A Bishop and Doctor of the Church, St. Augustine continues to wield influence.

St. Augustine R.C. Church is a historic shrine in downtown Philadelphia Pennsylvania. It was established in 1796 by the Irish Friars of the Order of St. Augustine and is the fourth oldest church in Philadelphia. The Augustine Academy founded in 1811 became Villanova University, the oldest Catholic school in Pennsylvania.

Thomas of Villanova, an Augustinian in the entrance to St. Augustine Church. Villanova University is currently staffed by and operated by Augustinians.

It has been said that Augustine wrote over 100 books and 5,000,000,000 words, inspiring many theologians of his time and our time. He is one of the four Great Fathers of the Latin Church.

“In the midst of the Church he opened his mouth, / and the Lord filled him / with the spirit of wisdom and understanding / and clothed him in a robe of glory.”
Entrance Antiphon Cf. Sirach 15:5 Mass at St. Augustine Feast Day, Aug 28, 2013.

Inside the historic shrine.
“The five external senses are the doors by which life and death enter the soul.” -St Augustine

St. Rita of Cascia, an Augustinian nun, in the back of St. Augustine Church. The National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia is nearby and is one of the five official shrines in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Heaven with Augustine. The ceiling frescoes depict scenes from “St. Augustine in Glory.”

Teresa of Avila, taught by Augustinian nuns, also at St. Augustine Church.

Leaving St. Augustine Church.