Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend
The congregation met initially in a National Guard Armory building until Kubinyi raised the funds to erect a prefabricated church structure made by the Mershon and Morley Company of Saginaw, Michigan. The building, located at West Colfax Avenue and Elm Street, was dedicated by Bishop White on Christmas Eve, 1914. The congregation remained poor, however, and Bishop White supplied it with candlesticks, vestments, and a chalice. Many of the congregation were without jobs and had no money to support either the church or themselves. During the severe winter of 1914-15, Mary May White of St. James, South Bend, helped raise money for food, while a wealthy philanthropist in Indianapolis donated money for Christmas gifts for the children. The church building later caught fire.
Against the backdrop of this hardscrabble beginning, fissures developed by 1918 between White and Kubinyi, and the priest resigned. Kubinyi then denounced the ministry of the Episcopal Church in a public document, leaving some members understandably demoralized. White wrote to the Rev. Edwin E. Smith, asking that he take charge of the mission. A bachelor and late vocational priest, Smith maintained the services of the church ably into the 1920s. He organized large dinner-dances with Hungarian food as local fundraisers. He could not speak Hungarian, so the services were led in English with the hymns in Hungarian.
In 1938, Bishop Campbell Gray appointed the Rev. Harold G. Kappes as the new vicar. Although not a Hungarian, Kappes worked hard to learn the language, and he inaugurated a Grape Harvest Festival, which included dances in traditional dress. The church building had fallen into disrepair by this date and was condemned by the city. A new building campaign was launched in 1940, but post-war inflation left only enough to build a church edifice without a rectory or parish hall. Ground was broken for the new building at the corner of Prast Boulevard and North Olive Street on 11 July 1948, and in October, the cornerstone was laid by Bishop Mallett after the congregation had marched ceremonially from the old church. The building has an A-frame design, inspired by the abbey church at Three Rivers, Michigan, where Kappes had studied for his vocation. The new building was dedicated at Easter, 1950.
In 1955, for unknown reasons, Bishop Mallett removed Kappes abruptly as vicar. He was replaced by the Rev. James Halfhil, who served until 1961 when he was forced to resign for reasons of health. His successor, the Rev. James Moore, served until 1968 when he left after domestic issues. The Rev. William Hibbert arrived and had a successful ministry, during which he worked with youth and chartered a Boy Scouts troop, earning him recognition for his efforts from the Presiding Bishop. In 1970, the mission was admitted formally as a parish and the following year was renamed the Church of the Holy Trinity. Hibbert served until 1984 before leaving for Indianapolis. The Rev. Bradley McCormick served as interim rector until the election of the Rev. Jack Bliven in 1985. Lay ministry expanded and new windows were installed before Bliven was forced to resign on account of poor health in 1989. He died a year later.
The Rev. Paul Bradshaw served as interim until the Rev. Tina Velthuizen was called as rector in 1991. She was the first female priest to serve in the diocese and arrived as a result of the parishioners petitioning Bishop Gray specifically for a woman priest. Gray had initially said he would only approve a woman priest if she were raised up in the diocese, but he decided to change that policy and approved Velthuizen, who came from the Diocese of Western Michigan. A few parishioners left the parish on her arrival, but many returned and accepted her ministry after getting to know her. She would prove a popular priest. During her rectorate, the parish created a community garden. After suffering from a long illness, she announced her retirement in 2014.
The parish was last led by the Rev. Terri Bays, who also served the diocese as Missioner for Transitions and Governance. In September 2022, the parish voted to close.
Clergy:
Victor Alexander von Kubinyi, 1913-1918
Edwin Ellsworth Smith, 1919-1939
Harold George Kappes, 1939-1956
James Halphill, 1956-1960
Reginald Mallett II, 1961-1963
James G. Greer, 1963-1968
William Chattin Hibbert, 1968-1984
J. Bradley McCormick, 1984
Jack C. Bliven, 1984-1989
Paul Bradshaw, 1990
Teunis "Tina" Velthuizen, 1991-2014
Terri Bays, 2014-2022
This page references:
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, exterior, 1970s
- Bishop John Hazen White letter to Rev. Edwin Smith, 1918
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, Bishop Little with Rev. Terri Bays and Rev. Tina Velthuizen, 21 Jan 2014
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, outdoor music with Brian Grantz, Joe Scheff, and Steve Richards, Sep 2015
- Rev. William Hibbert, rector of Holy Trinity, South Bend, and Trinity Logansport portrait 1
- Holy Trinity, South Bend, interior, 1980s
- Trinity Hungarian Mission Harvest Festival dancers ca 1940
- Rev. Paul Bradshaw, Holy Trinity South Bend
- Rev. William Hibbert, Holy Trinity, South Bend, portrait 3
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, Bishop Little and Tina Velthuizen, 14 Oct. 2012
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, exterior, 2000s
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, Bishop Sparks visitation with unidentified, 17 March 2019
- Holy Trinity South Bend interior, 1950s
- Holy Trinity, South Bend, vestry meeting with Fr. Jack Bliven, 1980s
- Trinity Hungarian Mission Harvest Festival dancers ca 1940
- Rev. Jack Bliven Baptizing Child, Holy Trinity South Bend
- Newspaper clipping, Holy Trinity South Bend, Altar of Repose
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, Bishop Little, confirmands, Tina Velthuizen, 14 Oct 2012
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, exterior, 1960s
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, parish group with Bishop Sparks and Terri Bays, 2018
- Trinity Hungarian Mission interior, 1930s
- Holy Trinity, South Bend, Blessed Virgin statue, 1980s
- Trinity Hungarian Mission Harvest Festival dancers ca 1940
- Holy Trinity South Bend collage of photos Shaping God's Children
- Newspaper clipping, Holy Trinity South Bend, Rev. Edwin Smith
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, Bishop Little and Tina Velthuizen, 12 Feb. 2013
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, exterior, 1950s
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, congegation 22 Oct 2017 with Bishop Sparks and Terri Bays,
- Trinity Hungarian Mission shrine
- Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, South Bend, exterior, 1968
- Trinity Hungarian Mission Harvest Festival dancers 1941
- Trinity Hungarian Mission Communicants
- Newspaper clipping, Holy Trinity South Bend, 1957
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, Rev. Tina Velthuizen and Bishop Little, 26 May 2013
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, Bishop Little preaching outdoors
- Trinity Hungarian Mission procession to new church 1948
- Holy Trinity Church, South Bend, 1966, exterior
- Rev. Tina Velthuizen
- Trinity Hungarian Mission Communicants 1940s with Rev. Harold Kappes
- Trinity Hungarian Mission, South Bend, 1915, exterior
- Trinity Hungarian Mission procession to new church 1948
- Rev. Tina Velthuizen with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jeffords Schori
- Boy Scouts at Holy Trinity, South Bend 1970s
- Holy Trinity, South Bend, exterior, side view, 1960s
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, Bishop Little and Terri Bays, 12 Oct 2014
- Trinity Hungarian Mission, South Bend, 1915, Women's Auxiliary
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, Bishop Little and Terri Bays outdoors, Sep 2015
- Trinity Hungarian Mission with Fr. Edwin Smith and Bishop Campbell Gray and Communicants 1920s
- Rev. Victor von Kubinyi portrait, Holy Trinity, South Bend
- Presiding Bishop Katharine Jeffords Schori with Group of Holy Trinity South Bend Parishioners
- Bishop William Sheridan with Quilt, Holy Trinity South Bend
- Holy Trinity, South Bend, interior, 1960s
- Bishop Reginald Mallett Laying the Cornerstone of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, South Bend, October 11, 1948
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, exterior, 2 Oct 2014
- Trinity Hungarian Mission, South Bend, 1915, Sunday School
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, exterior, 4 Oct 2015
- Trinity Hungarian Mission Harvest Festival ca 1940
- Trinity Hungarian Mission crucifer at Harvest Festival ca 1940
- Rev. Jack Bliven, Holy Trinity South Bend
- Rev. William Hibbert, Holy Trinity, South Bend, portrait 2
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, Rev. Tina Velthuizen and Bishop Francis Gray, 29 Sep. 2011
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, procession, 2000s
- Church of the Holy Trinity, South Bend, Bishop Sparks visitation with Terri Bays, 17 Mar 2019
- Trinity Hungarian Mission, South Bend, 1915, Rev. Victor von Kubinyi and Other Leaders
- Holy Trinity, South Bend, exterior, 1980s