3519 North 14th Street
St. Louis, MO 63107
“We are a people graced by God, who come together as a community of faith, supporting each other as we live and celebrate the Good News of Jesus Christ”.
From Our Parish Messenger, March 1937
On July 4, 1848 the deed of the property was made over to the Archbishop. The contract for the building was given to a Mr. Joseph Hartmann of St. Mary's Church of St. Louis. It was decided to build a Church and also a brick school building... The corner-stone laying of the new church took place in the early Fall of the year 1848. Father Patschowski, S.J., from St. Joseph's Church, preached the sermon upon this occasion. The new Church, according to the wishes of the Archbishop, was named the Church of the Most Holy Trinity. By the first of the year the Church was built up to the windows and the School was placed under roof.
"The new church was built in Roman style. It was 125 feet long and 54 feet wide and had a middle and two side isles. The consecration of the new church took place on the 28th of November, the consecrating being done by Archbishop Kenrick." (Source: History of Most Holy Trinity Parish. Parish Messenger. 1936)
From the "History of Our Parish", 1939 in The Parish Messenger
May the 15th was set for the Corner Stone laying of our present Holy Trinity Church. The Parish took great pains to make this affair a grand and great success. The decorations on the Rectory, the School Buildings and on the foundation of the new church were beautiful.
At 1:30 o’clock the various societies of the parish left the school grounds and went to St. Liborius Church, where they met many other societies from all over the city and county. Thence all the societies proceeded in procession from St. Liborius Church to the New Church on the Most Holy Trinity, for the ceremony of laying its corner stone. (In the next month’s issue of the Messenger we will publish a detailed list of all the parishes and societies that took part in this vast procession.)
At 3:00 o’clock sharp the beginning of the procession arrived at the place of celebration. Archbishop Kain sat upon the balcony of the old rectory, surrounded by his priests, reviewing the parade. Great was his surprise at the sight of such a large crowd of men and young men.
It is recorded that there were in the parade 32 bands and some 25,000 men and young men from both German and English speaking parishes. So long was the procession that the archbishop had to start with the ceremonies before all the societies had marched past him.
The archbishop was assisted in the performance of the ceremonies by Reverend Father Hukenstein of St. Augustine’s Parish as Deacon; Reverend Father O’Donohoe of Our Lady of Good Council’s Parish as Sub-Deacon and the Reverend Father Brennan of St. Lawrence O’Toole’s Parish as Master of Ceremonies.
As prescribed by the rubrics for the corner stone laying of a new church the Most Reverend Archbishop first went to the place where the new main altar was to be built and there erected a beautiful blessed wooden cross. Thence he proceeded to the actual blessing of and laying of the corner stone proper.
The stone blessed, the 53 priests present sang the Litany of All Saints and Psalmn 126 (Nisi Dominus aedifiaverit Domum.) as the Archbishop laid the stone—with a silver trowel.
This was followed by the singing of the “Veni Creator” and the Psalm “Miserere” by the priests, as the Archbishop proceeded to the ground level and blessed the foundation of the new building.
Then the Archbishop betook himself and the priests themselves to the rear part of the new building where a temporary pulpit had been erected. After the Archbishop and clergy were seated the public were permitted on the rest of the building and in a very few minutes the rest of the space was filled with people.
There were two sermons preached, one in the English and the other in the German language. Father J. Schaefer of St. Nicolaus Parish, later pastor of our parish, preached the German sermon. Father B. Stemker from Kirkwood, Mo., preached the English sermon.
After the sermons the Archbishop also spoke a few words of praise to the people. Then he gave the Papal blessing and the great celebration was closed with the “Grosser Gott.”