Over 400 Gather at Holy Spirit Family Fest in Wells on May 21

WELLS---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 (many additional pictures below).

Over 400 parishioners of all ages came together for a wonderful celebration of community and faith. 

“We expected about 200 people and well over 400 attended. The Knights of Columbus had to go to the store for more food twice!” said Carolyn Houston, director of faith formation at the parish, which also includes St. Martha Church in Kennebunk and All Saints Church in Ogunquit.

The idea for the three-hour event came from a discussion about how to wrap up faith formation for this academic year.

“It seemed appropriate to end a year that focused on family catechesis with a celebration of all parish families of all ages,” said Houston. “Presentations were made to faith formation catechists for their years of service and dedication to their ministry.”

The setting also provided the perfect chance to thank Fr. Fred Morse, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, who will retire from active ministry in July.

“It seemed like a good idea to have the event serve as a retirement party for him as well,” said Houston. “Several presentations were made to Fr. Fred to congratulate him on his retirement and thank him for his service. He received a prayer shawl, a quilt from the quilters, and a gorgeous painting of the three churches.”

Items were also raffled during the festival, with the proceeds going to Fr. Fred’s charity of choice: the St. Mary Ecumenical Food Pantry in Wells.

Many parish organizations and ministries came together to organize the event, one that delivered both fun and inspiration.

“Outside of the liturgy, our parish hasn’t had a huge multi-generational celebration for years, and parishioners were so joyful,” said Houston. “So many people remarked to me on how good it felt to be doing something fun as a parish family.”