Diocesan News

Corpus Christi Sunday (June 11, 2023) launches the parish phase and there are many resources available to help local communities and individuals cooperate with the Holy Spirit and deepen our encounters with Jesus as we receive, adore, celebrate, and live the transformative power of his Real Presence.

Last year’s event saw over 50 boats of all sizes and types participate.

The group followed a truck carrying a statue of Mary adorned with flowers.

The event draws those who minister in Maine’s jails and prisons, others who minister to those returning to society, individuals who support families of incarcerated persons, and people who wish to discover ways in which they can help the ministry and learn about the various aspects that flow from Jesus’ call to visit the imprisoned.

The four-day summer camp will feature faith, music, and movement and is especially designed for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers as well as their caregivers. All are welcome.

Bishop Deeley will celebrate the Mass at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland.

From games to delicious food to a crowd that was double the size of expectations, the 2023 Holy Spirit Family Fest, held in the parking lot of St. Mary Church in Wells, exceeded the wildest of expectations on Sunday, May 21.

Bishop Robert Deeley and nine priests of the diocese were honored for their years of priestly ministry during the Jubilarian Mass celebrated at Holy Redeemer Church in Bar Harbor.

“Coming to our group can maybe put them at ease.”

In addition to welcoming the faithful to hundreds of Masses offered in parish churches each day, priests also make time to journey to those who cannot come to them for the celebration of Mass, including those living in nursing homes.

Fr. Richard Rice will lead a special healing service at St. Patrick Church, located on 380 Academy Hill Road in Newcastle, on Sunday, June 11, at 1:30 p.m. All are welcome to gather at the service, which will also include prayer teams to assist those in need.

Youngsters will become anchored in the knowledge that Christ guides them through life’s storms, discover why we need to care for our common home, take a Bible blast to the past, and go on other adventures during Vacation Bible Schools and Totus Tuus offered at parishes around Maine this summer.

The conference aims to offer confidence for participants to engage seekers, ways for parishes to make their catechumenate ministry a source of joy and not stress, proven pillars of creating “intentional disciples,” and practical actions parishes can take to make themselves “communities of calling forth disciples.”

With a capacity for around 200 people and its beautiful location, the chapel is a popular site for residents, summer visitors, and those getting married, and remains open through Labor Day Weekend.

Mizpah is a non-profit organization that is open to the general public, free of charge. The retreat features 15 buildings, beautiful viewing sites, and nature walks through trails winding through 109 acres.

The Silver & Gold Anniversary Mass is a celebration of the gift of Christian marriage, that relationship of a man and a woman, husband and wife, which gives rise to new life.

The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord occurs 40 days after Christ's resurrection. It is the important, final piece of the Paschal Mystery, which began with Christ's Passion and death. Because Christ ascended, we, as members of the body of Christ, also look forward to ascending into heaven after our bodily resurrection.

Faith formation children honored the Blessed Mother by crowning a statue of her with a wreath of flowers.

In an effort to help the women served by Mother Seton House in Fryeburg, St. Maximilian Kolbe Church in Scarborough and St. Hyacinth Church in Westbrook are holding a pair of special fundraisers in the coming weeks.

The Baccalaureate Mass and Saturday’s Commencement, as well as the nursing pinning ceremony (Friday at 2:30 p.m.), will all be livestreamed for those who cannot attend.

In an effort to help local women and families in need, Parish of the Resurrection of the Lord will hold a personal care items drive at churches in Old Town, Bradley, and Indian Island on Mother’s Day Weekend (May 13-14).

Sister Judy has been the leader of the Maine sector of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyon since 2017, but her time as a Sister began 39 years ago.

Bishop Robert Deeley has announced seven priest assignments and two priest retirements, all effective on July 5, 2023.

Children from the Parish of the Holy Eucharist's faith formation program crowned a statue of Mary, which was then carried in procession outside Holy Martyrs of North America Church.

From raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase ultrasounds for pregnancy centers across Maine to holding collections to support future mothers in need, parishioners at Maine Catholic churches have a long history of offering assistance to new and expecting moms.

The seminars provide information about planning a Catholic funeral, details on Catholic cemeteries in Maine, Church teaching on cremation, and the many benefits of pre-planning.

A presentation that aims to help people become effective agents of compassion and to speak mercy, empathy, and love to post-abortive men and women is set for Lewiston on Saturday, May 13.

Launched in October, the capital campaign has already raised over $105,000 to fund several necessary building improvements at the parish.

A celebratory brunch is held in Wells to recognize and thank the Good Shepherd Sisters of Quebec for more than a century of service to the people of Maine.

Father Kevin Upham led a Blessing of the Tools and Equipment prayer service at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Anyone who uses tools, equipment, and other implements or utensils in their work were encouraged to bring a tool of their trade to the service for blessing.

Bishop Deeley invites teenagers and adults from around Maine who already have been baptized in the Catholic Church to receive the sacrament of confirmation at either of two different Masses.

In celebration of 100 years of life and ministry on Peaks Island, the St. Christopher centennial is being marked and commemorated in a number of ways with joyful reverence and an eye to the future. 

Events are scheduled from Kittery to Fort Kent, and all are welcome.

For centuries, the month of May has been dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. During this month, Christians offer up to Mary from their hearts an especially loving homage of prayer and veneration. We turn to Mary in prayer because she helps us to say “yes” to God in our daily lives.

The congress is part of the National Eucharistic Revival, a movement to restore understanding and devotion to the great mystery of faith and the source and summit of that faith: the Eucharist.

Participants grew deeper in their knowledge of the Eucharist while building community, making new friends, and sharing about their own faith journeys.

The doors opened at the St. Bridget Center in 2018 and has since been a home for charitable initiatives like “Sew for a Cause,” weekly community cribbage on Thursday nights, and wedding receptions, graduation parties, and other special events to offset maintenance costs.

St. Joseph is the patron of many things, including carpenters, craftsmen, engineers, and workers in general.

The motto of “Making Music, Praying Twice” at Holy Martyrs Church in Falmouth serves as an invitation for parents, grandparents, and children who seek the experience of integrating music, prayer, and Catholic culture into daily family life.

Parishioners at St. John Paul II Parish (St. Maximilian Kolbe Church, Scarborough; Holy Cross Church, South Portland; St. Bartholomew Church, Cape Elizabeth) set out to help neighbors in need during Lent and help them they did.

The center, located on 10 Evans Road, has offered spiritual nurturance to guests from across the country and world through programs, days of recollection, preached and directed retreats, and other interdenominational groups. Multiple factors led to the difficult and heartbreaking decision.

Anyone who uses tools, equipment, and other implements or utensils in their work are encouraged to gather for this grace-filled benediction.