Lenten Bible Study and Faith Sharing

During Lent, many parishes offer opportunities for Bible study or faith-sharing groups to help parishioners grow in their relationship to Christ. You will find a list of some of the programs below.

All Saints Parish, Brunswick

Beautiful Eucharist Book Discussion

Gather to read and discuss Matthew Kelly's book Beautiful Eucharist. Sessions will be held on Wednesdays at 10:45 a.m. at St. Patrick Church, 380 Academy Hill Road in Newcastle, on Sundays after the 8 a.m. Mass at St. Ambrose Church, 29 Kimball Street in Richmond, and following the 5 p.m. Stations of the Cross at St. Mary Church, 144 Lincoln Street in Bath, on Friday March 1 and March 15.

Lenten Reflections with Father Uhde

Father Peter Uhde will lead Lenten reflections on Wednesdays, March 6 and March 13 at St. Patrick Church, 380 Academy Hill Road in Newcastle and St. Charles Borromeo Church, 132 McKeen Street in Brunswick. The sessions at St. Patrick will be held following the noon Mass, and the sessions at St. Charles begin at 6 p.m. Both include a light meal. RSVP here.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Portland

Lenten Parish Mission with presenter Father John Grieco

A Lenten parish mission with featured presenter Father John Grieco, a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei, will be held on Thursday, February 29, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and Friday, March 1, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland. Father Grieco earned his PhD from Catholic University and taught philosophy before going to Rome for seminary and earning a licentiate in moral theology from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

You'll find a schedule here. Please register online to help with planning: https://portlandcatholic.org/lenten-mission. 

Christian Life Center, Frenchville

Fasting with Jesus: Meditations on the Imitation of Christ

Beginning Friday, February 16, and continuing on the Fridays of Lent, the Christian Life Center in Frenchville will offer a series called “Fasting with Jesus: Meditations on the Imitation of Christ.” The sessions will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon and include a meatless meal. A freewill offering will be taken. The Christian Life Center is located at 444 U.S. Route One in Frenchville.

Corpus Christi Parish, Waterville

The Eucharist in the Scriptures

The Eucharist in the Scriptures, a series of Lenten teachings, will be presented in the hall of Notre Dame du Perpetual Secours Church, 116 Silver Street in Waterville on the Wednesdays of Lent beginning February 21. The sessions will be held following the 12:15 p.m. Mass and will be repeated at 6 p.m. The topics will be "Melchizedek and the Last Supper, the Passover Lamb, Manna and John 6, The Showbread, and the Road to Emmaus. The presenter will be Don Smith. A freewill offering will be taken.

Holy Family Parish, Greenville

Lenten teachings with Fr. Raj

Father Selvaraj Kasi, HGN, will lead a Lenten teaching at Holy Family Church, 145 Pritham Avenue in Greenville, on the Tuesdays of Lent, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Auburn

The Eucharist in the Scriptures

The Eucharist in the Scriptures, a series of teachings, will be held at St. Philip Church, 2365 Turner Road in Auburn, on the Sundays of Lent at 2 p.m. The topics will be "Melchizedek and the Last Supper on February 18, the Passover Lamb on February 25, Manna and John 6 on March 3, The Showbread on March 10, and the Road to Emmaus on March 17.

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

Father Robert Vaillancourt, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, will lead a Lenten teaching entitled "Lord, Teach Us to Pray" on the Tuesdays of Lent beginning February 20. Sessions will be held at 8:30 a.m. in the hall of Sacred Heart Church, 8 Sacred Heart Place in auburn, and at 6:30 p.m. in the hall of St. Philip Church, 2365 Turner Road in Auburn.

Parish of the Precious Blood, Caribou

Adult Small Faith Sharing Groups

Small faith sharing groups will meet at several of the churches of the Parish of the Precious Blood throughout Lent. There will be a Monday 6:30 p.m. adult group that will meet in the rectory of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, 333 Main Street in Presque. A men’s faith sharing group will meet the first and third Mondays at 7 p.m. at the Holy Rosary Parish Center, 34 Vaughn Street in Caribou. An adult group with meet Tuesdays at 9 a.m. in the rectory of St. Denis Church, 147 Main Street in Fort Fairfield. A group will meet Tuesdays and Friday at 9 a.m., following the Rosary at St. Mark Church, 13 Allen Farm Road in Ashland. The “That Man is You” men’s group will meet Thursdays at 7 p.m. at the Holy Rosary Parish Center in Caribou, as will the Burning Bush Prayer Group. And on Fridays at 7 p.m. a Scripture study group will meet at the parish center in Caribou.

St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Jackman

Lenten teachings with Fr. Raj

Father Selvaraj Kasi, HGN, will lead a Lenten teaching at St. Faustina Church, 370 Main Street in Jackman, on the Sundays of Lent from noon to 1 p.m.

St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Westbrook

Beautiful Eucharist Bible Study

A Lenten study using the book Beautiful Eucharist by Dynamic Catholic will be held at three churches of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Westbrook. Beautiful Eucharist is a powerful collection of life-changing reflections about Jesus truly present in the Eucharist and wonderfully present in our lives. Father Mike Schmitz, Peter Kreeft, Lisa Hendey, Matthew Kelly, Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Fulton Sheen, Sister Helena Burns, Allen Hunt, Matt Warner are among those who have contributed personal reflections. Books will be provided to each recipient.

The schedule is as follows:

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church
919 Roosevelt Trail, Windham
Thursdays, February 15, 22, and 29, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Contact: Rosana Davis at 818-424-9017 or [email protected] or Mona Roy at 207-274-3904 at [email protected].

St. Hyacinth Church
268 Brown Street, Westbrook
Wednesday, February 21, February 28, and March 6, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Contact: Lynn Levasseur at [email protected] or Deborah DeGraw [email protected]

St. Anne Church
299 Main Street, Gorham,
Fridays, February 16, February 23, and March 1, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Contact: Mona Roy at 207-274-3904 at [email protected].

St. John Paul II Parish, Scarborough

The Rule of St. Benedict and On Loving God

Dr. John Kenney, a retired professor of religious studies at St. Michael College in Vermont, will lead a weekly discussion of two great works of the Catholic tradition: The Rule of St. Benedict and On Loving God. The group will meet on the Tuesdays of Lent from February 20 to March 26, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., in the small hall of St. Maximilian Kolbe Church, 150 Black Point Road in Scarborough.

The Rule of St. Benedict was written for monks, but it has become a popular source for developing a rule of life for all Catholics. Participants will reflect on the theology of the rule and consider how its practices can be adapted to our own lives. On Loving God by St. Bernard of Clairvaux is one of the most beautiful Catholic texts. It articulates the four degrees of love for God that lead us to eternal life.

St. Michael Parish, Augusta

The Eucharist in the Scriptures

For more than 2,000 years, the Catholic Church has been celebrating the Eucharist as the source and summit of the Christian faith, and yet, few believers understand this deep and profound belief. Starting in Genesis and continuing through the New Testament, this series will look at the Eucharist in the significant stories of the Scriptures so participants can more greatly appreciate the blessing of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The series will be presented by Don Smith on the Tuesdays of Lent at 6:30 p.m. in the hall of St. Francis Xavier Church, 130 U.S. Route 133 in Winthrop, and on the Thursdays of Lent at 6:30 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Gardiner. The topics will be Melchizedek and the Last Supper, the Passover Lamb, Manna and John 6, the Showbread  and the Road to Emmaus.

This Is My Body: A Call to Eucharistic Revival

An adult book study, based on the book This is My Body, A Call to Eucharistic Revival, will be held on the Wednesdays of Lent at 6 p.m. in the hall of Sacred Heart Church, 5 Summer Street in Hallowell. In the book, Bishop Robert Barron offers a threefold analysis of the Eucharist as sacred meal, sacrifice, and Real Presence, helping readers to understand the sacrament of Jesus' body and blood more thoroughly so that they might fall in love with him more completely

St. Paul the Apostle Parish, Bangor

The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary

Come together to explore the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, 6:15 pm. to 7:30 p.m. on February 21 and 28, March 6, 13, 20, and April 3 in the Hall of St. Matthew Church, 70 Western Avenue in Hampden. Each session includes a video, discussion, and praying one decade of the Rosary. The sessions are sponsored by That Man is You, but all are welcome to attend.

Unlocking the Mysteries of the Bible

Unlocking the Mysteries of the Bible helps you get the "big picture" by showing how 14 narrative books of the Bible tell the complete story from Adam and Eve to Christ and the Church. Sessions begin February 6 or 8 and run eight weeks on Tuesdays 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. and Thursdays 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. The sessions will be facilitated by Deacon Michael Whalen and be held in the hall of St. John Church. Note that there are no sessions during Holy Week. To register, call the parish office at 207-217-6740 The cost is $30, which covers the cost of the book.