About Blessed Trinity · Brussels, Illinois
Blessed Trinity is a Catholic parish in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, headquartered at 111 East Main Street in Brussels, Calhoun County. It was formed by the merger of three historic Calhoun County parishes — Immaculate Conception (St. Mary) in Brussels, St. Barbara in Batchtown, and St. Joseph in Meppen — and today serves roughly 940 parishioners in 395 families across the rural river-bottom communities of southwestern Illinois. The parish shares its pastor and a single bulletin/website with neighboring St. Francis of Assisi Parish, and together they are known as the Catholic Churches of Calhoun County. Worship is spread across the three merged church buildings, with a Catholic school (St. Mary, Brussels) and PSR religious-education programs serving parish families.
- Patron
- Blessed Trinity (the merged parish is named for the Holy Trinity)
- Rector
- Rev. Don J. Roberts
- Diocese
- Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
Why belong here
Blessed Trinity offers a close-knit Catholic community in which one parish family lives its faith across three historic country churches in Calhoun County — St. Mary in Brussels, St. Barbara in Batchtown, and St. Joseph in Meppen. Families can send children to the long-standing St. Mary School (Catholic education on the site since 1869, current building 1930) or to the parish's PSR program that meets Wednesday evenings September through April. Active liturgies include Saturday vigil and Sunday Mass, daily Mass at rotating sites, weekly Eucharistic Adoration in St. Barbara Church, the Sacrament of Penance before each Mass, and three signature summer parish picnics (St. Barbara, St. Joseph, St. Mary) that draw the whole community together. Pastoral and Finance Councils, school and PSR volunteers, Eucharistic Adoration, and an active grief-support and youth ministry (including trips to the Steubenville Youth Conference) give parishioners many ways to belong.
Mass times at Blessed Trinity
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday–Friday: 15 minutes, beginning a half hour before daily Mass (sites rotate — see bulletin)
- Saturday: 5:45–6:00 p.m. at St. Mary, Brussels (before the 6:30 p.m. Vigil Mass)
- Friday: 8:00–8:15 a.m. at St. Mary, Brussels (before the 8:30 a.m. Mass)
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration at St. Barbara Church, Batchtown on Wednesdays and Thursdays — contact Lisa Vogel, 618-535-8834
- Adoration & Benediction Saturday at 7:30 a.m. at St. Barbara, Batchtown (followed by 8:00 a.m. Mass)
About Blessed Trinity Parish
Blessed Trinity is a merged Catholic parish in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, headquartered at 111 East Main Street in Brussels, Calhoun County. It brings together three historic congregations — St. Mary Immaculate Conception (Brussels), St. Barbara (Batchtown), and St. Joseph (Meppen) — under a single pastor and a single pastoral council. The parish and its pastor are partnered in ministry with neighboring St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Hardin, and together the two publish the bulletin 'Catholic Churches of Calhoun County.' The combined community is served from the Brussels parish office, with about 940 parishioners in 395 families according to diocesan records.
- Merged parishes: Immaculate Conception/St. Mary (Brussels), St. Barbara (Batchtown), St. Joseph (Meppen)
- Headquarters: 111 East Main Street, Brussels, IL 62013
- Pastor: Rev. Don J. Roberts
- Deacon: Michael B. (Mike) Hagen
- Office Manager/Bookkeeper: Sarah Kinder
- Administrative Assistant: Rachael Friedel
- Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
History
The Brussels worship community that anchors Blessed Trinity has deep roots: St. Mary School has provided continuous Catholic education on the parish grounds since 1869, and the present school building dates to 1930. The modern Blessed Trinity Parish itself is the product of a diocesan merger that combined Immaculate Conception/St. Mary (Brussels), St. Barbara (Batchtown), and St. Joseph (Meppen) under one pastor and one pastoral council. The three historic church buildings are all still in active use, with Mass and Adoration rotating among them so that each of the rural villages retains its own worship site. The parish's joint ministry with St. Francis of Assisi (Hardin) — sharing the website sfacalhoun.com and a common bulletin — is the contemporary expression of that rural-cooperation tradition.
- St. Mary School: Catholic education on this site since 1869; current school building 1930
- Merger formed Blessed Trinity from Immaculate Conception/St. Mary, St. Barbara, and St. Joseph
- St. Joseph Church in Meppen: about 43 road-and-river miles NW of downtown St. Louis, MO
- Shared pastoral team and bulletin with St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Hardin
Worship Sites
Blessed Trinity's three merged parishes remain distinct worship sites so each village keeps its historic church building. Weekend and weekday Masses, the Saturday Vigil, and weekly Eucharistic Adoration all rotate among these locations.
- St. Mary Immaculate Conception Church — Brussels (parish office site)
- St. Barbara Church — Batchtown (hosts Saturday 8:00 a.m. Mass and weekly Eucharistic Adoration)
- St. Joseph Church — Meppen (hosts Tuesday 6:00 p.m. Mass; pastor's residence)
Sacraments
The parish celebrates all seven sacraments, with specific procedures published in the bulletin. Baptisms are scheduled after any Sunday Mass and should take place within about a month of birth; parents must pre-register with the office (618-883-2400) and complete the parish baptism-preparation class (offered every other month). Couples seeking Matrimony must contact the office at least nine months before the anticipated date, and one member of the couple must be a registered, practicing Catholic. Anointing of the Sick and home visits with Holy Communion are available on request by contacting the parish office.
- Baptism — Sundays after Mass; pre-registration required; class every other month
- Matrimony — 9-month notice; one registered, practicing Catholic required
- Anointing of the Sick & Home Visits — by request to the parish office
- Eucharist — daily and Sunday Mass across the three worship sites
- Confirmation & First Communion — through PSR and St. Mary School
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Catholic formation for parish children takes place at two levels: through St. Mary School, which has offered Catholic education on the Brussels site since 1869 (current building 1930) and currently serves Pre-K through 8th grade with Principal Becky Lorts; and through the Parish School of Religion (PSR) for children whose families choose public schooling. Blessed Trinity PSR meets Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. in Batchtown, September through April, under Coordinator Tammy Franke (618-535-6099). The parish is actively recruiting catechists for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades for the coming year. Father Roberts holds an annual PSR planning meeting each summer to welcome new families.
- St. Mary School — Catholic education since 1869; current building 1930; Pre-K–8th grade
- St. Mary School Principal: Becky Lorts ([email protected])
- Blessed Trinity PSR — Wednesdays 6:00–7:15 p.m. in Batchtown, Sept.–Apr.
- PSR Coordinator: Tammy Franke, 618-535-6099
- Catechist recruitment underway for 1st, 2nd & 3rd grades
- Joint youth activities include the Steubenville Youth Conference (July)
Parish Life & Ministries
Beyond worship, Blessed Trinity sustains an active parish life through its Pastoral Council, Finance Council, and St. Mary School Advisory Board, all of which meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. Eucharistic Adoration is supported by a lay coordinator, and a separate grief-support and youth ministry (shared with St. Francis of Assisi) serves the broader Calhoun County Catholic community. The summer calendar revolves around the three signature parish picnics — St. Barbara in late July, St. Joseph in early August, and St. Mary in mid-August — each hosted at its respective village and widely attended by the whole county.
- Pastoral Council — meets 2nd Tuesday at 7 p.m. (Joyce Vogel)
- Finance Council — meets 2nd Tuesday at 8 p.m. (JoAnn Kiel)
- St. Mary School Advisory Board — meets 4th Tuesday at 7 p.m.
- Eucharistic Adoration — St. Barbara, Wed. & Thurs. (Lisa Vogel)
- St. Barbara Picnic (late July), St. Joseph Picnic (early Aug.), St. Mary Picnic (mid-Aug.)
Staff & Councils
Parish staff and lay-leadership contacts are listed in every weekly bulletin and serve as the first point of contact for sacraments, school, PSR, Adoration, and council business.
- Pastor: Rev. Don J. Roberts (Rectory: 618-883-2309; residence at St. Joseph, Meppen)
- Deacon: Mike Hagen — 618-971-2391; [email protected]
- Office Manager/Bookkeeper: Sarah Kinder — [email protected]
- Administrative Assistant: Rachael Friedel — [email protected]
- DRE: Joyce Vogel
- St. Mary School Principal: Becky Lorts — [email protected]
- PSR Coordinator: Tammy Franke — 618-535-6099
- Eucharistic Adoration: Lisa Vogel — 618-535-8834
- Pastoral Council: Joyce Vogel (meets 2nd Tues. 7 p.m.)
- Finance Council: JoAnn Kiel (meets 2nd Tues. 8 p.m.)
Visiting & Contact
The Blessed Trinity parish office is located in Brussels and is open Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The parish mailing address is P.O. Box 38, Brussels, IL 62013. The general phone line is (618) 883-2400; the rectory line is (618) 883-2309. The office email is [email protected]. The shared parish website, sfacalhoun.com, hosts weekly bulletins, the event calendar, the PSR program page, and contact information for both Blessed Trinity and St. Francis of Assisi parishes.
- Address: P.O. Box 38 (111 East Main St.), Brussels, IL 62013
- Phone: 618-883-2400 (office) / 618-883-2309 (rectory)
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://sfacalhoun.com/
- Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 8:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.