About St. Mary · Hamilton, Illinois
St. Mary is a small Roman Catholic mission church serving the town of Hamilton in Hancock County, Illinois. It is one of five historic Catholic parishes in Hancock County that today worship and minister together as a single faith community known as Holy Archangels Parish, with active worship sites at Sts. Peter and Paul in Nauvoo, Immaculate Conception in Carthage, and Sacred Heart in Warsaw. The Hamilton mission itself was established in 1869 (according to GCatholic) and continues to celebrate weekly Mass on Tuesday evenings and Saturday evenings for area Catholics. As a mission rather than an independent parish, St. Mary's is pastored together with its sister churches by priests of the Diocese of Peoria.
- Established
- 1869
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (St. Mary)
- Rector
- Father Anthony (Tony) Trosley (pastor of the former Hancock County Catholic Community; priests of Holy Archangels Parish now serve the mission)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Peoria
Why belong here
St. Mary's offers a small, welcoming Catholic community in Hamilton where worshippers can know their neighbors and be known by name. As part of Holy Archangels Parish and the wider Hancock County Catholic Community, the mission connects Hamilton Catholics to a network of five historic parishes sharing priests, faith formation, an elementary school at Sts. Peter and Paul in Nauvoo, livestreamed prayer, and outreach. Weekly Tuesday and Saturday Mass and regular confessions make it easy to keep the Eucharist at the center of family and parish life.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday after Mass (half-hour before Mass)
- Tuesday 5:15 PM
- By appointment
About St. Mary, Hamilton
St. Mary is a Roman Catholic mission church located at 560 Lakeview Avenue in Hamilton, Illinois. It is one of the historic Catholic parishes that today worship together as part of Holy Archangels Parish, which serves all of Hancock County. The mission celebrates Mass on Tuesday and Saturday evenings and offers the sacrament of Reconciliation before Mass and by appointment.
History
St. Mary's origins go back to 1848, when English-speaking Catholics in Hamilton withdrew from the German-speaking parish of St. Stephen's and purchased the former St. Matthew's Episcopal Church at Front and Court streets. Their first pastor, Rev. T. Halliman, dedicated the new church on July 23, 1848, and served until his death in 1850. A school was added in the early 20th century under pastor Rev. Lawrence L. Denning (arriving October 1918) and his assistant Rev. Charles Hoctor. GCatholic lists a canonical establishment date of 1869 for the parish. In the modern era St. Mary has been served alongside four other Hancock County parishes as a single faith community under the Diocese of Peoria.
- 1848 — English-speaking congregation separates from St. Stephen's, purchases the former St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
- July 23, 1848 — Church dedicated; Rev. T. Halliman serves as first pastor
- 1850 — Death of Father Halliman
- 1869 — Parish recorded as established in diocesan sources
- 1918 — Rev. Lawrence L. Denning arrives as pastor; assistant Rev. Charles Hoctor serves with him
- 21st century — St. Mary linked with Sts. Peter and Paul (Nauvoo), Sacred Heart (Dallas City), Immaculate Conception (Carthage), and Sacred Heart (Warsaw) as Hancock County Catholic Community
- Parishes later consolidated as Holy Archangels Parish
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
St. Mary, Hamilton is pastored together with the other Hancock County missions by priests assigned to the community from the Diocese of Peoria. Father Anthony (Tony) Trosley has served as pastor of the Hancock County Catholic Community, and Father Thomas R. Szydlik served as parochial vicar until his June 2022 reassignment to St. Paul Parish in Danville. The priests also worked with an outreach coordinator and a director of religious education to serve all five mission parishes.
- Father Anthony (Tony) Trosley — pastor, Hancock County Catholic Community
- Father Thomas R. Szydlik, STL — parochial vicar until June 15, 2022; now administrator of St. Paul Parish, Danville
- Barb Drozdz — outreach coordinator, Hancock County Catholic churches
- Director of Religious Education for the community
Sacraments and Devotions
Beyond the regular Mass and confession schedule, the Hancock County Catholic Community has kept parishioners connected through livestreamed daily rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy, weekly bulletin and a monthly newsletter, and home visits by the priests during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sacramental preparation for baptism, first Communion, confirmation, marriage, and anointing of the sick is coordinated through the parish office.
- Eucharist at Saturday and Tuesday Masses
- Reconciliation before Mass and by appointment
- Daily livestreamed rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy
- Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick
- Funeral liturgies and pastoral care coordinated through the parish office
Faith Formation and School
Faith formation for the children of St. Mary and the other Hancock County Catholic parishes is organized at the community level, including catechesis for elementary-grade students (such as the third- and fourth-grade class taught by Barb Drozdz). The community also operates Sts. Peter and Paul School, a PreK through 6th-grade Catholic elementary school located in Nauvoo, which children from Hamilton and surrounding communities attend.
- Religious education classes for elementary students
- Sts. Peter and Paul School (PreK–6), Nauvoo — parish elementary school
- Monthly newsletter with columns from priests, DRE, and outreach coordinator
Outreach and Community Life
The Hancock County Catholic Community maintains a shared outreach ministry coordinated across all five parishes, with outreach coordinator Barb Drozdz helping to organize charitable initiatives and parish events. The community's collaborative model — one pastor and parochial vicar covering missions up to 23 miles apart — has prompted creative efforts such as rotating days of presence in each parish, livestreamed prayer, and a shared parish hall at Immaculate Conception, Carthage, which includes a small apartment for visiting priests.
- Outreach coordinator serving all five Hancock County parishes
- Shared parish hall at Immaculate Conception, Carthage (blessed December 2019)
- Priests rotate days of presence in each mission parish
- Monthly community newsletter mailed to every parishioner
Visiting St. Mary, Hamilton
St. Mary's mission church sits on Lakeview Avenue in Hamilton and is easy to reach from either Highway 136 or Highway 96. Visitors coming from the north on Rt. 136 should turn north onto 7th Street and continue two blocks; those coming from the south on Rt. 96 turn left on Lakeview Avenue just after the 'Welcome to the City of Hamilton' sign.
- 560 Lakeview Avenue, Hamilton, IL 62341
- From north on Rt. 136: north on 7th Street, two blocks
- From south on Rt. 96: left on Lakeview Avenue after the Hamilton welcome sign
- Phone: (217) 256-3657
- Website: hancockcountycatholic.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. T. Halliman1848–1850
First pastor of St. Mary's after the English-speaking congregation separated from St. Stephen's; died in 1850.
- Rev. Lawrence L. Denningfrom October 1918
Early 20th-century pastor who oversaw expansion of the parish school; served with assistant Rev. Charles Hoctor.