Draft:St. Augustine Catholic Church (South San Francisco, California)

St. Augustine Catholic Church is a Catholic parish under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco. The church is located in the Westborough neighborhood of South San Francisco, California. The church is known to be one of the largest parishes in the archdiocese due to growth, expansion, efforts and contributions from Filipino-Americans during the 1980s and 1990s.

History

Early beginning/construction

St. Augustine was originally consisted of Catholics from Daly City, South San Francisco, San Bruno and Pacifica. Under the leadership of the parish's first leader and priest Paul E. Duggan, the parish started in December of 1970.

There were evening masses in Westborough Square, the newly opened shopping center at that time being. Quickly, the parish grew and the masses were moved to Westborough Middle School's gymnasium. After five long years of working and waiting, the time had finally arrived for the beginning of construction on our parish church. The blessing of the church site and the fundraising ceremony of the new Catholic Church of St. Augustine were held at 10:30 AM on February 15,1975, with Archbishop Joseph T. McGucken officiating. Also in attendance were founding Pastor Fr. Paul E. Duggan, Msgr. Richard W. Power and Msgr. John J. Murphy. Master of ceremonies was Fr. Daniel F. Walsh.

Era for Expansion

Approximately 2,300 families participated in the church in the 1970s and 1980s. Because the parish had no parochial school, St. Augustine had a brand religious education program under the direction of Sister Josephine Leyne, D.M.J., who managed all levels of religious education from preschool through adult classes. There were approximately 50 preschoolers, 420 students from the primary grade classes, many of whom were preparing for First Holy Communion, and 130 young students who were preparing for Confirmation.

The church was now ready to build expansion for the parish hall. CCD was taught primarily in the homes of teachers. Social functions were held in a tract home several blocks away. It was apparent that there existed an urgent need for a parish hall and rectory. In May of 1979, Fr. Michael J. Keane (pastor) and Fr. Robert J. Gemmet (Associate Pastor) appealed to the parishioners for the required $484,000 that was needed to build a parish hall and rectory.

As a fundraising campaign, the St. Augustine’s Development Program was instituted with another pledge drive. Parishioners were asked to make pledges to be payable over a 36-month period. The groundbreaking for the proposed hall and rectory was held on February 10, 1980. On Sunday, March 22, 1981, at 3:00 pm, a Mass of dedication for our parish hall and rectory was held, with Fr. Keane and Fr. Neil Healy as celebrants. CCD classes were moved from catechist’s homes into the parish hall. Sister Josephine Leyne, D.M.J. was later succeeded by, Sr. Michaela Murray, O.P. After Sr. Michaela fell ill, she left her post and was then succeeded by, Sr. Nona M. Barairo, sfcc, who remains the current Director of Religious Education and Parish Catechetical Leader as of this writing.

In 1989, Father Keane retired and was replaced by Floro Arcamo.

Arcamo and Tungol years

The church was quite tranquil through Arcamo's leadership, despite efforts to raise funds for further expansion. Arcamo was known to be a member of the Singing Priests of San Francisco.

In 1993, Eugene Tungol replaced Arcamo. In 1997 Fr. Eugene saw the need for another Capital Campaign for the expansion of the church and building of a new parochial school. As they did in the early 1970s, they moved the masses to Westborough Middle School's gym (and at the parish hall). The proposal for a new elementary school met opposition from some neighborhood families who feared the type of traffic the school would generate. The unanimous decision to allow construction of the school was met with loud cheers and applause. In the end, members of the parish community and their opposing neighbors made peace with each other prior to leaving City Hall.

The plan to build the elementary school eventually was cancelled and flopped (due to the neighboring schools and decline in Catholic school applications).

The Marthas

The Marthas were a group of elderly women group under Father Tungol's leadership. The group is now defunct. They became instrumental throughout the course of the project from the late 90’s to its completion in 2001. They went as far as to cook and serve all the parish dinners when parishioners were being informed of the expansion, before the project was formally launched.

Fr. Ramoso's New Expansion

In 2004, Fr. Rene Ramoso replaced Tungol. The church continued to thrive under the administration of, Fr. Rene Ramoso. Through the generosity and support of its parishioners, St. Augustine consistently met the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal under his watch. The parish boomed with parish activities, new parishioners, ministry-volunteers, musicians, and singers. Under Fr. Rene’s leadership, the parish conducted several major fundraising events through parish festivals and Santacruzan (Marian May Festival) proceeds of which largely augmented the financial stability of the parish. His uncomplicated approach of administration opened doors for the laity to express their gifts and skills in stewardship of the community.

For the most part, parishioners and neighbors noticed the physical changes in the church facilities and surroundings in a positive way. The compound was fenced and gated to secure the safety of parishioners during evening gatherings; facilities are maintained and updated; and statues such as St. Francis of Assisi, the Holy Family, Michael the Archangel, and other Marian images keep watch of the different garden sites.

In 2014, St. Augustine Catholic Church took 1st Place for Outstanding Landscape and Maintenance of Property in the Commercial Category, in the City of South San Francisco. The parish was awarded by the South San Francisco Beautification Committee of the City of South San Francisco.

Since its inception, St. Augustine has evolved to become the largest parish in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Construction and rededication of the new Sanctuary

Construction was projected to begin early 2016. However, this was delayed due to other minor revisions required on the plans. On April 23, 2016, the parish held the much-awaited groundbreaking ceremony for the Sanctuary Renovation Project in the presence of Fr. John Piderit of the Archdiocese of San Francisco to the excitement of the parish community. While the necessary building permit was being processed, plans for alternative venues for the daily and weekend Masses, other liturgical activities and parish events were considered and necessary preparation was underway.

Actual construction started last February 2017. The parish put up a huge tent in the courtyard between the church and the parish office/rectory while the church was off limits during the entire construction period. To accommodate the assembly at Masses and other liturgical activities, the parish hall was used for weekday Masses and other events.

On weekend Masses, a CCTV camera was set up in the tent to capture the actual celebration of the Mass and projected this on screen for those Mass goers in the Parish Hall. Parishioners patiently endured the inconveniences especially the cold and windy weather in the area as well as the occasional sunny hot summer days. All the 5,000 parishioners eagerly awaited completion of the construction. Meanwhile, the Ways and Means Committee continued following up pledges of support from parishioners and other benefactors. The various Ministers and religious organizations came up with their respective fund-raising activities ranging from casino trips, direct solicitation, “Wall of Money”, golf tournament, dollar raffle, several pilgrimages and others. Construction phase took 6 months since the work was not just renovating the sanctuary to include the new tabernacle, new altar and ambo but also improving the interiors. The ceiling was raised to allow for more natural light. The new tabernacle was placed at the center, opening the view of every place in the church. The large crucifix was moved slightly to the side nearer to the choir area and lighted from behind with colors of the liturgical seasons. The floor tiles were replaced, the icons were relocated, the pews were refurbished, and the stained glass restored. In addition, the lighting and sound systems were upgraded, and the restrooms improved to be in compliance with the city’s building code. The project reached $2.1 million which the parishioners pledged to raise as an expression of their stewardship.

To transition to the renovated church, the parish community realized the need to be prepared for this phase. A committee was formed with the guidance of Associate Pastor Fr. Ed Dura, to plan and prepare the community. Two series of workshops entitled, “Renewed Church, Renewed Hearts” were held on July 20 and August 17, 2017 attended by ministers, members of religious organizations and parishioners at large.

The committee worked for the long -awaited event of the Rededication and blessing of the newly renovated St. Augustine Church and consecration of the new Altar by His Excellency, Most Reverend Salvatore Cordileone, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco on August 26, 2017 to coincide with the celebration of the feast day of the patron saint of the parish, St. Augustine. This included the sanctification of the new Italian tabernacle and ambo.

Shooting and break-in

On January 30, 2024, a shooting occurred at St. Augustine Catholic Church in South San Francisco, California. Fortunately, no one was injured during the incident. The suspect, Debari Charvel Augustine, was arrested and booked on suspicion of attempted murder in the first degree and shooting at an inhabited dwelling. Surveillance video captured audio of 18 shots fired just before 1:30 p.m. at the church. The glass double doors at the church entrance were shattered, and several surrounding windows had multiple bullet holes. Police evidence markers were also found outside the door. Neighbors and parishioners expressed shock and concern about the incident, with some describing it as a hate crime. The shooting prompted a response from nearby Westborough Middle School, which went into ‘secure campus’ mode to ensure student safety. Police confirmed that no one was inside the church during the shooting. (2 parishioners fled during the shooting)

On March 10, 2024, the rededication mass once again was held. The mass was attended by Archbishop Cordileone.