By:Anne Marie Allocca
Holy Trinity celebrated its 60th anniversary Feb. 15.
Facompre and his wife, Charlotte, have been coming to Holy Trinity since 1937. The church was then still a mission parish of Trinity Church in Hewlett. Known as the historian of the church, Facompre documents many of the events celebrated by the church with photos and newspaper clippings. For 16 years the Facompres ran a Meals on Wheels program from the church, and they were named Parishioners of the Year two years ago.
Charlotte recalls coming to the church with her grandmother. She has seen many pastors pass through the doors, but won-t forget when the Rev. Brenda Overfield joined Holy Trinity in 1998. When we first heard we were getting a new priest, and they said Mother Brenda, I had trepidations, Charlotte said. But oh, what a difference she made. We love her. She-s wonderful. She had all our new stained glass windows put in. Each one was adopted by a family, because they are really expensive. It takes a woman to get things done.
Every Wednesday the seniors come for a service and then have breakfast together in the Parish Hall. If somebody doesn-t show up, they call and say, ÔAre you all right?- To me it-s like family, Charlotte said. I embrace them all.
Jean Naef, a member since 1957, agrees wholeheartedly. It-s a very friendly church, she said. I always feel at home here. I-ve been to other churches, and you don-t have the same feeling of welcome the way you do here at Holy Trinity. As a matter of fact, people have told me they come to this church because my husband, Fred, always welcomes them when they walk in the door. I was a Sunday school teacher here. It-s been so much a part of my life that it-s part of me. I feel so fortunate that at our age we have this wonderful fellowship with friends our age. I feel as though we-re blessed.
Eleanor Bayardi has been a parishioner for 52 years. She fondly recalls the Rev. Patric Hutton, who served from 1951 to 1955. Bayardi had moved to Valley Stream from New Jersey and wanted to baptize her daughter. A friend told her about the little church on Brooklyn Avenue. She knocked at the door of the rectory, and was told by Hutton-s wife that he-d had an appendectomy and was recuperating.
He said, ÔNo, no, wait a minute. I-ll be right there,- Bayardi recalled. And he baptized Yvonne and then later my daughter Helen. He was a lovely young man. Then he accepted the post at Holy Trinity in Missouri.
Hutton performed the wedding ceremony for Margaret Truman and E. Clifton Daniel, who married in April 1956.
Evelyn Hilbrandt Jacobs- memories are deeply rooted in Holy Trinity. Her mother, Emma, was married when the church was still a mission. She, her sister and brother were all married at Holy Trinity. Her brother, Edwin, served as a warden of the church and now is a vestry member.
I-ve been coming here since the first grade, in 1942, Jacobs said. My mom lived in Valley Stream at the time she met my father. His father belonged to the first fire department. There are so many memories: Father Williams performed my wedding, bringing my two children up in the church. [My daughter] Debra is very involved. She-s a clerk for the vestry, and she did the youth group for many years and was a Sunday school teacher.
Debra Jacobs notes that families come from Freeport, Bellmore, Franklin Square, Malverne and Lynbrook to be parishioners here. Everybody is involved, she said. When we have a fair, everybody pitches in. Everybody pitches in for parish workday. We-ve changed priests and still kept the people. It-s the people who make the church.
Celebrate good times!
To commemorate its anniversary, Holy Trinity will host several events throughout the year. In September, a dinner dance will be held in conjunction with the Welcome Home breakfast, an annual event marking the return to Sunday school. Former pastors and church members will be invited. There will also be a fair the first weekend in November. An anniversary journal is also planned, and possibly a picnic or a service on Lido Beach.
A brief history
In 1920, six families met in a firehouse on Corona Avenue before acquiring property on Brooklyn Avenue to form a mission parish so Valley Stream residents wouldn-t have to travel to Hewlett. In 1944, the small chapel became Holy Trinity Church, an independent parish, with the Rev. George Benson Cox as its inaugural rector. On March 13, 1960, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new school building, which opened that Sept. 11. Nine pastors have served the church, beginning with Cox. Since 1998, Mother Brenda Overfield has held the rector position.
