Sant'Agostino Vescovo a Stagni di Ostia is a 21st century parish church at Via Federico Bazzini 313 which is in the suburb of Stagni di Ostia to the south-east of Ostia Antica and part of the zone named after the latter.
The dedication is to St Augustine of Hippo.
History[]
The first local Mass centre was in a house at Via Giuseppe Micali 213 nearby, and used to be a dependent chapel of the parish of Sant'Aurea a Ostia Antica. This was called the Cappella dei Beatudini -an unusual dedication, to the Beatitudes uttered by Christ in the Gospel of Matthew.
However, in 2012 the new parish of Sant'Agostino Vescovo was founded, and took over the chapel as its temporary place of worship. This is now one of four parishes in the Suburbican Diocese of Ostia.
The original edifice must have been completely unsuitable owing to being just a room in a house, because in the same year the parish replaced it with a large tent or marquee (!).
The original tent had to be replaced with a new one in 2015. After understandable complaints, the Vicariate of Rome arranged in 2016 to provide a temporary structure such as a prefabricated hut.
Tragically, there were problems with the project for a permanent church that arose in 2016. Firstly, an ancient cistern was found on the proposed site which means further archaeological investigation. Secondly, the parish is in a queue for funds to build, and apparently the local parish of San Vincenzo de’ Paoli a Lido di Ostia has priority. Thirdly, and most seriously, the site is a drained marsh containing peat. This has been "spontaneously" combusting, and until this problem is solved the site cannot be built on.
A temporary church edifice was finally erected on part of the reserved site of the permanent church in 2017. This is a good quality wooden structure, designed by the architect Alberto Statuti and so not the usual plasterboard hut that other parishes in the same situation had to put up with.
Appearance[]
The church is a gabled wooden structure in a large field at the junction between the Via Giuseppe Micali and the Via Federico Bazzini. The rest of the site is being developed for sports and social activities.
The priest's house and parish centre is at Via Giuseppe Micali 21, to the south of the original tent site.
Liturgy[]
The parish website states that Mass is celebrated (August 2020):
Sundays and Solemnities 18:00 (Saturday), 10:00, 18:00.
Weekdays 18:00.
The evening Masses are at 18:30 in summer.
The diocesan website advises that the 10:00 Sunday Mass is at the presbytery on Via Giuseppe Micali, the Cappella dei Beatitudini, but the parish website seems not to mention this.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament takes place on Thursdays between 18:30 and 19:30.