Holy Trinity Catholic Church Fairview Heights, Illinois

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Holy Trinity Catholic Church

505 Fountains Parkway w Fairview Heights w Illinois w 62208

Collective Past

Creating a home for worship has been a part of our parish community since the early beginning of our parish family.  After the official announcement was published by Bishop Albert R. Zuroweste creating St. Albert the Great Parish on September 14, 1951, the hayloft of an old dilapidated barn, turned nightclub, become our first worship space. The “barn” was partitioned for classrooms and a residence for teachers.

Growth and development were expanding into this simple farmland area.  In August of 1954, land at the corner of Route 50 and Route 159 was prepared for construction of a new school and gymnasium and completed in 1956.  The gymnasium would serve as our second worship space.

The area was a very desirable place for new families to live and new businesses to locate.  By 1965 our parish family had grown to 820 families with 585 children in the parish school.  Addressing the rapid growth, Bishop Albert R. Zuroweste created Our Lady of the Assumption Parish on September 26, 1965.  With much sorrow, 220 families who helped in the joy of building St. Albert the Great were transferred to the new Parish with the task of building another new faith community.  The first worship space for Our Lady of the Assumption Parish was at the Chapel of Assumption High School.

Plans for a church, school, gymnasium, rectory and convent were created for Our Lady of the Assumption Parish.  The school, convent and rectory were the only structures completed.  The second worship space was located in the basement of the school and would become the home and inspiration of a faith community that would grow proud in its heritage.

After less than seventeen years after the dedication of the first church in the “barn”, the final worship space for St. Albert the Great was dedicated on May 5, 1968.  The new architectural style church that was round in shape with a dome would become a landmark in Southern Illinois.

Our faith communities were brought back together on June 22, 2003 as Holy Trinity Catholic Church.  Our faith community is the only Catholic Church in Fairview Heights and we are working to build a new parish home dedicated to continuing the Mission of Christ.

Continuing the Mission

The challenge in front of our parish community is constant.  We must adapt and deal with change. 

• Our city is growing with construction changing our landscape and neighborhoods.
• The spiritual guidance and presence of our priests continues to decline in numbers.
• We compete with public schools to offer competitive educational programs.
• The very core of our Catholic values is always challenged. 

Now we begin to build on our collective pasts.  The strength of many that have been guided by the Holy Spirit has forged what we can be thankful for today.  We will carry the sacrifices that built our parish community along with the fruits of our past to lay the next cornerstone for future generations to build upon.

Inspiration and Guidance

Our inspiration is to build a faith community unified by our collective pasts.  Our motivation and desire is to provide a complete parish community that has a church, parish center, gymnasium, school, and surrounding parish grounds conveniently located together that will be a new home to all.  Detailed and careful planning is providing the guidance to pursue the complete construction as one project.

To our benefit, all the revenues needed to fund this project do not have to come from fundraising efforts from within our parish community.  There are six revenue sources that will be used to fund our new parish home.  Four of these revenue sources make use of existing assets within our parish.  Each revenue source serves as a component to the overall funding and timely financing of this project.

The cost for the entire project is budgeted at eighteen million dollars ($18 million).  This cost includes all aspects of the construction and development: land, multiple buildings, site work, personal property (furnishings within the buildings), architect fees, interest expenses, studies, surveys, permits and legal fees.  The budgets for the revenue sources and project expenses are shown below. 

To Live in Hope and Love

The twenty-two and one-half acre (22.5 acres) parish campus has been created with one main purpose: “to be warm and inviting”.  The overall building curvature that connects the fourteen thousand square-foot (14, 000 ft.) church with seating for 1000 people, thirty-six thousand square-foot (36,000 sq. ft.) parish center and gymnasium are evidence of open arms inviting all people to a greater awareness of God’s abiding presence and His call to discipleship. A stunning outdoor plaza lined with trees and gardens will greet people making their way from the parking lot.  The walk through the plaza space will allow time for reflection and preparation before entering the main gathering space.  A curved, covered colonnade on the entire front of the church and parish center will provide shade and shelter. Drive-through porte-cocheres are provided for protected drop-off and pick-up. 

Once inside, the large open gathering space will seamlessly connect the Church, Parish Center and Gymnasium inspiring fellowship and conversation.  The parish center is composed of a large open multi-purpose space that can be sub-divided into smaller areas, kitchen, cafeteria and parish offices.  On the backside of the gymnasium and facing the school will be a space highlighted as a youth center. 

The single largest and one of the most important missions of our faith community is the education and teaching of Catholic values to our young.  The twenty-nine thousand five hundred square-foot (29,500 sq. ft.) school building is designed to be a focal point for Catholic education.  In addition to the normal classrooms, independent rooms will be available for computers, band/music, science and a library.  The spiritual essence of the parish school will be present in the center of the school building.  An open space or small courtyard will be used to express Catholic values.  The courtyard will be visible from within the school hallways as a reminder that a person is in a Catholic school.