Harvest

Easter is a moveable feast.  This year, we celebrate the vigil on April 20. Harvest will arrive just before we enter the holy season of Lent which prepares us for the joy of Easter.

Sometimes sitting in the front is good, and sometimes sitting as far back as you can is good.  On my recent trip to SEEK2019, a gathering in Indianapolis of some 17,000 Catholic college students, I had the opportunity to do both.

It’s early on a Sunday morning, and there is a flurry of activity in the hall of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Westbrook. 

“A beautiful, beautiful story.” That is how Melissa Skahan, vice president of mission integration at Northern Light Mercy Hospital, describes the gift that the McAuley Residence in Portland

Freezing rain is falling, but that hasn’t stopped nearly 60 college students from strolling and steering their way to the Newman Center on the University of Maine campus in Orono.

Parise Rossignol, a shooting guard for the University of Maine Women’s Basketball team, has long held a love for the game.

Deacon Richard Huot says it is hard to put into words what it has meant to be a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church in Maine.

In the Rite of Ordination of a Bishop, the sacrament is conferred when the ordaining bishop lays his hands on the ordinand’s head and then offers the ordination prayer.

Dear Father Joe: I’ve read a lot of talk online that, according to a recent study, most Catholics don’t understand Church teaching about the Eucharist or don’t believe in it.

In 1992, the Catechism of the Catholic Church was published and promulgated by Pope John Paul II.

Here, I will offer a few thoughts on how this document guides pastoral ministers faced with challenging situations which, at first glance, seem to be without ideal or quick solutions.

In the past 20 years, Sister Dale Jarvis, RSM, has visited Haiti 10 times, traveling there from Portland on three occasions just within the past year.

When I was a seminarian, I had the opportunity to visit a seminarian friend in his native Puerto Rico. 

Soon after we begin the new year, we will celebrate the holiday honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year, we mark it on January 21.

In the past 20 years, Sister Dale Jarvis, RSM, has visited Haiti 10 times, traveling there from Portland on three occasions just within the past year.

“I love kids. They’re so much fun.” Mary Ellen White has been in the classroom for 33 years but has never lost her passion for teaching.

Why would you want to settle for less when a life with God promises so much more? 

At age 2 ½, Emmitt Tice is a boy bursting with energy. “He’s such a handful. He is the busiest kid,” says Katina, his mother, laughing.

Adidas. Converse. New Balance. Nike. Each fall, you will find pairs upon pairs of new sneakers lining tables in the hall of St. Mary Church in Bangor.  

In this article, I will explore what Pope Francis teaches in The Joy of Love about the family as a means and as a school of reconciliation.

Saint Andre Home's CourageLIVES is the first residential treatment program in Maine dedicated to helping women who have been victims of human trafficking.

November is a month in which we celebrate All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. We remember the canonized saints and, indeed, all who have died.

Our Church is sorely wounded. This summer, a succession of horrible stories confronted us -- difficulties caused by human sin and the failure to deal properly with that sin.

You may not be aware of it, but you have long had a quiet but powerful advocate.

A prayerful and caring man.  That is how those who know him describe Deacon Darrell Blackwell.

“Everything I thought I never could be, I am.” That is how Tanya Salazar describes her life now, five years after she first reached out to Catholic Charities Maine’s Counseling Services. 

With her infectious laugh and unpretentious manner, it is no wonder that those who meet Sister Carol Martin, PFM, quickly feel at ease.

Our calendar year begins on January 1, yet, many feel that the year begins when school opens and summer leisure winds down.

Having been assigned to various faith communities as a priest in the Diocese of Portland over these last 25 years, I have had the privilege of meeting many people. 

We now come to the last chapter in The Joy of Love. Here, the Holy Father does not present us with any new themes.

Why is the Body of Christ referred to as the Eucharist?  Why is Jesus’ body kept in the tabernacle? Why is Mary depicted holding rosary beads?

Coffee, community, and conversation are proving to be an appealing blend for teenagers in Aroostook County.  One Sunday a month, the teens gather at Tim Hortons, either in Presque Isle or Caribou, to grab a latte and learn about their faith.

You’ve broken a glass and shattered pieces are strewn across the kitchen floor. You’ve spilled something hot on your arm, causing a burn.  You’ve accidently locked yourself out of the house.

“In the spring of 1916, an angel appeared to three children tending sheep in a pasture in the village of Fatima, Portugal.”

 “It’s my best friendship.” That is how Hallie Pike, a 17-year-old from Jay, describes her relationship with God.

Although she has faced some challenges in her life, they haven’t stopped 18-year-old Elizabeth Deschenes of Presque Isle from doing her best to live out her faith, serving both her parish and her community.

Ever since he was a child learning to play John Denver tunes from his dad, Paul Griffin, age 25, has had a love for music.

It is finally summer.  We looked forward to the beautiful weather through the winter and the opportunity it affords to enjoy the outdoors.

One of my seminary formation faculty members, Father. Stephen Barrett, once told this story.  There was a poor family living in a neighborhood.

Two men who have long served the community, one through the United Way and the other through parish and campus ministry, are among the Diocese of Portland’s newest permanent deacons.

“How do you do your service Saturdays? How does that work?” Theresa Bonner has only been the director of youth ministry at the Parish of the Precious Blood in Caribou for a short time, so she is still learning the job.

“I feel that I am home.” Sister Ann Theresa Boyle, RSR, says she feels a sense of ease and comfort, along with gratitude...

An avid hunter and fisherman, Woody Livingston moved to Maine after he retired so that he could pursue those two passions.

Two young men who first pondered the priesthood as children have seen their early aspirations come to fulfillment. 

Jennie Leighton has always loved to sing.  It is why she first joined the choir at St. Leo the Great Church in Howland when she was still a teenager.

A couple approaches a priest, seeking to be married in the Church. They are living together and have been for some time.

Near the end of this chapter of Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis gives us a good interpretive lens for reading this entire document.

The paschal mystery - the heart of our faith - has two aspects.  In the resurrection of Jesus the Christ, we are freed from our sins. 

Our Easter joy continues! During the celebration of the Easter Vigil, I was particularly taken by the first reading as we reflected on God’s word which, on that night, recounts for us the history of our salvation and God’s everlasting care for us. 

How can parishes best bring the mercy and hope of Christ to those around them? At many, you’ll find food pantries or thrift stores.