St. Augustine Parish Family is a Roman Catholic community established in 1884, in Millville, Massachusetts.
We are committed to: Worshiping God, Welcoming All, Sharing Faith, Caring For You.
We stand with every generation as we strive to live and grow in faith, hope, and love.
Back in 1848, Millville was a Missionary station. Practicing Catholics either walked the 4-mile round-trip to Blackstone for Sunday Services, or they awaited the once-every-3-month arrival of Rev. James Fitton to hold mass in Millville.
In 1879, Fr. William Power of Blackstone had the foresight to realize that Millville, with its growing Catholic population, had need of its own church. He arranged for the use of the T.T. Smith Hall on the corner of Central and Bow Streets to hold services. In 1880 our present site on Lincoln Street was obtained, and the original St. Augustine Church was built in the Romanesque style.
Rev. Michael Kettridge was appointed to St. Augustine in 1884 and set our Parish on an even keel by liquidating a $2500 debt on the existing property. and a rectory was built next to the church. In 1888, improvements and renovations were made to the church, including the addition of electric lights! Property on the east side of the church was purchased, and a substantial stone wall was built around its entirety. Our first full-time sexton was also employed. A gift of a new church bell placed in the steeple in 1893 completed the church building.
From 1902 until 1968, St. Augustine continued to grow and prosper. During this time our parish was served by Fathers James Prendegast, John Leonard, John McLaughlan, Daniel McDermott, Francis Swift, Thomas O'Rourke, John Finneran, and James Clifford.
On Thursday morning, February 27, 1969, disaster struck. A fire razed St. Augustine Church to the ground. Although the church building was lost, the parish was not defeated and Mass continued to be said in the old Millville Town Hall.
Through strength of purpose and parish spirit, fund raising and pledges amounting to over $150,000 allowed our present St. Augustine Church to be built. The present church building opened on November 8, 1970, under the leadership of Fr. Clifford.
In 1971, Fr. Andrew Sullivan joined the St. Augustine family. Through his frugal management, substantial funds were saved for future needs.
In 1990 Fr. Sullivan retired and Fr. Roland Chenier came to St. Augustine. As our parish continued to grow, many unfulfilled needs became more obvious, most important of which was a parish meeting spot. Up until this time religious education was conducted at the old Longfellow School, parish groups met in the Rectory or in private homes, and large functions were held at Town Hall or at local halls.
Under the guidance of Father Chenier, in 1991 fund-raising and pledging was again underway, this time to raise enough money to build this much needed new center. The fund-raising drive was a success, and in June 1993, the parish center known as St. Monica's Hall became a reality. The hall includes a religious education office, full kitchen, and room dividers to create religious education classrooms. Parish activities such as homebound luncheon, Knights of Columbus events, craft fairs, and our infamous fundraiser, Rafflemania, are held there. St. Monica's Hall is available for rental by parishioners and community members when not in use for parish-sponsored activities (Contact the office for more information).
Fr. Jean-Paul Gagnon came to us in November of 1995, soon after our new church building marked its 25th anniversary. The church now needed a new roof, as did the rectory. The parking lot and church grounds needed attention as did the carpeting inside the church and the rectory windows. Fr. Gagnon and the parishioners met the challenge and undertook the Millennium Pledge Drive to address the parish needs while continuing to reduce the parish debt.
Following Fr. Gagnon, Deacon William Lucier was named Parish Administrator, and in 2003 Fr. Maurice Gilbert became the Priest Administrator of St. Augustine. Following the passing of both Fr. Gilbert and Deacon Lucier in 2011, Fr. Daniel Mulcahey was named Pastor and remained at St. Augustine until his reassignment in 2014. At that time, Fr. Larry Esposito was assigned as Administrator and in 2015 was named Pastor of St. Augustine in addition to his duties at Good Shepherd in Linwood. We welcomed Fr. Daniel Moreno as Associate Pastor in August of 2015, shortly after his ordination and are happy to have both Fr. Larry and Fr. Daniel minstering to our parish.
Here at St. Augustine, our faith and our works are fully alive. We welcome all to join us in worship and fellowship!