About St. Augustine · Union City, New Jersey
St. Augustine Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Union City, New Jersey, part of the Archdiocese of Newark and currently ministered by the Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR). Founded in 1886 to serve the German and Irish immigrants of then-West Hoboken, the parish today is one of the most heavily Hispanic (predominantly Cuban and South American) parishes in the Archdiocese, with most of its 18 weekly Masses celebrated in Spanish or bilingually. Its 1958 church building at 3900 New York Avenue is a celebrated work of Mid-Century Modern ecclesiastical architecture, and the parish continues to operate St. Augustine's School, a wide sacramental and devotional life, and active lay ministries that process through the streets each August for the Feast of St. Augustine.
- Established
- 1886
- Patron
- Saint Augustine of Hippo
- Rector
- Rev. José María Martinez, OAR
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Newark
Why belong here
St. Augustine is one of the most active bilingual Catholic parishes in Hudson County, with 18 Masses celebrated each week in English, Spanish, and bilingual formats to serve its predominantly Hispanic community of Cuban and South American heritage. A full devotional life surrounds the Eucharist, including Tuesday's Novena to San Judas, Wednesday's Novena to the Divino Niño, Friday Hora Santa Adoration on the first Friday of the month, and the annual Feast of St. Augustine festival and procession in late August. The parish is anchored by St. Augustine's School on the same New York Avenue campus and is served by the Order of Augustinian Recollects, a religious community with a long tradition of ministering to migrants and working-class families — a heritage that continues to shape the parish's welcoming, working-class, immigrant identity almost 140 years after its 1886 founding.
Mass times at St. Augustine
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Adoration times
- Friday 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM — Hora Santa (first Friday of the month)
History of St. Augustine Parish
St. Augustine was established in 1886 as the Catholic parish of what was then West Hoboken, ministering first to the German and Irish immigrant families who worked the riverside community directly across the Hudson from Manhattan. By the mid-twentieth century those founding families had largely moved on to the suburbs, and waves of Cuban and South American families were crowding into Union City's ancient tenements. To serve that new congregation, Father James J. Healy — installed as pastor in 1956 — hired architect Arthur Rigolo to design an entirely new church that opened in 1958. Since then the parish has grown into one of the most heavily Hispanic parishes in the Archdiocese of Newark, today pastored by the Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR), with about 18 Masses a week and an annual Feast of St. Augustine festival each August. In 2025 the parish marked 139 years of continuous life.
- Founded 1886 (West Hoboken / Union City)
- Father James J. Healy hired architect Arthur Rigolo, autumn 1956
- Site work began July 8, 1957
- Current church dedicated June 29, 1958 (cost about $500,000)
- Rigolo received AIA NJ / NJ Society of Architects Award of Merit, 1959
- Marked 139 years of parish life in 2025
The 1958 Church — A Modernist Landmark
Father Healy's brief to Arthur Rigolo was unconventional: a deeply canted tent-roof to fit the narrow lot between the parish school and rectory, in a Modern idiom Union City had never seen. Rigolo answered with a steeply pitched, geometric/pyramidal structure in economical concrete, faced with abstract polychromatic terracotta tiles and translucent stained-glass panels by Hiemer & Company, plus figural stained glass. The Hudson Dispatch called the finished interior 'much more than a trip into the future world of building design,' and Docomomo's register describes it as the building that 'ushered a new Modernity into ecclesiastical design' in the Archdiocese of Newark. The church seats roughly 800–900 and remains an actively used parish church more than 65 years after its dedication.
- Architect: Arthur Rigolo (Clifton, NJ)
- Style: Mid-Century Modern, with psychedelic polychromatic terracotta exterior
- Roof: steeply canted tent/pyramidal roof
- Stained glass: Hiemer & Company (figural and abstract panels)
- Seating: approximately 800 (Archdiocesan Parish Workbook) / ~900 (Docomomo)
- Recognized on Docomomo's modern-architecture register
Feast of St. Augustine — Annual Parish Festival
Each August, St. Augustine Parish closes its summer with one of Union City's most beloved popular festivals. The day begins at 9:00 AM with a Thanksgiving Mass in honor of the patron, typically attended by Union City's mayor; a procession of the image of St. Augustine follows, carried on the shoulders of the Brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles (Hermandad del Señor de los Milagros), preceded by altar servers and followed by parish ministries carrying their identifying banners. The procession ends at the parish festival platform, where music, food, and dancing continue into the evening, concluding with the drawing of raffle numbers — the 2025 grand prize was over $28,000. The 2025 festival was marked as the 139th anniversary of the parish.
- Annual date: late August (feast of St. Augustine, August 28)
- 9:00 AM Thanksgiving Mass
- Procession with image of St. Augustine on shoulders of Brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles
- Parish ministries process with identifying banners
- Music, food, dancing, and raffle drawing
- Mayor of Union City traditionally in attendance
Sacraments and Sacramental Life
The Archdiocese of Newark's 2025 Parish Workbook records a robust sacramental life at St. Augustine, with 59 baptisms, 95 First Communions, 98 confirmations, 8 marriages, and 88 funerals in 2024. Sacramental preparation is offered through the parish's religious-education programs, and Reconciliation is heard regularly on Saturday afternoons. The parish workbook lists 'lifelong faith formation and Catholic education,' 'well-formed pastoral ministers,' and 'discipleship formation' among its areas of mission focus.
- Baptism
- First Holy Communion
- Confirmation
- Marriage
- Anointing of the Sick / Funerals
- Sacramental preparation and religious education
- Reconciliation (Confession) — Saturday 4:30 PM
Parish Ministries and Community Life
The parish's published mission focuses emphasize vibrant liturgy, lifelong faith formation, ministry to youth / young adults / families, evangelization, and social outreach. St. Augustine's Catholic Church / MapQuest describes a parish offering sacramental preparation, religious-education programs, mission trips, prayer ministries, and broad opportunities for parishioners to volunteer, attend events, and serve one another. The procession at the August festival visibly demonstrates the breadth of parish ministry groups, which carry their identifying banners alongside the Brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles.
- Brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles (Hermandad del Señor de los Milagros)
- Religious education and sacramental preparation
- Liturgical ministries (altar servers, choir)
- Youth, young-adult, and family ministries
- Prayer ministries and devotional groups
- Social outreach and evangelization
- Lay leadership and pastoral council
St. Augustine's School
Sharing the New York Avenue block with the church, St. Augustine's School (3920 New York Avenue) is the parish's Catholic elementary school. It serves families of the parish and the wider Union City community and is part of the parish's commitment to lifelong faith formation and Catholic education called out in the Archdiocesan Parish Workbook.
- Address: 3920 New York Avenue, Union City, NJ 07087
- Phone: (201) 865-5319
- Same campus as the church and rectory
Demographics and Parish Vitality
According to the Archdiocese of Newark's 2025 Parish Workbook, the population within a one-mile radius of the church is 72.1% Hispanic/Latino, 17.0% White (non-Hispanic), and 6.3% Asian (non-Hispanic) — and the general population of the area has grown about 10.14% since 2010. The parish itself has experienced a 52% decline in Mass attendance between 1998 and 2024 (and another 26% drop between pre-COVID 2019 and 2024), but the same period shows steady financial growth: offertory collections are up 51% since 2013 and Ordinary Revenue rose from $333,317 in 2019 to $454,186 in 2024. The parish has reported a net gain in each of the past three years.
- 72.1% Hispanic/Latino within 1-mile radius
- Average weekend Mass attendance: ~2,074 across 7 weekend Masses (2024)
- Offertory up 51% since 2013; Ordinary Revenue up 44%
- Three consecutive years of net financial gain
Clergy and Religious Order
St. Augustine Parish is currently pastored by the Order of Augustinian Recollects (Orden de Agustinos Recoletos / OAR), a Catholic religious order that arrived in the United States in 1917 and has a long tradition of ministering to immigrant and working-class neighborhoods in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, California, and beyond. The Province of San Nicolás de Tolentino, founded in 1621, identifies Union City as one of its historic U.S. ministries. The current pastor is Rev. José María Martinez, OAR.
- Religious order: Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR)
- Province: San Nicolás de Tolentino (OAR), founded 1621
- Current pastor: Rev. José María Martinez, OAR
- Mid-20th-century pastor: Rev. James J. Healy (built the 1958 church)
Visiting St. Augustine
St. Augustine is located at 3900 New York Avenue in Union City, NJ — directly across the Hudson River from Midtown Manhattan. The parish shares its block with the parish school and rectory. Confessions are heard Saturday afternoons; multiple Sunday Masses in English, Spanish, and bilingual formats make it easy for visitors to find a liturgy that fits. Newcomers are warmly welcomed: the parish's published description says, 'The faith community of St. Augustine welcomes you.'
- Address: 3900 New York Avenue, Union City, NJ 07087
- Phone: (201) 863-0233
- Email: [email protected]
- Across the Hudson River from Manhattan
- Multiple Sunday Masses in English and Spanish
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James J. Healy1956–
Installed as pastor in 1956; hired architect Arthur Rigolo and drove the design and construction of the present Mid-Century Modern church, dedicated June 29, 1958. A Jersey City native.