About Holy Trinity Catholic Church · Waterville, Minnesota
Holy Trinity Catholic Church is a small rural Roman Catholic parish serving the town of Waterville in southern Minnesota, situated between Lake Sakatah and Lake Tetonka in Le Sueur County. It is the southernmost parish in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and ministers primarily to farming families of largely German descent from Waterville and the neighboring community of Morristown, while also welcoming summer visitors who come to the lakes for fishing and camping. The parish's roots go back to the 1880s, with the present church building completed in 1952. Holy Trinity has long partnered with neighboring St. Andrew in Elysian (a former mission parish) and today offers weekend and weekday Masses, non-perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, and the quiet pilgrim destination known as the Holy Trinity Grotto.
- Established
- 1879
- Patron
- Holy Trinity
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Why belong here
Holy Trinity is a welcoming small-town Catholic parish where most people know each other by name — the kind of place where, as one longtime pastor put it, 'anybody's sick, anybody needs help,' and the community shows up. Rooted in farming families of largely German descent from Waterville and nearby Morristown, it offers the fullness of Catholic life in a quiet rural setting: Saturday anticipatory and Sunday Mass, weekday Masses, non-perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, and the beloved stone grotto built by parishioners in 1929. Visitors who come to Lake Sakatah and Lake Tetonka for fishing and camping are warmly invited to join in worship during the summer months.
Mass times at Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration – Non-Perpetual (call parish office for schedule)
Parish History
Holy Trinity's roots go back to the late 1870s, when the first Catholic settlers of the Waterville area were served by circuit-riding priests traveling among the small towns of the region. According to the Minnesota Genealogical Society's parish records, the parish was formally established in 1879, and the first church was built in 1883 by Fr. Alexander Christie — the same priest who later served as Archbishop of Oregon City. For its first decade-plus the parish had no resident pastor of its own; that changed in 1892 with the arrival of Fr. Lucey, Holy Trinity's first resident shepherd.
- Parish established: 1879
- First church built: 1883 (by Fr. Alexander Christie)
- First resident pastor: Fr. Lucey, arriving 1892
- Current church building completed: 1952
Community & Setting
Holy Trinity is the southernmost parish in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, serving the farming community of Waterville and the neighboring town of Morristown in Le Sueur County. The parish sits picturesquely between Lake Sakatah and Lake Tetonka — a region that draws summer visitors for fishing, boating, and camping, and whom Holy Trinity welcomes to its weekend Masses. Most parishioners are farmers, and many families are of German descent, a heritage that goes back to the early settlement of the area.
- Located between Lake Sakatah and Lake Tetonka
- Serves Waterville and the neighboring community of Morristown
- Welcomes summer visitors for fishing and camping
The Holy Trinity Grotto
One of Holy Trinity's most distinctive features is the field-stone grotto on the parish grounds, built by parishioners in 1929 from stones harvested from local farmland. The shrine honors Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Archangel Michael, and is cared for by the parish to this day. In 1992 the grotto's walls and floors were constructed and a time capsule was installed, marking the parish's continued devotion to this quiet place of prayer. Visitors describe it as a small but worthy companion to Iowa's famous Grotto of the Redemption — a hand-built labor of love reflecting generations of faith.
- Built 1929 from local field stones
- Honors Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Archangel Michael
- Walls, floors and a time capsule added in 1992
- Still maintained and used for prayer by the parish
Mass & Liturgy
Holy Trinity offers a full weekly schedule of Masses in English, including a Saturday anticipatory Mass and a Sunday Mass, complemented by weekday Masses on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings. The parish also hosts non-perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. Because of its rural setting and small staff, parishioners and visitors are encouraged to call the parish office to confirm current Adoration times.
- Saturday Anticipatory Mass — 5:00 PM (English)
- Sunday Mass — 10:30 AM (English)
- Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday — 9:00 AM (English)
- Eucharistic Adoration — non-perpetual; call parish office for times
Partnership with St. Andrew in Elysian
Holy Trinity has long shared pastoral ministry with nearby St. Andrew in Elysian, which was founded as a mission parish of Holy Trinity and for most of its history has depended on the Waterville parish for sacramental care. The two parishes operate a combined faith formation program for their youth, and Holy Trinity's pastors have typically served simultaneously as parochial administrator of St. Andrew.
- St. Andrew in Elysian was a mission parish of Holy Trinity
- Combined faith formation program between the two parishes
- Shared pastoral leadership between the two rural communities
Clergy
Holy Trinity's pastoral history reflects the rhythm of a small rural parish. The first church was built in 1883 by Fr. Alexander Christie, and the first resident pastor was Fr. Lucey, who arrived in 1892. In modern times, Father Michael (Mike) Ince served as pastor of Holy Trinity and parochial administrator of St. Andrew in Elysian from 1991 until his retirement from active ministry in July 2021. The current pastor is not published on the parish's official listings at the time of this profile.
- Fr. Alexander Christie — built the first church (1883); later Archbishop of Oregon City
- Fr. Lucey — first resident pastor (arriving 1892)
- Fr. Michael (Mike) Ince — pastor 1991–2021; also parochial administrator of St. Andrew in Elysian
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach Holy Trinity by phone at (507) 362-4311 or by email at [email protected]. The parish office is at 506 Common Street in Waterville, Minnesota. Up-to-date announcements, parish news, and event photos are posted on the parish's official Facebook page at facebook.com/holytrinitywaterville/.
- Address: 506 Common St, Waterville, MN 56096-1513
- Phone: (507) 362-4311
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: facebook.com/holytrinitywaterville/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Alexander Christie1883
Built the first church in Waterville in 1883; later became Archbishop of Oregon City.
- Fr. Lucey1892
First resident pastor of Holy Trinity, arrived in 1892.
- Fr. Michael (Mike) Ince1991–2021
Pastor of Holy Trinity in Waterville and parochial administrator of St. Andrew in Elysian; retired from active ministry in July 2021.