Holy Trinity was formed because of the desire of the Italian immigrants in Dunkirk to have their own parish with a priest that could provide the necessary pastoral counseling.  The Italians arriving in Dunkirk were at first scattered among several Catholic and Protestant churches.  Coming from Sicily and Southern Italy¹, a very predominate Catholic region, many of the early Italian immigrants in Dunkirk thought that any building with a cross on top was a Catholic church.  St. John's Lutheran Church, Zion Swedish Lutheran Church, First Baptist Church, and Grace Lutheran Church were commonly attended due to their proximity to Italian neighborhoods².  The Catholic institutions of Dunkirk were for the most part ethically specific.  These churches were St. John's (English), St. Mary's (Irish), St. Hyacinth and St. Hedwigs (both Polish), and Sacred Heart (German).

    One of the first to see the need for the unification of the Italians in Dunkirk was Father Giovanni Baldinelli, who was on the faculty at St. mary's Monastery.  He noticed that although there was a sizable number of Italians lliving in Dunkirk, attendence at St. Mary's was not changing.  He made a special attempt to encourage his countryman to attend St. Mary's.  Those that did attend, however, were segregated from the rest of the congregation, often moved by ushers to reserved Italian sections of the church.  Observing this, Father Baldninelli persuaded the pastor at St. Mary's to arrange a special mass with a sermon in Italian each Sunday at 7:00 am.

    Father Baldinelli was very much in favor of the assimilation of the Italian people into American culture.  He asked the Italians to realize that they were now in America and their children were going to grow up as Americans.  He was also an important force in motivating the Italian people of Dunkirk to take steps to organize their own parish.  He had become close friends with Joseph Serrone, a fruit and confectionery store owner, and encouraged him and his friends to organize a committee and approach the Bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo, Charles Colten.  Serrone, Concezio Novelli, Frank Carmello, and Sebastian Cirrito met with the Bishop early in 1908, and the Bishop agreed that they needed their own church³.

   Father Vincenzo Fragomeli was assigned to be the first pastor of the new church.  He was born and raised in Italy, but the early parishioners of the church were from Sicily and southern Italy.  Fragomeli had some difficulty with the Sicilian dialect, but he was a dedicated man and worked hard for the new parish.  He lived in the house of the pastor of St. Anthony's Church in Fredonia until an apartment in Dunkirk was found.  The congregation met in a store owned by Novelli at 84 E. Third Street^4,5.  Due to the lack of space in the store, masses moved across the street to the Sippel building.  Having found a place to worship, the Italians now sought to name their church.  Several meetings were held at the home of Rose Calli at 331 Leopard St.  Everyone wanted to name the church after their own patron saint, and no progress was made.  Finally Calli herself offered the suggestion "La Santissima Trinita" or "Holy Trinity", and it was agreed.

    On December 2, 1908, Serrone and Novelli (the first trustees), Father Fragomeli, Bishop Colten and other members of the Buffalo Diocese appeared before Thomas J. Walsh, Notary Public in Erie County, for the purpose of incorporating the parish.  At 9:00 am on Friday, December 4, 1908, the parish was recorded⁶.

    As Father Fragomeli continued to assist the growing new parish of 250 families.  Work was begun to find suitable land for the new church.  A parcel of land on the corner of Ruggles and Wright Streets was purchased form Joseph Reiger for $1500⁷.  Milton E. Beebe of Fredonia was the architect for the new building and Sebastian Cirrito were the general contractors⁸.

    Hundreds of happy parishioners and many representatives from all the Roman Catholic Churches in Dunkirk were on hand in October 1908, as Bishop Colten consecrated the corner stone of the new church.  The building was completed in June 1909 at a cost of $18,000 and officially dedicated by the bishop on Trinity Sunday.  Mass was celebrated although the church was not yet fully furnished.  The church was of brick construction and seated 500 people^9,10.

    Raising, furnishing, and maintained a church was no small task, especially for a group of immigrant wage earners.  Serrone and Novelli were in charge of the fund-raising committee.  Many Italians pledged what they could although many were of little means.  The country was still recovering from the depression of 1907, but the Italians not only paid for the building, but also stained glass windows, various statues, bells, alters, and various other furnishings for the church.  Father Fragomeli began showing Italian movies at the Dunkirk Opera House on Central Avenue to raise funds.

    In April of 1910 five acres of land on Franklin Avenue (formerly upper Railroad Avenue) for $1200.  This land was designated as the Holy Trinity Cemetery.  Lots of eight graves sold for $20, but little development of the cemetery occurred until 1918 when a mortuary chapel was constructed at a cost of $700¹¹.

    In 1911 Father Fragomeli, in poor physical condition, was allowed to return to Italy to recover.  he returned in january 1913 but was transferred to Niagara Falls.  Reverend Peter Santy was the new priest.  He lived in apartments until November 1914 when he purchased property on  Ruggles St. to be used as a rectory and hall.  He was educated in the US.  He believed the Italians should totally immerse themselves into the American culture.  Father Santy would not conduct services in Italian and there were many disagreements with him.  Some families decided to leave the church and attend St. Mary's.

    Rev. Charles O'Hara arrived in Dunkirk on July 11, 1917.  He faced the burden of a $26,000 debt, a congregation upset over the previous priest and worried now that their new priest was Irish.  Father O'Hara explained that he was educated in Rome and his Italian was very good.  He worked hard for the parishioners and for the development and growth of the church.  Some of his accomplishments included conducting a census of the congregation.  He acquired several nuns to conduct catechism classes and religious instruction classes were held at the church on Sunday afternoons.  Father O'Hara pressed many improvements to the church, including a new rectory hall, new electric fixtures, and new statues.  Father O'Hara worked diligently with and for the financially burdened church until his death in 1936¹².

    Through all the financial struggles and growing pains, it is a tribute to the Italians that Holy Trinity Church has survived and thrived in the Dunkirk Community as a source of inspiration and pride.  The church served to unity a common people and provided the foundation and support for Italians struggling to build a new life in this country.
 

Bibliography
Photo:  "The Exterior", Evening Observer; Lucy Taddio; October 14, 1883; p 10
1,4:  "Church Records Reviewed", Evening Observer; October 14, 1983; p 10
2,5,7,9,11,12:  "The History of Holy Trinity Church 1908-1983": pamphlet, church archives; Joseph  L. Parlato; 1983
3,6,8,10:  "History of Holy Trinity Church Dunkirk, New York"; pamphlet, church archives
"Church of the Holy Trinity", Evening Observer; June 8, 1908; p6
"Trinity Church Fair", Evening Observer; June 15, 1909; p5
 
 

Religious Developement