History

When the first immigrants started settling in Minnesota, many people of Bohemian descent settled near the present Holy Trinity Church of Litomysl area (many from Litomysl, Czechoslovakia). The Litomysl community, a rural community, located ten miles south from Owatonna, started growing, and the people felt a need for a church. They had been meeting in family homes and had Mass or services whenever a priest could come to one of the homes.

In March 1878, a Certificate of Incorporation was signed before a notary public, under the title of Slovanik Bohemian Church, with the local schoolhouse as the place of worship. Later that year, a wooden church 28 by 40 feet, was erected on land donated by a member of the parish.

In 1884, a belfry was added, and a year later the name was changed to: The Church of the Most Holy Trinity.

In 1898, the parish got its first resident pastor, and one year later the parsonage was built near the church. A well kept-up parsonage remains at Litomysl today.

In 1930, many members began talking of the possibility of replacing the present wooden church with one made of stone. Some felt this was only a dream, and couldn't become a reality. In 1939, after much talk and planning, it was decided each family of the parish would donate 6 loads of field rock for building the present structure. A year later after the stone masons were hired, work on the new church began, with the men of the parish furnishing some labor.

In June 1941, dedication of the present 45 by 132 foot stone structure was held. Members of the parish felt very much like this structure was part of each and every one of them, with each of them having donated their own rock. Albert J. Rysavy and Elizabeth H. Klecker became the first couple to be married in the new church.

The parish continued to grow, and soon they felt a need for a parish school. A member of the parish donated land south of the church, to be site for construction of a new school. In October 1957, construction of St. Isidore School was started, and on September 2, 1958, ninety students started school there. There were eight grades and three School Sisters of Notre Dame staffed it. St. Isidore's School became the first parish school in the United States to be dedicated to St. Isidore, who is the patron saint of farmers.

The mission of St. Isidore's School was to create students who model Christ-centered behavior. St. Isidore's School worked with developing each student, making them models for the Catholic Church and the world around them. After nearly 60 years of Catholic education, St. Isidore School closed its doors at the end of the 2014-2015 school year. The decline in attendance over the past several years was the direct result of the closing. St. Isidore School was very near and dear to many people and it was sad to see it close. The thousands of students who have graduated from St. Isidore's School went on to other schools and become honor roll students, valedictorians, Homecoming and Snow King and Queens, and they have become very successful in life.

Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Litomysl had a resident priest until January of 1997. Currently, Fr. William Becker, resident pastor of St. Columbanus Church in Blooming Prairie, serves our parish.

Through the years, the Litomysl area that was originally of predominant Czech heritage, is now a community of varied ethnic heritage that blends well into a very active and social parish. This is evident in our annual Summer Festival, which is always held the last Sunday of July. The whole parish, young and old alike, help to make this event a big success.

Holy Trinity Church currently has 140 families. We are a growing parish with a caring spirit for one another. Each member of the parish feels the many crosses we each bear as they care very much for one another. We also hope the spirit of our ancestors who came from Litomysl, Czechoslovakia remains alive in us all, keeping a good Catholic community for all those among us.