St. Augustine Parish / Moncton
Established before 1940
First church in 1949
First pastor in 1956
With the rapid development of the city of Moncton after the Second World War, it became necessary for the English-speaking Catholics of the northwest end to have a place of worship of their own, distinct from Saint Bernard’s, the only English parish at that time.
The pastor of Saint Bernard’s, Fr. Joseph Butler, bought from a Pentecostal congregation a roofed-in basement at the corner of Mountain Road and High Streets, in 1949. This is how Saint Augustine’s came into being. This new mission was served by the priests of Saint Bernard’s, and after 1952, with the help of the priests of the “Missions Étrangères”, an order recently established in Moncton.
By 1954, there were already overflowed congregations at the Mountain Road mission of Saint Augustine’s. Another corner property was purchased, one block farther west, at the corner of Dominion and Mountain Road, for the construction of a larger church.
The architects Charles A. Jean and Roland Dupere of Québec and Montreal designed the church and Parsons Construction was chosen to build it. The stone came from Smith’s quarry, in Shediac; the Bourgault’s of Saint-Jean de Port-Joli, Québec, designed the altar, pews and confessionals. The church can seat 900 people. A massive celtic cross centers the façade between the two entrance doors.
On Sunday, September 30, 1956, the new church was officially opened. Father Butler would leave the Mother-Parish, Saint Bernard’s, to become the first pastor.
A house was bought on Dominion Street, at the corner of York, which served as the temporary rectory. In 1959, Father J. Butler was bestowed the dignity of Domestic Prelate and became known as Monsignor J. Butler. He also built a new modern rectory, next to the church, on Dominion Street, which was blessed in
January 1961. Monseigneur Butler served as Pastor from 1956-1968, followed by Fr. Angus MacDonald from 1968-1981; and Fr. Peter McKee from 1981-1997.
Saint Augustine’s has a soup kitchen called “Ray of Hope”, run by the Knights of Columbus, and a centre to serve needy families which is sponsored by the Saint Vincent de Paul Society.
In 2003, St. Augustine’s undertook a project to install an elevator in order to improve access to the church for seniors and the disabled. In 2009, the church installed a 1942 Casavant organ that had been donated from St. Agnes’ Church in Halifax, which has greatly added to our worship experience. St. Augustine’s has been the site of many events, most notably the episcopal ordination of Most Reverend Daniel J. Bohan, who had served as a priest in the diocese prior to his ordination as bishop.
With diocesan restructuring, the parishes of St. Augustine’s, St. Michael’s and St. Lawrence O’Toole were regrouped to form the Queen of All Saints pastoral unit.