About Holy Trinity · Cherry, Illinois
Holy Trinity Catholic Church is a small parish church located at 212 South Main Street in the village of Cherry, Bureau County, Illinois. The parish traces its roots to 1904, when the first Mass was celebrated in Cherry by Fr. John W. Cummings of Arlington in Ryan's Hall, and it has been served by Benedictine (O.S.B.) pastors for most of its history, originally as a mission of St. Benedict's Church in Ladd. Today Holy Trinity is part of the newly formed St. Barbara Parish (officially established April 26, 2025), a multi-site Catholic community of the Diocese of Peoria that also includes St. Thomas More in Dalzell and St. Patrick in Arlington, under pastor Father Binh K. (Thaddeus) Tran.
- Established
- 1904
- Patron
- The Holy Trinity
- Rector
- Father Binh K. (Thaddeus) Tran
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Peoria
Why belong here
Holy Trinity is a small, rooted Catholic community that has gathered for the Eucharist in Cherry since 1904, and its parishioners continue to worship in a brick church whose interior was remodeled in 1968 and whose front was entirely rebuilt in 1965. Families with children are welcomed into the parish's Religious Education Program, which partners with St. Thomas More in Dalzell to give young people a fun, faith-filled grounding in the Catholic faith. Parishioners serve through an active ministry schedule of lectors, Eucharistic ministers, servers, and money counters, and gather socially at Holy Trinity Hall — a tradition that goes back to the original Hall built under Fr. Fred Winchell, O.S.B. As part of today's St. Barbara Parish, Holy Trinity offers the stability of a century-old community along with the broader support of a multi-site Catholic family across Bureau County.
Mass times at Holy Trinity
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Alternating Saturdays in the Confessional: 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
Adoration times
- Divine Mercy Chapel / Adoration Room at St. Thomas More (Dalzell): Open Daily, Monday–Sunday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Fall/Winter hours; closed during snow or tornado warnings or when Mass is cancelled)
Holy Trinity Catholic Church at a Glance
Holy Trinity Catholic Church is one of the worship sites of St. Barbara Parish in the Catholic Diocese of Peoria, located at 212 South Main Street in the village of Cherry, Bureau County, Illinois. The parish traces its history to 1904, when the first Mass was offered in Ryan's Hall, and its current brick church on Main Street was dedicated in September 1923. Since 2021 Holy Trinity has been part of a Bureau County Catholic community that also includes St. Thomas More in Dalzell and St. Patrick in Arlington, and on April 26, 2025 the Diocese of Peoria canonically erected these communities together as St. Barbara Parish, with the Holy Trinity site serving as the main parish office.
A Century of Parish History (1904–Today)
The parish's story began in 1904 when Fr. John W. Cummings of Arlington celebrated the first Mass in Cherry in Ryan's Hall. Within a year, a white frame church was built on the west edge of town, but it was twisted by a severe windstorm shortly after completion and further damaged by a second storm. The original church was destroyed by fire on August 15, 1919, and the present brick church on Main Street was dedicated by Bishop E. M. Dunne in September 1923. (This history was originally published in a Catholic Post supplement on August 30, 1987.) The full succession of pastors and the major building campaigns — the 1956 rectory, the 1965 addition, the 1968 sanctuary remodeling, and the 1972 parish hall — are told on the parish's 'Holy Trinity Church History' page.
Founding and Early Years
In its early decades Holy Trinity was a mission of St. Benedict's Church in Ladd and was served by Benedictine (O.S.B.) priests. The first Mass in Cherry was offered in 1904 in Ryan's Hall, and the original frame church was erected in 1905. Fr. Wencel Scholar, O.S.B., was pastor at the time of the Cherry mine disaster. During the pastorate of Fr. Andrew Miller, O.S.B., the church was destroyed by fire on August 15, 1919.
Becoming an Independent Parish
When Fr. Fred Winchell, O.S.B., became pastor, Holy Trinity ceased to be a mission of St. Benedict's, Ladd, and became an independent parish. Under his leadership two buildings were remodeled into Holy Trinity Hall, and an organ was later installed in the church. Fr. Casimir Miller, O.S.B., was the parish's first resident pastor, followed by Fr. Joseph Brons, O.S.B., and Fr. Michael Callahan, O.S.B.
Building the Current Church
Fr. Anthony Wehrmann, O.S.B., was appointed in May 1946 and served until his death in November 1963. In 1956 the rectory, garage, and sacristy were built adjoining the church at a total cost of $26,145.00, with parishioners pitching in. Under Fr. John Fitzgerald, O.S.B., the 1965 addition gave the church a 12-foot extension and an entirely new front with two main entrances, a baptistry, a confessional, and a new choir loft. In 1968 the sanctuary was extensively refurbished to bring the furnishings into line with the new (post-Vatican II) liturgy. A new parish hall was added in 1972 to host social functions and the CCD program, and Fr. Fitzgerald was succeeded by Fr. Norbert Tibesar, O.S.B., in 1974.
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The parish's Religious Education Program, run jointly with connected parish St. Thomas More, exists to help parents fulfill the baptismal promise to raise their children in the Catholic faith. The program aims to make learning about Jesus Christ engaging for children, and the parish explicitly invites families with children to join. The CCD program has been part of parish life since the 1972 parish hall was built to house religious education and social functions.
- Shared Holy Trinity / St. Thomas More Religious Education Program
- CCD classes for parish children
- Family-based reinforcement of faith at home
Parish Ministries & Groups
Holy Trinity's published ministry schedule lists four key lay ministry roles — Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Servers, and Money Counters — who serve at Sunday Mass. The parish also has a long-standing Holy Trinity Altar & Rosary Society (currently listed as 'page under construction') and a parish hall that hosts social and community gatherings.
- Lectors
- Eucharistic Ministers
- Altar Servers
- Money Counters
- Holy Trinity Altar & Rosary Society
Facilities: Holy Trinity Hall
Holy Trinity Hall is the parish's social hall. Its origins go back to Fr. Fred Winchell, O.S.B., who remodeled two buildings into the first Holy Trinity Hall after the parish became independent. A new parish hall was built in 1972 to house social functions and the CCD program, and the hall has remained a center of parish community life since.
Holy Trinity Miner's Cemetery
The parish maintains Holy Trinity Miner's Cemetery, a distinctive landmark that reflects Cherry's mining heritage and the local community's deep Catholic roots. The cemetery is one of the named pages on the parish website alongside the church history, the religious education program, the hall, and the ministry schedule.
Sacraments
Sacramental preparation and coordination for Baptism, Marriage, the Anointing of the Sick, and Reconciliation are handled through the parish office. Confessions are heard on alternating Saturdays in the confessional from 10:30 AM to 11:15 AM. For the Anointing of the Sick in an emergency, parishioners may call 779-248-2164.
- Baptism — coordinated through the parish office
- Marriage — coordinated through the parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — emergency line 779-248-2164
- Confession — alternating Saturdays, 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
St. Barbara Parish Today
On April 26, 2025, the Catholic Diocese of Peoria canonically established St. Barbara Parish in Dalzell as a merged multi-site community that includes Holy Trinity in Cherry, St. Thomas More in Dalzell, and St. Patrick in Arlington. Father Binh K. (Thaddeus) Tran, who has served as pastor of the three Bureau County parishes since 2021, is the first pastor of the new St. Barbara Parish. The Holy Trinity site continues to host the main parish office, weekly Sunday Mass, and the historic worship space that has served Cherry Catholics for more than a century.
- St. Barbara Parish canonical establishment: April 26, 2025
- Sites: Holy Trinity (Cherry), St. Thomas More (Dalzell), St. Patrick (Arlington)
- Pastor: Father Binh K. (Thaddeus) Tran
- Diocese: Catholic Diocese of Peoria
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. John W. Cummings1904
Of Arlington; celebrated the first Mass in Cherry, in Ryan's Hall.
- Fr. Ambrose, O.S.B.1904
Of Ladd; succeeded Fr. Cummings and continued offering Mass in Ryan's Hall.
- Fr. Vitus, O.S.B.1905
Supervised the building of the first (white frame) church in Cherry.
- Fr. Wencel Scholar, O.S.B.
Pastor at the time of the Cherry mine disaster; the first frame church was damaged by storms during this period.
- Fr. Andrew Miller, O.S.B.
His pastorate saw the church destroyed by fire on August 15, 1919; plans were immediately drawn up for a new brick church on Main Street.
- Fr. Charles Rodemeyer, O.S.B.
In charge of the parish during Fr. Andrew Miller's illness.
- Fr. Walsh, O.S.B.
Succeeded Fr. Andrew Miller.
- Fr. Aloysius Sharkey, O.S.B.
Next pastor in the succession.
- Fr. Fred Winchell, O.S.B.
Under his pastorate Holy Trinity ceased to be a mission of St. Benedict's, Ladd, and became an independent parish; two buildings were remodeled into Holy Trinity Hall and an organ was later installed in the church.
- Fr. Casimir Miller, O.S.B.
First resident pastor of Holy Trinity.
- Fr. Joseph Brons, O.S.B.
Succeeded Fr. Casimir Miller.
- Fr. Michael Callahan, O.S.B.
Succeeded Fr. Brons.
- Fr. Anthony Wehrmann, O.S.B.May 1946 – November 1963
Rectory, garage, and sacristy built in 1956 (total cost $26,145.00). Died in November 1963.
- Fr. John Fitzgerald, O.S.B.1963–1974
1965 12-foot extension and new front added (two entrances, baptistry, confessional, choir loft); 1968 sanctuary redecorated for the new liturgy; briefly succeeded by Fr. Joseph Heyd, O.S.B., in August 1968 before returning in December 1968.
- Fr. Norbert Tibesar, O.S.B.1974–
Succeeded Fr. Fitzgerald; church redecorated and new roofs put on the church and rectory during his pastorate.
- Father Binh K. (Thaddeus) Tran2021–present
Diocesan priest; named pastor of the three Bureau County parishes (St. Patrick, Holy Trinity, St. Thomas More) in 2021; became pastor of the newly canonical St. Barbara Parish on April 26, 2025.