About Holy Trinity · Fingal, North Dakota
Church of the Holy Trinity is a small Catholic parish in Fingal, North Dakota, currently served as a mission parish of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in nearby Enderlin, within the Diocese of Fargo. It is one of three linked parishes (along with St. Patrick's in Enderlin and Our Lady of the Scapular in Sheldon) sharing a single pastor and a common website. The parish traces its origins to 1891, when the first Holy Trinity church was built of native stone northeast of Fingal by its earliest parishioners.
- Established
- 1891
- Patron
- Holy Trinity (the Blessed Trinity)
- Rector
- Fr. Scott Karnik
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fargo
Why belong here
Holy Trinity offers a small, tight-knit Catholic community rooted in over 130 years of faith in the Fingal countryside. Parishioners share Mass with two neighboring rural parishes under one pastor, benefiting from regular weekly and seasonal Sunday Masses, weekday devotions, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Mass. The parish also maintains two historic cemeteries — the 'old' one at the original 1891 church site and a 'new' one north of Fingal — that anchor generations of local Catholic families to Holy Trinity's story.
Mass times at Holy Trinity
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM (before weekday Mass)
History of Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Holy Trinity's story begins in 1891, when parishioners built the first church of native stone on a tract northeast of Fingal. The parish received its first resident priest, Rev. Anton Wagner, in 1899. The original stone church's tower was shattered by lightning in 1909; the structure was repaired and used briefly, but soon services moved into the adjoining St. Gerard's school building, and the old church was torn down in 1915. St. Gerard's itself closed in 1918 after the influenza epidemic. The site for the present Holy Trinity church in Fingal was purchased in November 1917, the cornerstone was blessed on May 15, 1918, and Bishop John Shanley blessed the new church on August 4, 1918 — the building that still stands at 419 1st Avenue.
- 1891 — First stone church built by parishioners northeast of Fingal
- 1899 — Rev. Anton Wagner arrives as first resident priest
- 1909 — Lightning shatters the church tower; building repaired temporarily
- 1915 — Original stone church torn down
- 1917 — Site for the new Fingal church purchased
- May 15, 1918 — Cornerstone laid and blessed
- August 4, 1918 — Bishop Shanley blesses the present Holy Trinity church
Mission Parish Era (1984–Present)
After more than 85 years with a resident priest, Holy Trinity lost its resident pastor in 1984 and was reclassified as a mission parish — a reflection of the rural-exodus pressures facing many small North Dakota parishes. It first became a mission of St. Bernard in Oriska (along with St. Thomas in Buffalo), and from 1994 to 2006 was Oriska's sole mission parish. Following the closure of St. Henry's in Alice in 2005, Holy Trinity was reassigned in 2006 to a three-parish grouping under St. Patrick in Enderlin, together with Our Lady of the Scapular in Sheldon.
- 1984 — Holy Trinity becomes a mission parish of St. Bernard, Oriska
- 1994–2006 — Sole mission of St. Bernard, Oriska
- 2005 — St. Henry's, Alice closes
- 2006 — Holy Trinity becomes a mission of St. Patrick, Enderlin, grouped with Our Lady of the Scapular, Sheldon
Pastor and Parish Leadership
Holy Trinity is currently pastored by Fr. Scott Karnik, who serves the three linked parishes of St. Patrick (Enderlin), Holy Trinity (Fingal), and Our Lady of the Scapular (Sheldon). Fr. Scott was raised in Veseleyville, North Dakota, in Walsh County — southwest of Grafton and west of Minto. The son of Fred and Beatrice Karnik (both deceased), he has one older sister (Ramona) and one older brother (Fred, Jr.). He was ordained on June 3, 2017, and before entering seminary he worked for years in radio, with additional time in the military. The Diocese of Fargo priest directory lists Fr. Karnik as pastor of the three-church grouping.
- Current Pastor: Fr. Scott Karnik
- Diocese of Fargo directory listing: St. Patrick's – Enderlin, Holy Trinity – Fingal, Our Lady of the Scapular – Sheldon
Cemeteries of Holy Trinity
Holy Trinity maintains two historic cemeteries that continue to anchor generations of local Catholic families to the parish. The 'old cemetery' sits at the site of the original 1891 stone church northeast of Fingal — the very ground where the parish began. The 'new cemetery' lies north of the present town of Fingal.
- Old Cemetery — at the original 1891 church site northeast of Fingal
- New Cemetery — north of Fingal
Music and Liturgy
Parish life at Holy Trinity includes The Parish Choir, which supports the liturgical celebrations at Mass.
- The Parish Choir
Special Collections and Giving
Through its shared website (enderlinfingalsheldon.org), the parish accepts online donations and lists the six annual second collections observed by the three-parish grouping. The site also lists online giving, member portal login (Gabrielsoft), and links to Adoration, Confession, and Mass schedules.
- Peter's Pence — 3rd Sunday of January
- Holy Land Collection — Good Friday
- Catholic Home Missions Appeal — 4th Sunday of April
- World Mission Sunday — 3rd Sunday in October
- Black and Indian Home Missions — 3rd Sunday of November
- Retirement Fund for Religious — 2nd Sunday of December
- Online giving via shared parish website
- Gabrielsoft member portal for registered parishioners
Getting Involved / Visiting
Because Holy Trinity is one of three linked rural parishes sharing a single pastor, visitors and newcomers are encouraged to make contact through the parish office at (701) 437-2791 or via the shared website at enderlinfingalsheldon.org. Fr. Scott has publicly welcomed families to invite him to bless homes and fields — a rural-friendly touch fitting for a parish whose roots remain in the surrounding farmland.
- Parish phone: (701) 437-2791
- Shared website: enderlinfingalsheldon.org
- Pastor offers house and field blessings to parishioners and neighbors
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Anton Wagner1898–1901
First resident priest of Holy Trinity
- Rev. Benno Kauer1901–1903
- Rev. H. Bruenagel1903–1904
- Rev. A. J. VandenHeuvel1904–1908
- Rev. Gerhard Wilkes1908–1910
- Rev. Herman Wilkes1910–1915
- Rev. Michael Simon1915–1917
- Rev. Edmund Basel1917–1922
First pastor in the present-day 1918 church
- Rev. John Greiner1922
- Rev. Robert Wewers1922–1930
- Rev. John Thieltges1930–1936
- Rev. Edward Lippert1936–1948
- Rev. Siegfried Heyl1948–1955
- Rev. Paul Koehler1955–1962
- Rev. Patrick Healy1962–1967
- Rev. George Bolte1967–1984
Last resident pastor before parish became a mission
- Rev. Charles Rudd1984–1990
Holy Trinity becomes mission of St. Bernard, Oriska
- Rev. Damien Schill1990–1994
- Rev. Jeffrey L. Wald1994–1996
- Rev. Gregory Schlesselmann1996–1997
- Rev. Kevin Willis1997–1998
- Rev. Kazimierz S. Kopacz1998–2003
- Rev. Timothy Johnson2004–2005
- Rev. John Fallon2005–2006
- Rev. Msgr. Daniel J. Pilon2006–2012
Holy Trinity joins mission grouping with St. Patrick, Enderlin and Our Lady of the Scapular, Sheldon
- Rev. John Aerts2012–2016
- Rev. Christopher Markman2016–Present
Per published parish history; Diocese of Fargo directory currently lists Fr. Scott Karnik as pastor of the three-parish grouping