At 211 Trinity Place, on a bend of the Intracoastal Waterway in downtown West Palm Beach, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church has been a steady presence for more than a century. The parish's motto of "Welcoming Saints & Sinners since 1897" says it simply: this is a congregation that takes the historic Christian faith seriously without taking itself too seriously, and that has opened its doors to the people of the Palm Beaches through booms, hurricanes and quiet years alike.
Welcoming Saints & Sinners Since 1897
Episcopal life in what is now West Palm Beach began with a row across the lake. In the winter of 1887-88, the Right Reverend E. Gardner Weed, Episcopal Bishop of Florida, traveled to the community then known as Palm Beach and conducted the first Episcopal service ever held in the area. Sensing what was coming, he purchased a piece of property on the barrier-island side and recruited the Reverend Joseph N. Mulford, rector of Christ Church in Troy, New York, to start a mission. Mulford arrived in January 1889, and within months the small wood-shingled church he helped found across the water became Bethesda-by-the-Sea.
By the early 1890s, Henry M. Flagler's campaign to develop Palm Beach as a winter resort had drawn a growing population to the mainland side of the lake. Episcopalians in West Palm Beach often met in one another's homes, and only during the months that Bethesda was open could they row or sail across to attend services. In the fall of 1894, Mulford began holding occasional services in West Palm Beach. Three years later, in 1897, Louis Fitz-James Hindry, a lay reader and the principal of the local school, began conducting the first regular Sunday services in a community building called the "Free Reading Room" on the lakefront, with about sixty resident members.
By 1898 the congregation had organized itself as a mission and taken the name Holy Trinity, and Hindry, by then in the ordained ministry, guided the building of the first small wood-shingled church in 1900 on land offered by Henry Flagler at a reduced price. On October 27, 1907, the Reverend H. Ashton Henry took charge, and on January 15, 1908, the date the parish still uses for its anniversary, the mission was admitted as a parish at the sixteenth convocation of the Missionary Jurisdiction of Southern Florida.
The current sanctuary dates to the early 1920s. Under the Reverend Lionel A. Wye, who became rector in 1916, the parish acquired the lakefront home of the J. R. Anthony family and moved the original church to a new location in June 1917. Work on the present church building began in 1923 and was completed in 1924; the first service was held there on February 24, 1924. The architect, L. Phillips Clarke of Harvey and Clarke, designed the building and later the parish hall (1929) and the new rectory and Sunday School rooms. His father hand-forged the chandeliers and the chains by which they hang. The marble altar and the original Skinner organ were gifts of parishioners, and craftsmen from Italy did the marble and mosaic work, bringing much of the material with them.
The land bust of 1926, the killer hurricane of September 1928, and the stock-market crash of 1929 brought hard years. The parish carried a heavy mortgage on the new building and at one point faced foreclosure. By 1938 the debt had been restructured, and on April 29, 1945, Bishop John D. Wing of the Diocese of South Florida formally consecrated the church before a packed congregation. The press called the consecration "the high point in the history of the Episcopal congregation in West Palm Beach." In the decades that followed, Holy Trinity helped found five other Episcopal congregations in the region: St. Andrew's in Lake Worth, St. George's in Riviera Beach, St. Mark's in Palm Beach Gardens, the Church of the Holy Spirit in West Palm Beach, and Grace Episcopal Church in West Palm Beach.
Three Sunday Services, Three Styles of Worship
Sunday brings three celebrations of the Holy Eucharist at Holy Trinity, each with its own feel.
At 7:30 a.m. the congregation gathers for Holy Eucharist, Rite I, the older Prayer Book service with the traditional language of "thee" and "thou." Many regulars find it a quiet, beautiful way to begin the week.
At 9 a.m. comes the principal Sunday service, Holy Eucharist, Rite II, with more contemporary English and the full Parish Choir. This service is livestreamed, and it is also the service around which the parish's life of formation is centered. Sunday school for children is held during the first half of the 9 a.m. service, and Children's Chapel takes place during the same window.
At 11 a.m. a second celebration of Holy Eucharist, Rite II, again with the full choir and contemporary language, serves those who prefer a later hour.
A Rhythm Through the Week
Worship at Holy Trinity is not limited to Sundays. On Tuesdays at 12:10 p.m., a brief twenty-minute service of Holy Communion offers a way to mark the middle of the workday. On Wednesdays at 6 p.m., Vespers, a thirty-minute service of Evening Prayer, gives the parish a pause to reflect in the middle of the week. On Thursdays at 10 a.m., Morning Prayer is followed by a Healing Service, a thirty-minute time of prayer with a particular focus on healing.
A Confident Voice: What Episcopalians Hold To
Holy Trinity states its faith in the historic creeds of the universal Church. The 7:30 a.m. service uses the Apostles' Creed; the later Sunday services use the fuller Nicene Creed, and both are recited in full. The parish also identifies with the Thirty-Nine Articles, the historic Anglican confession first adopted by the Church of England in the sixteenth century and brought to America. The Episcopal Church adopted a slightly modified form of the Articles in 1801. The Articles embody Holy Trinity's identity as both catholic and reformed.
The parish sums up its own core values in five words. Beautiful, because worship is to be marked by everything true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing and commendable (Philippians 4:8). Welcoming, because Christ welcomes all (Romans 15:7). Relevant, because the good news of great joy is for all people (Luke 2:10). Personal, because God calls each by name (Isaiah 43:1). And Fun, because the father in the parable of the prodigal son called for the fatted calf and a celebration (Luke 15:23-24).
Music That Fills the Sanctuary
Music is at the heart of Holy Trinity's worship. The Holy Trinity Parish Choir is a volunteer ensemble that provides choral and instrumental music for the 9 a.m. service and for feasts through the Church Year. The choir rehearses on Tuesday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. and on Sunday mornings at 9 a.m., with additional Saturday rehearsals before Christmas and Easter. Sight-reading and vocal skills are encouraged, and an audition is required.
The Partington Bell Choir rings a dozen handbells from twelve stations in the church, rehearsing on Monday evenings from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and playing at services through the year, with extra ringing during the holidays.
For younger singers, the Children's Music Program gathers during the 9 a.m. service for singing rooted in the seasons of the Church Year, often sharing their music in the liturgy. All three groups are led by Director of Music Mace Graham.
Lay Ministries That Shape the Liturgy
Holy Trinity's worship is carried by a deep bench of lay ministers. Acolytes, including many of the youth of the parish, serve at the altar as crucifer, torchbearer and in other roles. The Altar Guild cares for the sanctuary, sacred vessels, altar linens and vestments; teams serve two months at a time and gather each Friday morning at 9 a.m. to prepare for the following Sunday. The Flower Guild arranges altar flowers each Sunday of the Church Year (with a break during Lent) and welcomes new members without prior experience. Greeters welcome worshippers at the door, hand out bulletins and welcome packets, and host the parish's coffee hours. Readers proclaim the Scripture lessons and lead the Prayers of the People. Ushers distribute bulletins, take up the collection, and help direct the flow of Holy Communion.
Forming Young Disciples
Children are an integral part of the parish. Nursery care is available at every Sunday service for infants and toddlers. During the school year, Children's Chapel meets during the 9 a.m. service for elementary students, where they sing, learn and often share their music in the liturgy. Sunday school is held during the first half of that 9 a.m. service. Older youth serve as acolytes and contribute to the parish's worship in many ways. The director of youth and children's ministries, Matt Jammel, oversees this work, and a nursery ministry coordinator, Shannon Knowles, sees to the youngest members of the congregation.
Serving West Palm Beach
Holy Trinity takes seriously its call to the wider community. The parish identifies a monthly outreach project, rotating among local partners that serve the hungry, the unhoused and others in need in Palm Beach County. Members are encouraged to give of their time and talent through one or more of the parish's ministries, and the parish's pledge-based stewardship is built on the conviction that giving is an act of joy and faith.
Christmas on the Waterfront
Each December the parish hosts the Christmas Market at Trinity Place, a day of curated vendors, art, handmade goods, specialty foods, live music and a wine garden, set on the church's Flagler waterfront just across the bridge from Palm Beach. The market takes place at 211 Trinity Place, near the West Palm Beach Green Market, and volunteers are on hand to help vendors unload and set up.
Building the Next Century
Holy Trinity is preparing for its second century of ministry on its present site through a capital campaign titled "Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future." The plan calls for a new Parish Hall and Event Center, a new Christian Education Center, new spaces for music, worship and administration, and additional parking, all oriented to take advantage of the church's waterfront location. Pledges and gifts can be made through the parish's giving platform.
Finding Holy Trinity Downtown
The church sits on the lakefront in downtown West Palm Beach at 211 Trinity Place, just across the bridge from Palm Beach. Parking is in the on-campus lot, accessed from Tanglewood Court or Chase Street, with overflow in the Philip's Point parking garage just south of the church; ushers hand out QR-code exit tickets to worshippers on Sundays and holy days. The 9 a.m. Sunday service is livestreamed, and the parish welcomes visitors of every background and every stage of faith to "come and see" (John 1:46).