Recently, a reader thanked me for posting a blurb on Fr. Smith of St. Augustine. In addition, he sent me a link to a short video, recently released, on St. Augustine.
All of us, in the Archdiocese of Washington, are proud of our Catholic Schools and St. Augustine is a shining example of this.
Click on the link below and enjoy.
May St. Augustine School and Church celebrate another 100 years of existance.
St. Augustine School
All of us, in the Archdiocese of Washington, are proud of our Catholic Schools and St. Augustine is a shining example of this.
Click on the link below and enjoy.
May St. Augustine School and Church celebrate another 100 years of existance.
St. Augustine School
12 comments:
All I know is that the "Afro-American" Masses at Saint Augustines are a scandal! We should not hold this parish up as an example until they stop the liturgical nonsense there
It seems to me that any Catholic school with an enrollment of about 200 students that has three dozen students convert to the faith is worthy of emulation.
I think you're referring to the 12:30 p.m. Sunday Gospel Mass at St. Augustine. What in particular do you find scandalous?
Anonymous has a valid point. In addition, I posted two weeks ago about the overly cozy relationship between the parish and EmpowerDC, a "community-organizing" bunch after Alinsky's own heart. See http://restore-dc-catholicism.blogspot.com/2012/07/empowerdc-recipient-of-dcs-cchd-funds.html
I object to everything about the "Mass" at St Augustine's It violates our entire Catholic tradition. If people want to be Baptists let them, but don't insult Our Eucharistic Lord by this sort of vulgar display of Protestant Music and clapping and swaying. Before "Vatican II" we were taught to behave with dignity and gravitas at Holy Mass. We need to go back to that.
Hey Anonymous, I know that we Catholics didn't read the Bible much before Vatican II, but maybe you should consider what St. Paul wrote before condemning unjustly St. Augustine: “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes. As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit” (The First Letter to the Corinthians 12, 4-13).
My old school. My family was Baptist but I converted at 9 thanks to St. Augustine.
Oh one more thing. I can't take the Mass at St. Augustine and I was raised in that church. The music is fine it's the dancers that bother me.
Many Gifts, I appreciate your turning to Saint Paul but tha tis not a relevant point. The liturgical violations at Saint Augustine's undermine the dignity of the Holy Mass and that is not acceptable anywhere. I don't like to see the Mass degraded in all the liberal suburban parishes like in Burke VA or Sterling VA and I don't like to see it in a Black Church. The Mass is supposed to be the same for all of us, white people or "Afro-Americans."
I guess the question I would ask at this point is: What exactly are those liturgical abuses?
Are there Protestant ministers at the altar "concelebrating"? Is it simply hand clapping during songs? Is there "liturgical dance" during the Mass? Does the pastor get political, ie, support one candidate over another?
If we are going to say that there are abuses -- and maybe there are -- I do not know -- it would be good to lay each of these out.
Then we can say say, "Yes, this is an abuse." and bring it out in a public manner. Or we can say, "No, this may not be the best way to do it but there is nothing in the GRIM that says you cannot." For example, I don't like the fact that people hold hands during the Our Father. However, there is nothing in the GRIM that says you cannot..and even Fr. Z has weighed in on this matter too.
So, I hope Anon, you see where I am going with this and would love to have some specifics.
Oh, and thank you for reading this blog.
I didn't realize that liturgical dancing was a no-no. It seems that that's the only real abuse I'm seeing identified here.
Having said that, I think one could go to at least 80 percent of the weekend Masses at St. Augustine and not witness liturgical dancing.
Getting back to the school, I think other Catholic schools could learn a lot about how to live and teach the Catholic faith from St. Augustine School (e.g. praying together five times a day, the pastor being actively engaged in the school and offering a weekly school Mass, plus bringing back nuns to run the school).
Congratulations to Father Smith and to Saint Augustine school. It's good to see you have nuns who look like real nuns. People should remember that the Archdiocese tried to convert this school to a charter school only to be rebuffed by Father Smith along with his congregation. Those conversions to the Faith would never have taken place if Wuerl had prevailed. We would be remiss if we did not also mention that the money which was promised by the Archdiocese from the rental of the converted schools has not been as much as expected. It seems Center City Public Charter Schools Inc., the group once presided over by that well known educational charlatan, Mary Ann Stanton, is delivering less rent money one year to the next. We think Mr. Duffy did not write the contracts properly. Perhaps he did not realize the people he was dealing with were inept at managing money and schools. If there are further developments, and we think there will be, we will report them promptly.
I feel like I ought to say something else on St. Augustine's behalf. It's a warm, loving parish. The parishioners care about each other and make sure that 89 year old Aunt Pearl has a ride to Mass and the nuns there are wonderful examples for the girls and for the neighborhood.
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