Guide to the Patrick Murphy collection on St. Augustin's Church and School, ca. 1890s-2013

Salve Regina University Special Collections
McKillop Library
100 Ochre Point Avenue
Salve Regina University
Newport, RI 02840
Tel: 401-341-2276
Fax: 401-341-2951
email: archives@salve.edu
Salve Regina University Special Collections

Published in 2020

Collection Overview

Title:	Patrick Murphy collection on St. Augustin's Church and School
Date range:	ca. 1890-2013
Creator:	Murphy, Patrick F.
Extent:	3.5 Linear Feet 2 document boxes, 1 flat box
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	Salve Regina University Special Collections Salve Regina University Special Collections
Collection number:	SP.14

Scope & content

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.

Access Points

Subject Topics

• Catholic Church--United States
• Catholic schools

Geographical Names

• Newport (R.I.)

Subject Names

• Murphy, Patrick F.

Subject Organizations

• St. Augustin's Church
• St. Augustin's Dramatic Club

Arrangement

The collection is organized into four series:

• Administrative and historial material
• Clippings
• Photographs
• Digital files

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.

Historical Note

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.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	The collection is available for research.
Use of the materials:	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.
Preferred citation:	[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.
Contact information:	Salve Regina University Special Collections McKillop Library 100 Ochre Point Avenue Salve Regina University Newport, RI 02840 Tel: 401-341-2276 Fax: 401-341-2951 email: archives@salve.edu Salve Regina University Special Collections

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The collection was donated to Salve Regina University Special Collections and Archives by Patrick Murphy in 2013.
Processing information:	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.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Genna Duplisea, University Archivist and Special Collections Librarian
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2020 March 31.
Descriptive rules:	Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Additional Information

Bibliography:

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. https://www.staugustinnewport.org/History St. Augustin's Church. "Silver Jubilee 1911-1936." Newport, RI: St. Augustin's Church, 1936.

Inventory

---