HOLY TRINITY PARISH HISTORY
1964 to 2006
It was not until January of 1964 that Fr. James Knelleken was assigned as the first pastor of Holy Trinity. In February of the same year, with the assistance of the staff of Star of the Sea Parish, the celebration of masses began at the Sheridan Park gymnasium. The new parish numbered about 600 families living on the eastside of the Washington Narrows.
Work parties composed of parishioners readied a small five-room house and business office for Fr. Knelleken. While Sheridan Center provided facilities for Sunday masses, the need for a place to celebrate daily mass and the sacraments of Reconciliation and Baptism called for a chapel which was constructed adjacent to the parish rectory by the parishioners. In August of that same year, a Building Campaign was begun to raise the needed capital for a parish plant that included a temporary church, social hall, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) facilities, a new rectory, and parish offices. The estimated cost was $500,000 and the goal for the campaign was $160,000. The goal was reached and surpassed by the tremendous personal sacrifice and perseverance of the parishioners, contributions from the Young Ladies Institute (YLI), the area Knights of Columbus, the proceeds of parish sponsored Buyer Bargain Days,? campaign pledges, and Sunday collection contributions.
Increased attendance at Sunday masses precipitated the need for the sacramental ministry of an additional priest to provide pastoral care. Assistance was rendered by the Jesuit priests of the Society of Jesus of Manresa Hall in Port Townsend.
The collection of campaign pledges and the finalization of building plans culminated in the groundbreaking ceremonies on August 20, 1967. This auspicious occasion was made especially memorable and historic by the presentation of a generous check for $100,000 by Monsignor Camerman on behalf of Star of the Sea, our mother parish in west Bremerton.
By June of 1968, with the work on the parish facilities nearing completion, it was announced that Fr. Knelleken had been named to direct a mission project in Latin America. Fr. Edward Boyle succeeded him as pastor and the first pastoral associate was also assigned to Holy Trinity. The joyous and long anticipated formal dedication of the church, with Archbishop Connolly presiding, took place on August 25, 1968.
With the completion of the building project the community was now able to channel and redirect its energy and commitment from its physical needs to the spiritual building up of the Body of Christ. The task was made both exciting and challenging as local faith communities began to embrace and implement the changes brought about by the Second Vatican Council. This watershed event in the history of the Church was to shape and renew the foundation of the religious life of Catholics, update the Church's teaching, discipline and organization, while at the same time striving toward the unity of all Christians. During this period of unprecedented upheaval and evolution in the Church and its developing understanding of the importance of the mission and ministry of the laity and their identity as the People of God, Fr. Joseph Erny was named as pastor in 1976.
The ensuing years marked a time of burgeoning opportunity for both volunteer and professional lay ministry in the Church. Lay men and women came to recognize more and more that their celebration of the sacraments of initiation, Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist, gave then not only rights as members of the Church, but also the responsibility to share in the mission and ministry of Jesus. In addition to the active participation of the parishioners in the catechetical, sacramental, and liturgical life and ministries of the parish, Holy Trinity also hired the first youth minister on the KitsapPeninsula. With this step, the importance of the formation and education of our youth was established as an ongoing priority. Parishioners also assumed increasing leadership roles and responsibilities on parish consultative bodies. Outreach ministries to the poor and the needy in and outside the parish grew in importance during these years and remain central to the life and ministry of the parish. Besides the formation of a Social Justice Committee, the parish also made commitments to sponsor two sister parishes, one in the Philippines and the other at St. Joachim's, the Lummi Indian parish in Ferndale, Washington.
In 1989 Holy Trinity commemorated its 25th anniversary with an all-parish mass and celebration in the Kitsap Pavilion. We were pleased to be able to share the event with Archbishop Thomas Murphy, former parishioners and priests and deacons who had served our community in its formative years. Shortly thereafter a long needed renovation and expansion of the parish office and the completion of a new weekday chapel to accommodate our growing community was completed. In the summer of 1990, Fr. Erny accepted the pastorate of St. Cecelia Parish on Bainbridge Island. Three months later he lost a lengthy and valiant battle with cancer and succumbed to the disease while on a cross-country trip to visit his family in Pennsylvania. His funeral was celebrated here at Holy Trinity among the people that he served for fourteen years. Our weekday chapel is named in his honor. It was Fr. Erny who designed and created the artful and beautiful stained glass windows that grace our chapel. They are a testament to his love and devotion to our parish.
Fr. Jack Buckalew became the pastor of Holy Trinity in July of 1990. He began his work here with an already special connection to the people of Holy Trinity. For nine years he had been the pastor of St. Joachim's Parish, the Lummi Indian community supported in part by the generosity of Holy Trinity's children's collection. In the fifteen plus years of his priestly ministry among us Holy Trinity has continued to grow in size, in commitment to nurturing the life of faith and discipleship, in the establishment of new outreach ministries, and in the recognition and affirmation of the abilities and ministerial gifts of the men and women, young adults, teens and children of the community.
The parish has been enriched by many adult faith formation opportunities like parish missions, offered at least once a year, evenings of reflection and mini-retreat days, workshops, and ongoing bible studies, women's faith sharing groups and scripture sharing classes. Another opportunity for faith development and spiritual growth is an active Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) process. Participants include those who wish to become Catholics, and those who are already Catholic who need to complete the sacraments of Christian initiation or who simply desire to strengthen their relationship with the Lord and deepen their faith.
Our children, teens and young adults have also benefited from the sacramental preparation, catechetical, spiritual, and fellowship programs and opportunities provided for them. In the summer of 1993 many members of our youth group traveled to Denver to participate in World Youth Day with young people from all over the world. The event was an especially momentous one because of the presence of Pope John Paul II. The hearts of many young people were blessed through that experience. Many of our young people regularly participate in youth group activities, retreat experiences, social and community building events, and the newly formed Young Adults Group for those between eighteen and thirty-something. Advent Family Sunday and summer Vacation Bible School for preschool and elementary school age children have also been successful and fun activities for our youngsters and families. Newly added children's and youth choirs have become an opportunity for our children to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist in an integral way and to serve in an important liturgical ministry.
In June of 1992, the momentous occasion of the retiring of the parish debt? was celebrated with much joy and fanfare with a special all-parish liturgy and social gathering and the ceremonial burning of the mortgage. Once again, Archbishop Murphy was with us to share in the festivities, as well as previous associate pastors, parochial victors, and parishioners. Two years later, in 1994, we were again faced with the prospect and the necessity of fundraising for the replacement of the holey? roofs on all parish buildings and to initiate necessary repairs and upgrading of our aging
facilities. The Capital Fund Drive effort was wholeheartedly embraced by our parishioners and funds in excess of $550,000 were pledged. The six-year effort of making and paying off pledges was brought to a successful conclusion in June of 1999. Once again the generosity of our parishioners was demonstrated. Their contributions have been memorialized on a donor board displayed in the church.
In that same month the parishioners gathered to celebrate the special occasion of Fr. Jack's 25th anniversary of priestly ordination on June 1st. The event was truly a celebration of thanksgiving and joy as Fr. Jack welcomed family, brother priests, parishioners and friends from previous parishes in which he has served over the years. It was a gathering that will long be remembered as mountains of food and fellowship were shared, as well as memories, anecdotes, stories, and events from Fr. Jack's growing up years and years of priestly ministry. In the year 2004 parishioners joined together once again to congratulate and wish Fr. Jack well as he celebrated the anniversary of thirty years of priestly ministry and service to the People of God.
In the year 2000, the parish hired a part-time Pastoral Assistant for Outreach Ministry to coordinate an ever-increasing need for pastoral care services to the sick, to our seniors and to those needing to avail themselves of the Church's annulment process to bring healing to broken marital relationships. The Outreach Minister also took on the responsibility of coordinating hospitality to newcomers to the parish, helping them to make connections with, or to become involved in the various ministries, organizations, services and resources of the parish. Our annual Ministry Expo, special events for all parish ministers like our Ministry Appreciation Luncheon and recently initiated quarterly Newcomer's Dinners have proved invaluable in the effectiveness of outreach ministry to our parish family.
The parish's long tradition of supplying the needs of others has also been enhanced through our Stephen Ministry program which was in place for many years. Trained lay ministers assisted the Pastor in providing care, comfort and support to parishioners experiencing life crises and problems by walking with them in their time of need. And while the formal Stephen Ministry Program is not presently active in the community, the need for ongoing care for the sick, hospitalized, homebound and confined members of our parish family and for those experiencing the loss of a loved one, continues to be met by a cadre of dedicated, compassionate and empathetic Eucharistic Ministers and by a newly formed group of grief ministers who offer the gift of their presence and the healing power of the Eucharist to our fellow parishioners.
The year 2003 brought a tremendous opportunity for Holy Trinity to reach out into the wider community and meet a pressing need to feed, shelter and clothe homeless men in Kitsap County. In collaboration with Catholic Community Services, our Social Justice Commission and other church communities, Holy Trinity became one of a number of sites for the fledgling HOST (Homeless Outreach Shelter Team) program to assist in this work of caring for our neighbor in need. While the parish has provided temporary housing for a month in our facilities in 2003 and 2004, it is our parishioners who have worked tirelessly to provide daily lunches, homemade dinners, snacks, friendship and a helping hand to men who would otherwise have had no where to go in the cold summer months. But the shelter and warmth of our buildings has been eclipsed by the warmth of the generous response of our parish family. Under the leadership and hard work of Catholic Community Services and with the efforts of many individuals, church communities and civic leaders in the county, the dream of providing housing for homeless men will be realized with the anticipated opening of Benedict House next year.
Almost ten years ago, a Greeter Ministry was added to our roster of liturgical ministries to provide hospitality and to welcome all who gather together for our weekend, holy day and seasonal celebrations of the Church year. The presence of our greeters outside the entrances to the church, even in frigid conditions, has helped to assure both our regular parishioners and all visitors that their presence with us is important and that we would miss them if they were not here to worship with us. Several hundred parishioners, including families, now serve enthusiastically as greeters and many a toddler, pre-schooler and grade schooler is already learning the value and the necessity of being involved in parish life. In all these ways Holy Trinity continues to strive to be the caring Christian community that God calls us to be.
One of the great strengths and gifts of our parish community has been its ethnic and cultural diversity. At least one third of our members are of Pacific Asian Islander descent. Many others come from other countries around the world. The richness of these many heritages has been celebrated by the parish in liturgy, in the remembrance of special feast days and patron saints and in fiestas and festivals. For twenty years our Chamorro community has invited us to share in the annual celebration of Santa Marian Kamalen (Our Lady of Guam), the patroness of the island of Guam and of the Marianas Islands. We have come to savor the hospitality, great food and kindness of the people of Guam in the sumptuous table that they set for us each year. And in the last five years, our Filipino brothers and sisters have enthusiastically shared with us their treasured tradition of Sim Bang Gabi, a nine day novena of masses celebrated before Christmas to herald the coming of Christ. The mass has been followed by an array of Filipino food, the music and dancing of their native land, and many Christmas well wishes. We have also come to know of their special devotion to San Lorenzo Ruiz, one of the favorite patron saints of the Philippines, celebrated each year with mass and what else? You've guessed it, more food and drink!
Another area of growing ministry and service in the local Church community and in our deanery is to our brothers and sisters in faith of Hispanic descent and heritage. Beginning in September of 2005 we added a Spanish mass to our weekend schedule of Eucharistic services. We now join other Catholic communities all over our diocese in offering the opportunity for worship, for the celebration of, and preparation for sacraments, for faith formation for children and adults and for the celebration of special religious feasts for the growing Latino population in our area. In December of 2005 we, for the first time as a parish community, hosted the midnight mass and fiesta for all the parishes of the Olympic Deanery to honor Mary under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of Mexico and Central America. We trust that our parish will continue to be a place of welcome that affirms our Hispanic parishioners and that includes them fully in our community life and worship, even as they bless our life with their gifts, talents and culture.
Holy Trinity has grown from its humble beginnings as a country? parish of 600 families to a suburban faith community of over 1600 families. The spiritual and temporal needs of the parish are served by a large and active staff and by the dedication and caring of many parishioners and dedicated disciples who continue to give of themselves in a myriad of ways to build up the Body of Christ in this community of the Church. Their ongoing generosity and service promotes and reinforces the vitality, strength, and spirituality of our shared life together as a faith community. The professional staff, which currently serves the needs of the community, includes the pastor, part-time deacon, administrator, pastoral associate, and pastoral assistants for faith formation, youth ministry, outreach and music. In addition, parish office and faith formation office secretaries, bookkeeper, sacristan, housekeeper, cook, custodian, and facilities/maintenance groundskeeper also provide for the day-to-day responsibilities of maintaining our large parish.
As we look to the years ahead, our growing family that is busting out at the seams,? presents us with the challenge of visioning a renovation of our facilities and possible new construction. The parish Dream Team,? composed of the Pastor and a number of parishioners, has taken on the daunting task of providing a vision and overseeing all the practical details of a long-term, proposed three-phase remodel and comprehensive construction plan. Phase One would include remodeling the rectory and chapel, providing additional staff office and storage space and potentially building a new wing to house additional classrooms and a music room. Phase Two would include the building of a new parish hall and kitchen and much farther into the future, Phase Three would consist of the renovation of the existing church building to provide a much needed, larger worship space or the possible construction of a new church. The dream is only in its incipient stages of development and there is still a great deal of study and work to be done before a viable proposal can be made to the parish at large.
In 2004 the parish celebrated its fortieth anniversary at a special gathering in the social hall. Our charter members were acknowledged at the 5:00pm mass for their dedication and commitment to the parish and for all the work they did as a labor of love to build, not only the parish church and buildings, but also a community and faith family. We are grateful for the generosity of the many parishioners and clergy who have served us over these many years and who add to the color, texture and richness of the tapestry that is the life of Holy Trinity. We remember with deep appreciation and pride the contributions of those of our parish family who have gone before us in faith and are now numbered in that great and vast communion of saints. As we recount and reflect on the forty-one year history of our parish, we do so with a deep sense of gratitude for the graciousness and unconditional love and care of God who has blessed us richly with every good gift and abundant blessings beyond what we could ask or imagine. May God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit continue to bless, keep, lead and guide all of us as we live, work, pray, play and journey together toward the realization of God's kingdom here in our midst.
