Holy Trinity Parish in Richmond has been a place of worship for more than a century and a half. Immigrants from Germany and Bohemia built their lives, homes, and farms in the land around the tiny settlement of Richmond, which was laid out in 1840. The first bishop of Iowa, Mathias Loras, celebrated Mass in 1854 in the log cabin home of Joseph Baumgartner, a short distance east of the present church. Bishop Loras laid the cornerstone for the first church that year. In 1860, the first pastor, Fr. John Fenrich arrived. As more immigrants came, the need for a better place to worship became obvious. Construction began on the present Holy Trinity in 1868, and the first Mass was celebrated on January 25, 1874.
The Parish Life Center was completed in 2006 and provides the parish with large classrooms, a well-equipped kitchen and a beautiful, expansive hall used for receptions, diocesan meetings and retreats. Holy Trinity is ready for many more decades of service to its people.
