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Holy Trinity parish was founded as in 1848 when an ad hoc committee of German Catholics visited Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick to complain of the distance they had to walk to attend Mass at Saint Joseph’s, as much as twenty-two city blocks. The archbishop granted their request and a parish was born, named “The Church of the Most Holy Trinity”. St Louis was a bustling town, booming with trade activities. It has been recorded that St Louis was second only to New Orleans in steamboat traffic with 186 steamboats landing 1,928 times in the period of just one year and discharging 263,681 tons of goods. To accommodate the families taking part in this boom of activity, the areas known as Old North of St Louis and “Bremen” was soon filled with beautiful homes, parks and streams running to the Mississippi River. The first pastor, Rev. Theodore Laurensen arrived in 1849 and the people of “Bremen,” as the neighborhood was called, began the process of establishing a parish, a school, and a landmark that dominates North Saint Louis even to this day. The first church was a simple stone structure that served many purposes. As the Bremen population expanded, Holy Trinity established its first daughter parish, Saint Liborius, in 1856. Seven years later Holy Cross was founded to the north in a new neighborhood known as “Baden.” In 1873, Perpetual Help was founded and just one year later, Saint Augustine. This first community “sprawl” was the result of grand economic development in the area. It was July 1859 when horse-drawn street cars were introduced into the area, allowing “commuters” to move between neighborhoods and commercial areas. These charming horse-powered street cars were replaced by loud, slow steam-powered street cars in 1870, and finally electric powered street cars in the 1890’s. In 1899, the grand twin-spire structure of Holy Trinity was erected. Over $100,000 was raised by parishioners to construct this church inspired by the great cathedral of Strasbourg. Bedford limestone was used to give stature and a sense of permanence to this church which could seat nearly a thousand. Its emblematic twin towers rise to 215 feet. The architectural plans were made by Swiss immigrant Joseph Conradi along with stone cutter Theodore Schrader. In this way the parish celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with a consecration by Saint Louis’ second archbishop, J.J. Kain “per munificentiam catholicorum linguae germanicae." In 1909 a grand rectory was constructed to accompany the magnificent church on 14th and Mallinckrodt. Catholic education has always been a primary concern of the parish. When the Farrar addition was donated to the archdiocese for the parish grounds it was stipulated that a school be built within six months. This school, which doubled as the rectory, opened with just thirteen boys. In 1859, a girls’ school was added at Mallinckrodt and Blair with the Franciscan Sisters arriving from Oldenburg to run the school. A new boys’ school was erected in 1871, just north of the church, and could accommodate up to 300 students! The most recent school addition was completed in 1918, directly west of the church. Eventually, “Bremen” was subsumed into the city of Saint Louis and the neighborhood renamed Hyde Park. Great companies made their home around and within the boundaries of Holy Trinity – Mallinckrodt Chemical now known as Covidien, the Hyde Park Brewery, Krey Packing, and Mississippi Glass just to name a few. Tornados and Federal Legislation Life was fine until Mother Nature intervened. On September 29th, the Great Tornado of 1927 devastated a great swath of Saint Louis, taking with it the fist of St Michael the Archangel and part of the twenty-eight year old parish church. Despite the loss, the parish remodeled the grand church structure. A story circulates that the pastor refused to restore the arm of the Saint Michael the Archangel statue because the saint had failed to protect the parish from the tornado. (see photo). Also not restored was the Strasbourg-style octagonal tower that once stood over the transepts. Holy Trinity has taken part in the lives of many over the years. Somewhere over 17,000 baptisms, countless First Communions, weddings, and funerals as well as daily Masses and Sunday Masses have been celebrated by this vibrant faith community. Caring priests and religious sisters continue to assist laity in building this parish, educating its youth and serving the neighborhood. But shortly after the Second World War changes more devastating that a great tornado were about to be unleashed. New federal legislation sought to reward veterans with opportunities for housing and education. Unfortunately for urban areas the regulations often precluded loans for housing typical of densely populated urban areas, regulations that set lot sizes too large, frontage too wide, and architectural designs that encouraged suburban rather than urban development. For the second time, “sprawl” was affecting the area, only this time urban populations had begun to decline. Young families with children settled in the suburban ring around Saint Louis. Once beautiful brick residential structures began to age, and without proper upkeep, these unkempt structures began to deplete the neighborhoods of their charm and dignity. The construction of Interstate Highway 70 through the parish territory ripped apart the community, taking hundreds of homes. To add to the distress, the innovation of the suburban shopping mall diverted business away from downtown districts, and in particular, away from North St Louis area family-owned businesses to Northland Shopping Center located in North St Louis County. A smaller, but vibrant Holy Trinity community adapted to the new circumstances. In 1966, the rectory basement was remodeled as a chapel for daily Mass, designed to incorporate the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. By 1982, parish school at St. Augustine was closed, followed by St. Liborius’ closure in 1991, bringing the few students they had back to the mother parish. Later these parishes would close along with Holy Name and Perpetual Help, almost returning Holy Trinity to its original 1848 boundaries. On Pentecost Sunday, 1992, these daughter parishes merged with the mother. Despite these conditions, the Lord’s work continues to be strong and Holy Trinity continues its vital presence in the neighborhood. This parish community is committed to its work in evangelization, neighborhood revitalization as it supports the Holy Ground project, maintaining a leading role in CACI, Congregations Allied for Community Improvement and MCU, supporting one of the only Catholic schools in this part of the city, and providing aid and outreach to families in need through Saint Vincent de Paul pantries in two separate locations. Much of this work could not be done without the steadfast support of other parishes, family and friends. For this assistance, the Holy Trinity family is truly grateful!
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