Holy Trinity Catholic Church

“Midnight Mass at a bowling alley?” you might ask. It’s not as strange as it sounds when you hear the story of Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Picture this: Minneapolis, 1944. World War II raged, casting a long shadow even here. Archbishop John Gregory Murray established the Holy Trinity parish, carving it out from the existing Holy Family parish. The young parish found a temporary home in the most unlikely of places: Lilac Lanes Bowling Alley. Can you imagine? Sunday school in the restaurant, the nursery in the powder room, and Father J. Wilson Brady himself, the founding pastor, waking up before dawn to tidy up after the Saturday night bowlers. The war eventually ended, restrictions eased, and by Christmas Eve 1944, a simple, one-story Holy Trinity Church held its first Midnight Mass. It wasn’t grand, but it was theirs, a beacon of faith in uncertain times. Over the years, Holy Trinity grew, adding a school and expanding its footprint. But sadly, like many urban churches, it faced dwindling numbers. In 2012, the Archdiocese made the difficult decision to close its doors, merging it with Our Lady of Grace in Edina. Today, Holy Trinity is gone, replaced by the Wooddale Flats condos. The building may be gone, but the spirit of those early parishioners, attending Mass in a bowling alley, their faith unshaken, that’s a story worth remembering.