About Holy Trinity · Stonington, Illinois
Holy Trinity Catholic Church is a small Catholic parish serving the village of Stonington, Illinois, and the surrounding rural communities of Christian County. It is administered as a mission parish of St. Mary Parish in nearby Taylorville and belongs to the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. With about 147 parishioners in roughly 90 families, Holy Trinity maintains a simple but faithful Catholic presence through weekly Sunday Mass, the Sacrament of Penance, religious education (PSR), the Altar & Rosary Society, and a monthly Coffee & Donuts fellowship. The parish's current church building, dedicated in 1891, has stood in Stonington for more than 130 years.
- Established
- 1880
- Patron
- Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)
- Rector
- Rev. Msgr. David S. Lantz (Pastor, as listed on the parish site)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
Why belong here
Holy Trinity offers the heart of Catholic life in a small, personal setting: a single weekly Sunday Mass at 9:00 a.m., confessions before Mass, and a humble parish hall fellowship with Coffee & Donuts on the first Sunday of the month from September through June. Families with children are served through the Parish School of Religion (PSR) program, and devotion to Our Lady continues through the Altar & Rosary Society. For Catholics in Stonington and the surrounding farms and small towns of Christian County, it is a place where generations have worshipped continuously since 1880.
Mass times at Holy Trinity
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 8:30 – 8:45 a.m.
Parish History
Holy Trinity's roots go back to 1873, when Catholic families in Stonington began building a church but had to abandon the project; Mass was celebrated in private homes while the community regrouped. A new site was chosen in 1878, and the first Holy Trinity Church was dedicated on May 21, 1880. That building was destroyed by a windstorm in 1889, and the present church — the building that stands today — was dedicated on July 8, 1891. Across more than 130 years, Holy Trinity has remained a small but continual Catholic witness in Christian County, now administered as a mission parish of St. Mary, Taylorville.
- 1873 — initial church construction halted
- 1880 — first Holy Trinity Church dedicated (May 21)
- 1889 — first church destroyed by a windstorm
- 1891 — current church dedicated (July 8)
Parish Staff and Leadership
The parish is staffed together with St. Mary, Taylorville and St. Rita, Kincaid, sharing clergy and lay ministers across the cluster. As listed on the parish's own website, Monsignor David S. Lantz serves as Pastor, with Permanent Deacon Jim Baxter assisting. Lay staff handle religious education (Matt Peabody, CRE & PSR), parish secretarial work (Diana Kulpish), and music liturgy (Brian Pekovitch).
- Pastor — Rev. Msgr. David S. Lantz ([email protected])
- Permanent Deacon — Jim Baxter ([email protected])
- CRE & PSR — Matt Peabody ([email protected])
- Secretary — Diana Kulpish ([email protected])
- Music Liturgist — Brian Pekovitch
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Holy Trinity runs a Parish School of Religion (PSR) program coordinated by Director of Religious Education Matt Peabody. As a clustered parish family, children in Holy Trinity share the faith-formation resources of the broader St. Mary cluster. The parish also points families to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) for adults and older children seeking to become Catholic or learn more about the faith.
- Parish School of Religion (PSR) for grade-school children
- CRE (Coordinator of Religious Education): Matt Peabody
- RCIA inquiries welcomed through the parish office
Devotions, Ministries and Fellowship
Holy Trinity's devotional and social life centers on the Altar & Rosary Society, which gathers on the first Wednesday of each month from September through June. The rosary is prayed at 8:30 a.m. on the first Sunday of every month and on every Sunday during May (the month of Mary) and October (the month of the Rosary). After Sunday Mass on the first Sunday of each month (September–June), the parish hosts Coffee & Donuts, a long-running tradition of fellowship that lets the small community stay connected.
- Altar & Rosary Society meetings — first Wednesday, September–June
- Recitation of the Rosary — 8:30 a.m., first Sunday of the month and every Sunday in May and October
- Coffee & Donuts fellowship — first Sunday of the month, September–June
- Music Ministry led by Brian Pekovitch
Sacraments
Like every Catholic parish, Holy Trinity celebrates the seven sacraments. The most regularly encountered here are the Eucharist (Sunday and Holy Day Masses) and Penance (Sundays before Mass, or by appointment). Baptisms are scheduled with parents attending pre-Baptismal classes as announced in the bulletin. Couples preparing for Matrimony must follow diocesan Pre-Cana policy, with at least one party registered as a practicing Catholic. The Anointing of the Sick, Confirmation, and inquiries about Holy Orders or the RCIA are coordinated through the parish office.
- Eucharist — Sunday 9:00 a.m.; Holy Days 7:00 p.m.
- Penance — Sunday 8:30–8:45 a.m. or by appointment
- Baptism — pre-Baptismal classes as announced in bulletin
- Matrimony — diocesan Pre-Cana required
- Anointing of the Sick — by request to the parish
- Confirmation, Holy Orders, RCIA — contact parish office
Visiting, Contact and Administration
Holy Trinity's church is at 308 S. Pine St., Stonington, IL, but — because the parish is administered together with St. Mary's — its official mailing address is 116 W. Adams, P.O. Box 470, Taylorville, IL 62568-0470. The parish office can be reached at (217) 325-3697 (fax 217-325-4091) and by email at [email protected]. Listed office hours for the parish are Mondays 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. and Thursdays 7:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon.
- Church address: 308 S. Pine St., Stonington, IL 62567-0257
- Mailing address: 116 W. Adams, P.O. Box 470, Taylorville, IL 62568-0470
- Phone: (217) 325-3697; Fax: (217) 325-4091
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Monday 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.; Thursday 7:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Part of the St. Mary Parish Cluster
Holy Trinity is not a stand-alone entity but part of a clustered Catholic community in Christian County. It shares clergy, religious-education programs, and sacramental preparation with St. Mary Catholic Church in Taylorville (the main parish, which also runs a pre-K through 6th-grade Catholic school) and St. Rita Catholic Church in Kincaid. Together these three parishes serve Catholics across rural central Illinois under the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.
- Holy Trinity, Stonington — Sunday 9:00 a.m.
- St. Mary, Taylorville — Saturday 5:30 p.m.; Sunday 11:00 a.m.; weekday Masses
- St. Rita, Kincaid — additional clustered Mass schedule
- Diocese: Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Msgr. David S. Lantzlong-tenured pastor
Listed as Pastor of Holy Trinity on the parish's current website; in 2022 diocesan announcements also named him Pastor of St. Mary, Taylorville, and St. Rita, Kincaid, before he was separately designated Pastor Emeritus of Christ the King Parish, Springfield.
- Rev. Piotr Koskappointed effective July/August 2022
Named Pastor of St. Mary (Taylorville), St. Rita (Kincaid), and Holy Trinity (Stonington) and Chaplain of Taylorville Correctional Center in diocesan announcements.