St. Augustine Catholic Church Thomasville

06/15/2026

Seminario Vida en el Espíritu en Agosto ¡No te lo pierdas! Todos los detalles👇

06/14/2026

Sunday Mass for 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

06/13/2026

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

06/13/2026

Today is the feast of St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church.

Anthony was born Fernando Martins de Bulhões in Lisbon, Portugal. At 15, he joined the Augustinians and was ordained at age 24.

In 1219, the same year Fernando was ordained a priest, five missionaries from the still-young Franciscan order left Assisi for Morocco. They were arrested in Marrakesh, flogged, and killed on January 16, 1220. Today they are honored as martyrs: St. Berard and Companions.

These Franciscans passed through Fernando's monastery, the Monastery of the Holy Cross, on their way to Morocco, and probably met him. When their bodies were brought back to Holy Cross, Fernando decided he wanted to imitate them. He received permission in 1221 to leave the Augustinians and join the Franciscans, where he took the name Antônio (English Anthony), after St. Anthony of Egypt.

Anthony did go to Morocco with the Franciscans, but a severe illness required him to leave after just a few months. On the way home, a storm pushed his ship off-course and he ended up in Sicily. He was taken in by Franciscans in Messina, a city on the coast.

Anthony went to Assisi for the Chapter of Mats, a gathering of the entire order that continues today. Wanting to stay close to St. Francis, who was at the meeting, Anthony didn't tell anyone he'd already received theological instruction. Instead, he served as a kitchen assistant.

In 1222, after no one volunteered to speak at a meal with both Dominicans and Franciscans, Anthony was chosen to give a brief sermon. Though they assumed his talk would be simple because of a lack of education, he turned out to be an excellent preacher – because, of course, he had an extensive theological education.

Anthony was given permission to preach across Italy, France, and Spain. He quickly became well-known, and was said to work miracles. Thousands gathered to hear him speak, even spending the night at the church to ensure they got a seat. People who had turned to heresies or abandoned their faith returned to the Church in droves. He is now known as the Hammer of the Heretics.

In 1231, Anthony got sick and died a few months later.

St. Anthony, pray for us!

06/10/2026

06/10/2026

06/09/2026

06/09/2026

Today is the feast of St. Ephrem, Deacon and Doctor of the Church.

Ephrem was born around 306 in Nisibis, Mesopotamia (now Nusaybin, Türkiye). Not much is known about his family, but we do know he was baptized when he was around 18. Some time after, he became a deacon, but refused to be ordained a priest.

He lived an ascetic life, and wrote extensively on the Scriptures. After the death of his spiritual director, St. Jacob, also called James, the second Bishop of Nisibis, Ephrem moved to Edessa (modern-day Urfa). There, he became known as a preacher, teaching orthodox Catholicism and calling for repentance. In many of his writings, he used poetry to explain theology. Many of his hymns were reworked versions of hymns from the various heresies of the day, using the same melody but different words. This music earned him the nickname Harp of the Holy Spirit.

Ephrem made a pilgrimage to Caesarea, where he met St. Basil the Great, the Bishop of Caesarea often called the Father of Eastern monasticism and a staunch opponent of heresies such as Arianism. Towards the end of his life, Ephrem served the poor during a famine, and the sick during a plague outbreak. He died of the plague in 373.

St. Ephrem, pray for us!

06/09/2026

06/07/2026

Sunday Mass for The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)