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1929
1994
Good Samaritan
Ethnicity: CroatianParish History
Holy Trinity was founded in 1929 as a Croatian ethnic parish. The roots of the parish go back to the influx of Croatians in the area to work in the local mills. As the number of immigrants grew, they organized to form a parish where they could worship in their native language. On February 23, 1929, they purchased a building from the local Baptist church. This church was dedicated on March 30, 1929. At first, the parish was attended from St. Veronica, but on August 1, 1929, a resident pastor was assigned to Holy Trinity.
Fund raising for a new church began in the 1940's. On June 25, 1950, the cornerstone for the new church was laid and on December 17 of that year the finished church was dedicated. The church was remodeled in 1952, 1955 and 1965.
As the growth of population to work in the mills at the beginning of the century led to the creation of the parish, the loss of industry and population near the end of the century led to its closing. By 1990, the population loss was severe enough to demand a consolidation of the Ambridge parishes. 1n 1994, five Ambridge parishes were consolidated. The new parish was named Good Samaritan. Holy Trinity church remained open at first, but as the century progressed, it became obvious that the new congregation could not support the number of church buildings they had. In 2001, the parish began a three year study to determine their needs. As a result of this study, the decision was made in 2004 to close Holy Trinity church. The final Mass in the church was celebrated on November 7, 2004.
Photos From the Diocesan Archive:
