About Holy Trinity · England, Arkansas
Holy Trinity Church is a small Catholic mission parish in the rural farming community of England, Arkansas, in Lonoke County. It belongs to the Diocese of Little Rock (Central Deanery) and is currently attended from Holy Rosary Church in Stuttgart. The mission celebrates a single Sunday Mass each week at 8:00 a.m., with Holy Day Masses announced, monthly Confession and Eucharistic Adoration on the first Sunday before Mass. Despite its tiny congregation of mostly older parishioners, Holy Trinity has served local Catholic families since 1976 and remains a beloved worship site for the Catholic faithful of England, Keo, and Scott.
- Established
- 1976
- Patron
- The Most Holy Trinity
- Rector
- Fr. Babu Rao Battula
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock (Central Deanery)
Why belong here
Holy Trinity is a tight-knit rural Catholic mission with deep roots in the farming community of England, Arkansas — founded in 1976 by ordinary families who simply wanted a place to worship closer to home. Weekly Sunday Mass at 8 a.m., monthly Confession and Eucharistic Adoration on the first Sunday, and a weekly breakfast after Mass sustain a parish life where nearly every parishioner serves as lector, usher, eucharistic minister, or altar server. If you live in England, Keo, or Scott — or anywhere in Lonoke County — and want a small, faith-filled community grounded in more than four decades of witness, Holy Trinity welcomes you.
Mass times at Holy Trinity
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 7:30 a.m. on the First Sunday of the month (before Mass)
Adoration times
- 7:30 – 8:00 a.m. on the First Sunday of the month (before Mass)
History of Holy Trinity Mission
Holy Trinity's story is a story of determined Catholic families in a rural Arkansas farming community. In 1975 Kelly and Charles Higdon moved to England, discovered there was no Catholic church, and rallied roughly 20 Catholic families in England, Keo, and Scott to lobby Bishop Andrew J. McDonald for a local Mass. Bishop McDonald visited Keo in February 1976; the first Mass was celebrated at the Melkovitz home on April 21, 1976, followed by weekly Saturday-evening Masses in the pool house of the local Jaycee Hall. With three acres of farmland donated by the Dolan family and a $10,000 Catholic Church Extension Society grant, the mission built an 82-by-40-foot church that Bishop McDonald dedicated on September 25, 1977.
Founding Pastor and Early Clergy
The late Father Frederick Zarrilli, then pastor of St. Augustine Church in North Little Rock, stepped forward to volunteer as the founding celebrant for the new mission and is credited with making the parish possible. Father Thomas Keller later served the parish as pastor alongside his role at St. Rose of Lima Church in Carlisle, offering Sunday Mass at 8:30 a.m. at the time of a 2008 Arkansas Catholic feature.
The Church Building
The original 82-foot by 40-foot church has remained largely as it was built. Its folding partition between the sanctuary and the fellowship hall, kitchen, and bathrooms allows the small community to open the space for parish breakfasts and gatherings after Sunday Mass. A plaque in the entryway acknowledges the Catholic Church Extension Society's $10,000 grant, and the mission paid off its $70,000 construction loan by 1986.
Mass, Sacraments, and Devotions
The mission celebrates a single weekly Sunday Mass at 8:00 a.m., with Holy Day Masses as announced. The first Sunday of every month adds two sacraments before Mass: Confession at 7:30 a.m. and Eucharistic Adoration from 7:30 to 8:00 a.m.
- Sunday Mass — 8:00 a.m.
- Holy Day Mass — as announced
- Confession — 7:30 a.m. on the first Sunday
- Eucharistic Adoration — 7:30–8:00 a.m. on the first Sunday
- Weekly breakfast after Sunday Mass
Parish Life and Ministries
Holy Trinity is a small but active rural mission where nearly every parishioner serves in some liturgical role. Members rotate as lectors, ushers, eucharistic ministers, and altar servers; two men also assist the priest as "senior servers" at Mass. The parish maintains a parish council (led in recent decades by members of the Dolan founding family) and supports the local food bank and the work of a religious sister in South America. When the parish had more children, religious education classes were offered on-site; today the few children in the parish travel to Carlisle for faith formation.
- Parish Council
- Lectors, Ushers, Eucharistic Ministers, Altar Servers
- Senior Servers
- Support for the local food bank
- Support for a religious sister's work in South America
Clergy and Pastoral Care
Holy Trinity is currently served by Fr. Babu Rao Battula as pastor, with Fr. Jayaraju Sure as associate pastor. Fr. Battula, originally from the Diocese of Nellore, India (ordained April 9, 1996), was appointed to the Diocese of Little Rock on June 13, 2022. He also serves as pastor of Holy Rosary Church in Stuttgart, St. Rose of Lima Church in Carlisle, and Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church in Slovak — four parishes coordinated as a single rural pastoral team.
- Fr. Babu Rao Battula — Pastor (ordained April 9, 1996; appointed to Little Rock June 13, 2022; birthday Feb. 3)
- Fr. Jayaraju Sure — Associate Pastor
Diocese, Deanery, and Attending Parish
Holy Trinity is a mission parish of the Diocese of Little Rock, situated in the Central Deanery. It is currently attended from Holy Rosary Church in Stuttgart, which serves as the administrative hub for the cluster of small rural parishes including Holy Trinity, St. Rose of Lima in Carlisle, and Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Slovak. The best way to reach the pastor is through Holy Rosary Church at (870) 673-8351.
- Diocese of Little Rock
- Central Deanery
- Attended from Holy Rosary Church — Stuttgart
- Companion parishes: St. Rose of Lima (Carlisle), Sts. Cyril and Methodius (Slovak)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Frederick Zarrilli (deceased)1976 – c. late 1970s/1980s
Founding pastor; then pastor of St. Augustine Church in North Little Rock, he volunteered to celebrate Mass in England and is credited with making the mission possible.
- Fr. Thomas KellerServed at time of 2008 Arkansas Catholic feature; also pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church, Carlisle
Offered Sunday Mass at 8:30 a.m. and was also pastor of the parish overseeing Holy Trinity.
- Fr. Babu Rao BattulaCurrent pastor (appointed to Diocese of Little Rock June 13, 2022)
Ordained April 9, 1996; originally from the Diocese of Nellore, India; also pastor of Holy Rosary Church in Stuttgart, St. Rose of Lima Church in Carlisle, and Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church in Slovak.