About Holy Trinity · Scales Mound, Illinois
Holy Trinity Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the village of Scales Mound in Jo Daviess County, northwestern Illinois. It belongs to the Diocese of Rockford and is clustered with the other Catholic parishes of the Galena area, sharing pastoral leadership and the website catholicgalena.org. Worship takes place in a brick, gable-front church on Franklin Street that is a contributing property within the Scales Mound Historic District. The parish is currently served by Rev. David Reese as Parochial Administrator.
- Patron
- Holy Trinity
- Rector
- Rev. David Reese
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rockford
Why belong here
Holy Trinity offers the small-town rhythm of a faithful Catholic community in rural Jo Daviess County, with weekly Sunday Mass, a midweek Wednesday evening Mass, and the convenience of being part of a clustered parish group with the other Catholic churches of the Galena area (sharing the catholicgalena.org website and online giving). Visitors and parishioners are welcomed into a historic brick church that has served Scales Mound since at least the early twentieth century and continues to gather worshippers at the heart of the village.
Mass times at Holy Trinity
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:15 PM
Parish Identity & Diocese
Holy Trinity Parish is one of the Catholic parishes of the Diocese of Rockford, which covers the northern Illinois counties of the Rockford ecclesiastical province. The parish is listed by the diocese under parish number 89 and is clustered for pastoral purposes with the other Catholic parishes serving the Galena, Illinois area.
- Diocese of Rockford
- Parish #89 in diocesan listing
- Clustered with the Galena-area Catholic parishes
History of the Parish
Catholic worship in Scales Mound predates the present brick church. Early Masses were celebrated in the Thomas McNulty general store, which stood on the very site the parish occupies today; that structure was later acquired by the congregation to begin the building of the church. The village of Scales Mound was founded in 1853 and incorporated in 1877, and the parish grew up alongside the small lead-mining community in the rolling country of Jo Daviess County.
- Earliest Masses held in Thomas McNulty general store on the present church site
- Village of Scales Mound founded 1853; incorporated July 14, 1877
Church Building & Architecture
Holy Trinity's church is a brick, gable-front building accented by a side tower and stained-glass windows with distinctive curved window hoods. The front facade was remodeled around 1915 and a substantial rear addition was built around 1970 to accommodate the parish's liturgical and parish-life needs.
- Gable-front brick design with side tower
- Stained-glass windows with curved window hoods
- Front facade altered c. 1915
- Large rear addition c. 1970
- Contributing property in the Scales Mound Historic District
Worship Schedule
The parish celebrates Mass twice a week in the church on Franklin Street. As is common for small rural parishes, the bulletin and the clustered-pastoral website (catholicgalena.org) are the best sources for the latest times, holy-day adjustments, and any seasonal changes.
- Sunday Mass at 11:15 AM
- Wednesday Mass at 5:00 PM
- Holy Day schedule: see bulletin or website
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently led by Rev. David Reese as Parochial Administrator, reflecting the clustered-pastoral model used by the Diocese of Rockford for the smaller parishes of Jo Daviess County. He can be reached through the parish office phone line.
- Rev. David Reese — Parochial Administrator
- Parish office: (815) 777-0134
Visiting Scales Mound
Scales Mound is a small village of roughly 400 residents in the northwest corner of Illinois, in the heart of the Galena territory and about a mile from Charles Mound, the highest natural point in Illinois. The Catholic church sits on Franklin Street near the village center, within walking distance of the other historic churches (Methodist, Presbyterian) of the Scales Mound Historic District.
- Population of about 400
- Located about one mile from Charles Mound (highest point in Illinois)
- Within the Scales Mound Historic District
Online Resources
Because Holy Trinity is clustered with the other Catholic parishes of the Galena area, its bulletin, online giving, contact information, and event calendar are maintained through the shared website catholicgalena.org. Parishioners and visitors can give online, request Mass intentions, and stay current with cluster-wide announcements through that site.
- Website: catholicgalena.org
- Online giving available through the Galena-cluster portal