About Holy Trinity · Dayton, Ohio
Holy Trinity Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic parish at 272 Bainbridge Street in Dayton, Ohio, recognized as the oldest Catholic church building still standing in the city. Founded in 1859–1861 by German-American parishioners who broke away from Emmanuel Church, it has served Dayton's east-side Catholic community for more than 160 years. Today the parish is staffed by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood (C.PP.S.) and is a member of the St. Gaspar Family of Parishes, a grouping that also includes Precious Blood, St. Paul, Emmanuel, St. Joseph, and St. Rita. The current pastor is Rev. Angelo Anthony, C.PP.S., and the parish continues its Sunday Eucharist at 8:30 and 11:30 a.m. with reconciliation before Mass.
- Established
- 1861
- Patron
- The Most Holy Trinity
- Rector
- Rev. Angelo Anthony, C.PP.S.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Why belong here
Holy Trinity offers Dayton Catholics a chance to worship in the oldest surviving Catholic church building in the city — a 130 × 60-ft Romanesque landmark where the same congregation has gathered continuously since 1861, and the one institution the city's planners spared during the 1960s Haymarket urban renewal. As a parish of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood within the St. Gaspar Family of Parishes, it combines a small, intimate inner-city community with the broader resources of six linked parishes, including Anointing of the Sick on the first Sunday of the month and Sunday reconciliation before Mass.
Mass times at Holy Trinity
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:00 a.m.
- By appointment
History of Holy Trinity Parish
Holy Trinity was founded in the late 1850s by German-American families from overcrowded Emmanuel Church who wanted their own parish near Fifth and Bainbridge Streets. After years of opposition from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and from Emmanuel's pastor, Rev. John Hahne, promoters Henry Ferneding and Theodore Barlow finally persuaded Archbishop John B. Purcell to sign the land note. The cornerstone was laid on Ascension Thursday, May 17, 1860, and the red-brick Romanesque church — designed by Rev. Engelbert Stehle and built by William H. Gill with bricks from Lehman and Munger — was dedicated on August 15, 1861 by Rt. Rev. Henry D. Juncker, Bishop of Alton. Laborers were often paid in groceries because donations did not cover costs. The 1861 building remains the oldest Catholic church structure still standing in Dayton and the only institution spared from urban-renewal demolition of the old Haymarket neighborhood in the early 1960s.
- Cornerstone laid May 17, 1860 by Archbishop John B. Purcell
- Dedicated August 15, 1861 by Bishop Henry D. Juncker
- Oldest Catholic church building still standing in Dayton
- Spared during 1960s Haymarket urban renewal
St. Gaspar Family of Parishes
Holy Trinity is one of six parishes in the St. Gaspar Family of Parishes, formed from the union of Holy Trinity, Emmanuel, and St. Joseph with Precious Blood, St. Paul, and St. Rita. The family describes itself as strengthening 'our commitment to serving God and our neighbors with love and compassion' by sharing clergy, ministries, and resources across Dayton's urban core. Holy Trinity's parish office, parish registration, and sacramental requests are processed in coordination with the family.
- Holy Trinity
- Precious Blood
- St. Paul
- St. Rita
- Emmanuel
- St. Joseph
Schools and Religious Education
Catholic schooling at Holy Trinity predates the dedication of the church: in 1860 Father Goetz had a schoolhouse built on the property, and in August 1861 he applied to the Sisters of Notre Dame for teachers. Sisters Mary Amelia and Sister Barbara arrived in mid-September 1861 to open the girls' school. The Brothers of Mary took charge of the boys' department on July 2, 1869. A new boys' school was built in 1876 directly south of the girls' school. Under Father Schengber (from 1910) a modern combined school for boys and girls was erected at a cost of more than $100,000 in the year of Dayton's great flood, and a Brothers' residence was built across the street. Today faith-formation opportunities for parish children are coordinated through the St. Gaspar Family of Parishes.
- Girls' school opened September 1861 by Sisters of Notre Dame
- Boys' department taken over by Brothers of Mary, July 2, 1869
- New boys' school built 1876
- Modern combined school built under Father Schengber (>$100,000)
Societies and Lay Organizations
Holy Trinity has long been a seedbed of German-Catholic lay societies. During the founding controversy, both the St. Bonifatius Bauverein and the St. Laurentius Unterstuetzungsverein of Emmanuel voted to defect to Holy Trinity, taking organist August Baumstark and his choir with them. In 1868 Father Goetz founded the Katholischer Gesellenverein (Catholic Journeymen's Society), which is still active in Dayton as St. Joseph Institute. In 1871 the same priest helped establish the Knights of St. George in Dayton, with St. George Commandery 104 at Holy Trinity being the first commandery in the city.
- St. Bonifatius Bauverein (defected from Emmanuel)
- St. Laurentius Unterstuetzungsverein (defected from Emmanuel)
- Katholischer Gesellenverein / St. Joseph Institute (founded 1868)
- Knights of St. George — St. George Commandery 104 (founded 1871)
Architecture, Art, and Renovations
The 1861 red-brick Romanesque church was designed by Rev. Engelbert Stehle in a plan strikingly similar to his later St. Boniface, Piqua. The 130 × 60-ft building received its full-height steeple in 1868, cement-stucco sheathing in 1905, and a stone-and-marble vestibule with bronze doors c. 1910. Under Father Hahne the sanctuary was enriched with six 4-ft onyx candlesticks, heroic-sized wall groups, massive chandeliers, a Lourdes Grotto, a Christmas crib, a Pieta group, and an electrically illuminated cross on the steeple — the first in Dayton. The major 1935–36 Diamond Jubilee renovation enlarged the sanctuary by removing two rows of pews, replaced the wall groups and chandeliers with new lighting and ventilation, installed six stained-glass windows by Edward H. Hiemer & Co. of Paterson, New Jersey (donated by parishioners at $600 each), and redecorated the interior with The Manor Decorators, Inc. of Dayton.
- Architect: Rev. Engelbert Stehle
- Builder: William H. Gill; Superintendent: Bernard Lemper
- Bricks by Lehman and Munger
- Stained-glass windows by Edward H. Hiemer & Co. (Paterson, NJ), 1935–36
- Interior redecoration by The Manor Decorators, Inc., Dayton, 1935–36
Worship Schedule and Sacraments
Sunday Eucharist is celebrated at 8:30 and 11:30 a.m., with weekday Mass on Mondays and Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m. and a 6:00 p.m. Mass on Holy Days. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered Sundays at 8:00 a.m. and by appointment, and the Anointing of the Sick is administered on the first Sunday of the month after both Masses. The parish's 2010 live-stream ministry makes Sunday worship available to the homebound and to members of the wider Dayton Catholic community.
- Sunday Mass: 8:30 & 11:30 a.m.
- Weekday Mass: Mon & Tue 7:30 a.m.
- Holy Day Mass: 6:00 p.m.
- Reconciliation: Sun 8:00 a.m. or by appointment
- Anointing of the Sick: first Sunday after each Mass
Visit, Contact, and Practical Information
Holy Trinity Catholic Church stands at 272 Bainbridge Street, Dayton, Ohio 45402, at the corner of Fifth and Bainbridge Streets in Dayton's historic East End. The parish office can be reached at (937) 228-1223 (fax 937-445-0232) or by email at [email protected]. The official website is http://www.holytrinitydayton.org. As a member of the St. Gaspar Family of Parishes, Holy Trinity shares worship aids, bulletins, and family-level announcements with its partner parishes.
- Address: 272 Bainbridge Street, Dayton, OH 45402
- Phone: (937) 228-1223
- Fax: (937) 445-0232
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.holytrinitydayton.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Francis Joseph Goetz1861–1899
First pastor; Alsatian-born (Soufflenheim, Dec. 14, 1828); trained at Mt. St. Mary's, Baltimore and St. Sulpice, Paris; ordained Aug. 15, 1855. Served 38+ years; built the girls' school (1860), boys' school (1876), completed the steeple (1868), founded Knights of St. George chapter in Dayton (1871) and Katholischer Gesellenverein (1868, now St. Joseph Institute); general interior renovation 1898–99. Resigned due to age; died Aug. 24, 1900.
- Rev. Charles Hahne1899–1910
Second pastor (appointed Oct. 12, 1899); Dayton native (b. July 2, 1858), Emmanuel Parish product. Sheathed church and rectory in cement stucco (1905); installed onyx candlesticks, heroic wall groups, electric illuminated steeple cross (first in Dayton), Lourdes Grotto, Christmas crib, Pieta group. Silver jubilee May 1908. Died of pneumonia Nov. 5, 1910, age 53, while supervising the new stone-and-marble vestibule with bronze doors.
- Rev. J. Henry Schengber1910–
Third pastor (appointed Dec. 23, 1910); native of Germany, trained at Mt. St. Mary's, ordained Feb. 12, 1893; former professor at St. Gregory's Seminary and pastor of St. Aloysius, Delhi. Built the modern combined school (>$100,000) in the year of Dayton's great flood; replaced the Brothers' residence across the street. Took possession January 1911.
- Rev. Anthony A. Leising1920s–1936 (approx.)
Fourth pastor. Made a round-the-world trip in 1930, celebrating his silver sacerdotal jubilee with 25 fellow priests; installed a new repository for Holy Thursday 1930 inaugurating the parish's annual all-night vigil; inaugurated the annual outdoor parish reunion in 1922; oversaw the 1935–36 Diamond Jubilee renovation.
- Rev. Cletus A. Kunz1932– (listed in Diamond Jubilee booklet)
Listed as pastor in the 1936 Diamond Jubilee booklet.
- Rev. Angelo Anthony, C.PP.S.current
Current pastor; member of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood (C.PP.S.).
- Rev. Alphonse Steimer1869–1870
First assistant pastor; nephew of Father Goetz. Ordained Sept. 18, 1869; died May 21, 1870.
- Rev. Kress1872–1874
Assistant pastor.
- Rev. John Frohmiller1875–1888
Assistant pastor; later commissioned to establish Holy Rosary congregation.
- Rev. B. Luebberman1889–1890
Assistant pastor.
- Rev. J. George FranzOct. 1890 – Dec. 1890
Assistant pastor.
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