The collection consists of research files and materials compiled by Patrick Murphy about St. Augustin's Church and St. Augustin's School. Included in these documents are publications and programs, photographs of students and school activities; operational documents; and an extensive, indexed range of newspaper clippings copies referencing the church and school.
The collection is available for research.
The collection is organized into four series:
The clippings are housed both in archival boxes and in customized oversize binders from Mr. Murphy. Digital files are hosted in Salve Regina University's institutional repository and linked from the finding aid. These files have been normalized to PDF from their original formats for access.
[Identification of item], in SP 14: Patrick Murphy Collection on St. Augustin's Church and School, [Box #, Folder #], Special Collections, McKillop Library, Salve Regina University, Newport, RI.
Various copying restriction apply, according to the Archives' use policy. Guidelines are available from the Salve Regina University Archives. Salve Regina University owns the copyright to material produced by employees and trustees of the University and work for hire. Requests for permission to publish material from the University Archives should be directed to the Archivist. See also the Archives' copyright and publication statement.
Grant, Melissa E. "Celebrating 90 Years of a Newport Treasure," 2001.
St. Augustin's Church. "History of the Parish." St. Augustin's Church, 2019. Accessed November 14, 2019.
St. Augustin's Church. "Silver Jubilee 1911-1936." Newport, RI: St. Augustin's Church, 1936.
The collection was donated to Salve Regina University Special Collections and Archives by Patrick Murphy in 2013.
Genna Duplisea, University Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, processed the collection over several years, refining and clarifying the existing organization and organizing loose clippings chronologically.
At the turn of the twentieth century, the Catholic population of Newport, Rhode Island had grown so much that the community realized it needed another Catholic church. On April 21, 1911, St. Augustin's church separated from that of Our Lady of the Isle (St. Mary's). Ground was broken for the new church and school on August 7, 1911 and the cornerstone laid on September 24.
Between 1911 and 1916, citizens held fundraisers, bazaars, and salad suppers to raise money for a new church and school. While it was being built at the corner of Carroll Avenue and Harrison Avenue in the Fifth Ward neighborhood, the parish held Mass in Hibernian Hall. The first pastor was Reverend M. F. Reddy. The first Mass inside the church was July 21, 1912, ad the church and school were dedicated a few weeks later on August 4. The first classes at the school began that September.
The church features stained glass windows in the clerestory, or upper nave, depicting the Life of Jesus Christ. In the early 1930s, the pairshioners decided to decorate the interior of the church, installing a new altar, electric fixtures, wainscoting, and other artwork like painting and a statue.
From the earliest years of the parish, its community put on plays as a Dramatic Club. The school maintained a strong athletics program.
In 1957, fire damaged the church and school, which sustained $300,000 worth of damage in repairs.
In the mid-1900s, around the time of Vatican II, St. Augustin's collaborated with other churchs and groups to provide social services. In 1970, the Diocese announced it was no longer going to assign nuns to run the school, and it closed in June 1970.
Includes documents produced by St. Augustin's Church and St. Augustin's School, as well as some research notes created by Mr. Murphy.
This series includes extensive photocopies of clippings from the
This series includes photographs of theatrical productions and classes of students at St. Augustin's School. Some photographs are original prints and others are reprints or copies.
This image depicts a historical instance of blackface.
This series contains digital files created by Mr. Murphy in the process of doing his research. All documents have been normalized to .pdf for access. Materials are accessible at