Diocesan News

In an effort to offer support and comfort to community members coping with the loss of a loved one, Good Shepherd Parish in Saco conducts a grieving ministry to walk alongside individuals needing guidance through one of life’s most difficult experiences.

The retreat was entitled “Men Need the Eucharist” and was presented by the priests of Prince of Peace Parish.

It is a day that holds special significance in the Diocese of Portland because St. Patrick, along with St. Jean Baptiste, is a secondary patron of the Diocese of Portland, chosen because French missionaries and, later, French and Irish immigrants brought the Catholic faith to Maine and helped it take root and grow.

Young people collected money at several Maine parishes with all donations going to local charities that help tackle hunger.

At all Masses on Ash Wednesday, a special collection will be taken up to jointly benefit the Church in Central and Eastern Europe and the Solidarity Fund for Africa.

Registration is being done through the national organizing committee, and Bishop Deeley was able to reserve a limited number of discounted passes for purchase by Maine Catholics.

During a healing service, participants remain open to the Holy Spirit and invite Him into their hearts in order for healing to take place.

“We join with others for the unity of neighbor with neighbor and neighbor with God.”

Parishioners share memories and look to the future as they celebrate together for the final time at Notre Dame de Lourdes Church.

The social justice and peace commission at St. Joseph Parish in Bridgton is sponsoring a chocolate tasting event featuring Equal Exchange Fair-Trade chocolate at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Fryeburg.

This month, St. Mary of the Visitation Parish in Houlton and St. Brendan the Navigator Parish in Camden are holding baby bottle drives to provide practical help and support for women and men served at local pregnancy care centers.

Those who can assist are asked to bring hats, mittens, scarves, socks, and t-shirts, in adult and children’s sizes, to any of the three locations and hang them on the clotheslines.

Ordained to the priesthood in 2006, Fr. Justin has served as a college chaplain, parish priest, and school principal.

All engaged couples getting ready for marriage are encouraged to participate.

The “Love Our Library” campaign at the school begins on February 1 and will run through the month, offering several ways for the community to help keep the Kathleen A. Wittmer Memorial Library at Holy Cross flourishing.

Prayer shawls have been made for centuries to offer physical and spiritual warmth and serve as a tangible reminder of God’s care, encouragement, and inspiration.

The cuddly teddy bears are donated by members of the community, and children are invited to send one to any person they know to be ill and in need, regardless of whether the person is Catholic or even from Maine.

The event serves as a moment to celebrate the gift of consecrated life by thanking women religious in the diocese, all of whom are being invited to attend.

It’s a family friendly event, with people of all ages encouraged to attend.

Women of any faith or no faith are welcome to receive support and assistance.

“9 Days for Life” will run from Thursday, January 19, through Friday, January 27, and is a novena for the protection of life. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life.

Students at St. Brigid School in Portland will participate in a special three-day music residence with professional Gospel singer and The Voice contender Delvin Choice on January 23-25.

The bishop visited each classroom at the school, taking time to see what the students were working on, enjoying musical performances, and even participating.

Over the course of time, parishioners have donated thousands and thousands of pairs of socks for community members in need.

What started as a series of discussions about caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's has evolved into a program that brings warmth, support, and caring for participants.

The service project, which included bake sales, pork pie sales, and “Angel tags” raised over $20,000.

“Seeing the many ways in which they are learning that each of us is called to be holy in life is beautiful.”

Bishop Robert Deeley said, for us, the encounter of the Magi with Jesus is not something in the past but something we experience every time we come together for Mass.

The “Jolly Gifts” program collected over 1,000 new toys and clothing items as well as many gift cards.

A new endowment established through the Catholic Foundation of Maine will provide a scholarship to a Maine high school senior who plans to enter a science-related field, most especially one focused on cancer research.

Honoring the life of a man of faith and charity was a personal experience for Bishop Deeley, who worked with Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Vatican City nearly 20 years ago.

Masses honoring the life and memory of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI have been announced for Bangor, Caribou, East Millinocket, Ellsworth, Gray, Greenville, Lewiston, Machias, Portland, Rumford, Sanford, and Scarborough.

Monsignor Marc Caron, vicar general of the Diocese of Portland, visited the Christian Life Center (CLC) in Frenchville to bless its new dining hall on December 29.

To honor the memory of Pope Benedict XVI, Bishop Robert Deeley will preside at a special Mass on Wednesday, January 4, at 12:15 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on 307 Congress Street in Portland.

Bishop Robert Deeley celebrates Mass on the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, saying the new year will be better if we let God be our guide. The bishop also reflected on the life of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, calling him a "great man, priest, and leader."

Grief ministry programs are being planned for churches in Portland, Brunswick, and Newcastle, where participants will find friendly, caring groups who will walk alongside them offering support, comfort, and guidance as they struggle through one of life’s most difficult experiences.

Seminarian Vinh Nguyen publicly expresses his desire to pursue holy orders during the Rite of Candidacy celebrated by Bishop Robert Deeley.

Those gathered will sing traditional Christmas carols for 15 minutes, and all are welcome to attend. This is a family-friendly event. Organizers will provide the lyrics.

The feast day celebration at the Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul in Lewiston commemorated the Blessed Mother's appearance to St. Juan Diego in Mexico in 1531.

This important feast commemorates Mary being conceived without the stain of original sin and created full of grace, making her a fitting mother for Jesus.

A special collection will be held during all Masses in Maine churches on Dec. 10-11 to help over 30,000 elderly Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests.

Surrounded by residents and staff, Bishop Deeley celebrated Mass for the special community on November 30.

Thanks to generous parishioners and community members from around York County, hundreds of mission children will receive presents at Christmas.

St. John Vianney Parish in Fort Kent is offering the opportunity for those with deceased loved ones in 10 parish cemeteries to purchase a solar lit “wreath of remembrance” for the winter months.