum
- Rev. David Preuss, OFM Cap — Priest-in-Solidum (Capuchin)
- Rev. Charles Nwamadi, SSJ — Priest-in-Solidum (Josephite)
- Rev. Richard Baumann, SJ — Priest-in-Solidum (Jesuit)
- Rev. Mr. Christopher Rabaut — Deacon
- Rev. Mr. Joseph Iskra — Deacon Emeritus
- Rev. Mr. Justus Ihemawulotu, SSJ — Deacon
- Ms. Marjorie Gabriel-Burrow — Pastoral Associate / OCIA
- Mrs. Kathleen Williams-Trice — Christian Service Coordinator
- Ms. Lisa Jones — Youth Ministry
- Mrs. Joyce Shelton-Watkins — Education / Religious Education
- Ms. Rose Marshall — Bulletin Editor, Parking Security, Communications
- Ms. Artensia Wynn — Ushers
- Mrs. LaVerne Embry — Sunday Refreshments
- Mrs. Clarisa Piecuch — Travel Club
- William Philpot — Event Coordinator
Sacraments
The parish prepares Catholics for the sacraments of initiation and welcome. Baptisms, First Holy Communion, Confirmation/Religious Education, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick are all arranged through the parish office; in an emergency, the parish answering line is 313-921-4107.
- Baptism — call the parish office to schedule
- First Holy Communion — preparation info via 313-921-4107
- Confirmation / Religious Education — contact parish office for class info
- Marriage — call the parish office; in an emergency, 313-921-4107
- Anointing of the Sick / Last Rites — call 313-921-4107
Faith Formation and OCIA (RCIA)
Parish staff include an OCIA coordinator and a Christian Service coordinator, and the door-to-door evangelization ministry has brought several adults into the OCIA process — including people who first met the parish at its food pantry. A weekly Monday Bible Study and a women's Bible study also feed the parish's formation life.
- OCIA / RCIA — Order of Christian Initiation of Adults
- Weekly Bible Study — Monday
- Women's Bible Study
- Religious Education / Confirmation preparation — contact parish office
Outreach, Charity and Evangelization
St. Augustine and St. Monica is best known outside Detroit for its door-to-door evangelization program, in which roughly eight trained volunteers walk two-by-two through every block within parish boundaries — and now beyond, supported by grants from the Catholic Foundation of Michigan. They offer Bibles, simply pray with anyone who will receive them, listen to neighbors, and invite them to Mass. Volunteers also visit local nursing homes for prayer and Bible study.
- Door-to-door evangelization (parish signature ministry)
- Bible distribution to homes that want one
- Nursing-home visits (Bible study and personal prayer)
- Catholic Foundation of Michigan grant partner for evangelization training
- St. Vincent de Paul food pantry (on site)
- Christian Service coordination
Music, Hospitality and Parish Life
Beyond the sanctuary, the parish has an active social and liturgical life: a Music Ministry, an Ushers ministry, a Sunday Refreshments hospitality team, and a Travel Club — all listed among the parish staff and ministries. These groups help make the small parish feel like a close-knit community.
- Music Ministry
- Ushers
- Sunday Refreshments (hospitality)
- Travel Club
- Communications Team / Bulletin Editor
- Parking Security
The Historic St. Catherine of Siena Church
Worship takes place in the former St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church, a 1929 Romanesque-style building with Byzantine influences designed by the Detroit firm of Donaldson and Meier. The complex also includes the 1913 school (built for $52,000), the 1926 convent and rectory, and stained-glass windows by Willet Studios of Philadelphia. The buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. In November 2024 the parish unveiled four Fayoum-style painted portraits of St. Augustine, St. Monica, St. Catherine and Blessed Solanus Casey by Detroit-area artist and College for Creative Studies professor Gil Ashby; the portraits now rest on the altarpiece above the tabernacle.
- Architect: Donaldson & Meier (Detroit)
- Style: Romanesque with Byzantine influences
- Stained glass: Willet Studios, Philadelphia
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1991
- Altarpiece portraits (2024): St. Augustine, St. Monica, St. Catherine of Siena, Blessed Solanus Casey — by Gil Ashby
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Don Clark1989 (founding pastor)
Founding pastor of St. Augustine and St. Monica; worked to commission African-style artwork of Our Lord and the saints for the church.
- Msgr. Daniel Trappc. 1995/1996–present
Longtime pastor and instructor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. Started the door-to-door evangelization ministry and commissioned the Gil Ashby saint portraits unveiled in 2024.