About Most Blessed Trinity Parish · Tremont, Pennsylvania
Most Blessed Trinity Parish is a Roman Catholic parish serving the Tremont and Tower City communities in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, within the Diocese of Allentown. The parish operates its principal church in Tremont (113 Cherry Street) and a mission chapel, Ss. Peter and Paul Chapel, in nearby Tower City. Today's parish is the direct descendant of Immaculate Conception Parish, Tremont, which was founded in the early 1850s by Saint John Neumann and has since merged with the Tower City congregation to form a single Schuylkill County faith community.
- Established
- 1853
- Patron
- Most Blessed Trinity
- Rector
- Rev. G. Jose Kochuparambil (Father Johnson)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Allentown
Why belong here
Most Blessed Trinity is a small but active two-site parish that combines a historic Tremont church with the Ss. Peter and Paul Chapel in Tower City, giving Catholics in upper Schuylkill County a close-knit community for daily and Sunday Mass, weekday adoration, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation offered at multiple times each week. The parish is a living continuation of an 1850s mission founded under Saint John Neumann, which gives it deep local roots, an historic parish cemetery on Clay Road, and a warm, traditional Catholic devotional life centered on the Eucharist and the Blessed Trinity.
Mass times at Most Blessed Trinity Parish
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM (Tremont Church)
- Sunday 8:15 AM – 8:45 AM (Tower City Chapel)
- Monday 8:40 AM – 9:00 AM
- Tuesday 5:40 PM – 6:00 PM
- Wednesday 5:40 PM – 6:00 PM
- Thursday 8:40 AM – 9:00 AM
- Friday 8:40 AM – 9:00 AM
Adoration times
- Friday 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (First Friday, Tremont Rectory during winter season)
- Friday 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM (3rd Friday of the month)
- 20 minutes before each daily Mass (Tremont Church)
Parish Identity & History
Most Blessed Trinity Parish, Tremont, is a Roman Catholic community of the Diocese of Allentown that serves the historic Tremont and Tower City areas of upper Schuylkill County. Its origins go back to 1853, when Father Barr was sent to survey Catholics west of Pottsville to the Dauphin County line. A church was first begun at Donaldson, then redirected to Tremont after Father Barr received land there. The cornerstone of the original Immaculate Conception Church was laid in 1855, and the building was blessed by Bishop (later Saint) John Neumann on June 25, 1856. Over the following century and a half, the parish was reorganized by the Diocese of Allentown into today's Most Blessed Trinity Parish, joining the Tremont church with Ss. Peter and Paul Chapel in Tower City under one pastor.
- Original parish: Immaculate Conception, Tremont
- Mission chapel: Ss. Peter and Paul, Tower City
- Cornerstone laid 1855; church blessed June 25, 1856
- Reorganized as Most Blessed Trinity Parish under the Diocese of Allentown
Pastoral Leadership
The parish is led by its current pastor, Rev. G. Jose Kochuparambil, known to parishioners as Father Johnson, who also provides sacramental ministry to the Hispanic community at Divine Mercy Parish in Shenandoah. He was first assigned as parochial administrator of Most Blessed Trinity in August 2020 and was formally named pastor by Bishop Alfred Schlert in June 2021, following the diocese's standard practice of at least one year as administrator before installation as pastor.
- Current pastor: Rev. G. Jose Kochuparambil (Father Johnson)
- Appointed administrator August 2020; installed pastor June 2021 by Bishop Alfred Schlert
- Pastoral assignments made by the Diocese of Allentown
Diocese & Ecclesiastical Authority
Most Blessed Trinity Parish belongs to the Diocese of Allentown, a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia serving the five counties of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, and Schuylkill in eastern Pennsylvania. The parish is part of the Schuylkill Deanery of the diocese. Its assignment and reassignment history is governed by the Bishop of Allentown, currently Bishop Alfred Schlert, who formally promotes administrators to pastor after at least one year of service.
- Diocese: Allentown
- Deanery: Schuylkill
- Diocesan website: allentowndiocese.org
History of Catholic Presence in Tremont
Catholic life in Tremont began in earnest with Father Barr's 1853 mission assignment. The original construction was started in Donaldson, but the project was relocated to Tremont when Father Barr secured land there. Within two years the cornerstone had been laid, and on June 25, 1856 Bishop Neumann blessed the finished Immaculate Conception church. The Schuylkill County parish grew and was eventually paired with Ss. Peter and Paul, Tower City, before being reorganized into today's Most Blessed Trinity Parish.
- 1853 – Father Barr assigned to establish the Catholic mission
- 1855 – Cornerstone laid in Tremont
- 1856 – Church blessed by Bishop John Neumann on June 25
- 20th–21st c. – Immaculate Conception merged with Ss. Peter and Paul, Tower City
Parish Cemetery
The Most Blessed Trinity Cemetery, on Clay Road in Tremont, is the historic Catholic burial ground of the parish (also known as the Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery). It is one of four cemeteries serving the borough of Tremont, along with St. John's Lutheran, St. Peter's Evangelical and Reformed, and the United Methodist cemetery. The Most Blessed Trinity Cemetery is enclosed by a chain-link fence, which makes its boundary easy to identify.
- Location: Clay Road, Tremont, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
- Also known as Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery
- Boundary marked by a chain-link fence
- Audited and photographed for Find a Grave in November 2022
Visiting & Directions
The parish welcomes visitors to its two worship sites. The Tremont church sits at 113 Cherry Street at the top of the hill in Tremont, accessible from Interstate 81 via the Tremont/Tower City exit onto Route 209 North. The Tower City chapel is the parish's second worship site and serves the Catholic community of Tower City.
- Main church: 113 Cherry Street, Tremont, PA 17981
- Phone: (570) 695-3648
- Email: [email protected]
- From I-81: Tremont/Tower City exit → Route 209 N → left on Clay → right on Cherry → top of the hill
- Mission chapel: Ss. Peter and Paul Chapel, Tower City
Contact & Practical Information
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone, email, or in person at the rectory. The parish's official website is hosted at mostblessedtrinity.us. The mailing address for the parish is 113 Cherry Street, Tremont, PA 17981-0035.
- Phone: (570) 695-3648
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://mostblessedtrinity.us
- Mailing address: 113 Cherry St., Tremont, PA 17981-0035
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Barr1853-
Assigned to conduct a spiritual census west of Pottsville to the Dauphin County line and to set up a Catholic mission; began building in Donaldson, then redirected the project to Tremont where he was given land.
- Bishop (St.) John Neumann1855-1856
Bishop of Philadelphia who laid the cornerstone of Immaculate Conception, Tremont, in 1855 and blessed the new church on June 25, 1856.
- Rev. Michael E. Ahrensfielduntil 2008
Pastor of Immaculate Conception, Tremont, and Ss. Peter and Paul, Tower City; reassigned in June 2008 to pastor of Ss. Peter and Paul, Lehighton.
- Rev. Dominic P. Kalata2008-
Appointed in June 2008 as pastor of the newly reorganized Most Blessed Trinity Parish, Tremont, coming from Annunciation BVM and St. Ann, Frackville.
- Rev. Paul L. Rothermelby 2016-2020
Schuylkill County native, ordained in 1994 by Bishop Thomas J. Welsh; pastored Most Blessed Trinity Parish (including Ss. Peter and Paul Chapel in Tower City) until reassigned in August 2020 to substitute sacramental ministry for parishes in the diocese.
- Rev. Jason Stokes2016-2020
Appointed June 2016 as administrator of Most Blessed Trinity Parish alongside prison ministry at SCI/Mahanoy, SCI/Frackville, FCI/Schuylkill (Minersville), and Schuylkill County Prison.
- Rev. G. Jose Kochuparambil (Father Johnson)2020-present
Appointed August 2020 as parochial administrator of Most Blessed Trinity, Tremont, with sacramental ministry to the Hispanic community at Divine Mercy Parish, Shenandoah; promoted by Bishop Schlert in June 2021 to pastor of Most Blessed Trinity Parish.