History

Our History

Since the establishment of Holy Trinity Parish on the western frontier more than 150 years ago, we have evolved and grown while remaining deep-rooted in our Catholic traditions and values. We are proud of our history and the generations of Holy Trinity School students past, present, and future. Click on the titles below; we have an interesting story to tell!

  • In 1947, Father Leo La Verne Davis and Father Ross, his associate, decided St. Mary Mission Parish needed a school. In 1948, the parish worked together and held an All Western Days festival. Similar to today’s Jamboree, the All Western Days carnival drew huge crowds. Father Ross had previously lived in Hollywood, and many celebrities, including Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Jimmy Durante, Dorothy Lamour, Ricardo Montalban, and Roddy MacDowell, came to entertain the crowds. The festival raised $21,000 in 1948 and over $100,000 in 1949.

    In 1950, land was purchased on Ballard Street for a church and school. Originally a convent, the present day preschool was built for the Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters who were charged with running the school. Later, a four-room school building was constructed, and the first class graduated from Holy Trinity in 1957.

    In the early 1950s, Father Edward Kookoszka spent much of his time collecting donations of lumber and equipment to expand the school. The sisters decorated the outside with flowers and held first communion services outdoors since there was no church yet.

    Groundbreaking for the current church was held in April of 1958. Students and their parents helped build the church, sawing wood and varnishing the floors. The school children donated the gate in front of the Sacred Heart altar and the church window depicting the Sacrament of the Sick with a shamrock.

    In 1959, during the height of the Baby Boom following World War II, school enrollment peaked at 561 students with seven sisters and three lay teachers. Father Ron Buchmiller was the first Holy Trinity student to enter the priesthood and was ordained by Bishop Maher at Holy Trinity Church on December 20, 1969.

    Today, Holy Trinity School continues to strive towards academic excellence while maintaining a strong foundation based on our Catholic faith.

  • The religious education of the Catholic children of El Cajon and the history of Holy Trinity Parish have roots in the earliest East County missions. Holy Trinity Parish grew out of Mission St. Mary, begun by Father Antonio Ubach from Manresa, Spain, who arrived in 1866 and traveled around his parish on horseback, caring for the Indians and settlers. His parish included present day El Cajon, downtown San Diego, Old Town, and the Indian villages extending to Riverside and Imperial Counties.

    After purchasing land on Ballard Street in 1950, the army barracks, where the hall is currently located, were converted to a church. In 1954, Bishop Buddy decided the Church would be called Church of the Most Holy Trinity. Groundbreaking for the current church was held in April of 1958.