Office of Lifelong Faith Formation Events and Programs
Maine Catholic Youth Day Held in Brewer
“The interactions, the connections, the reaching out, it was a great day.”
The words of Lori Dahlhoff, director of the Office of Lifelong Faith Formation, perfectly encapsulate a special day for nearly 60 Maine teens who participated in the Maine Catholic Youth Day on April 22
The event, held in St. Joseph Church and hall in Brewer, followed the theme of “Breaking Bread,” as participants grew deeper in their knowledge of the Eucharist as source and summit while building community, making new friends, and sharing about their own journeys of faith. [Read more.]
Maine Catholic Men's Conference Held in Brunswick
“Strength comes from our dependence on God and on our ability to be vulnerable to others.”
The words of Deacon Matt Halbach fell upon the men gathered at the St. John’s Community Center in Brunswick for the 2023 Maine Catholic Men’s Conference on Saturday, March 18. The conference drew men from 45 different towns and cities in Maine, from York Beach to the Caribou area, who attended for different reasons but were all seeking guidance on how best to love and serve God and their families. [Read more.]
Rite of Election & Call to Continuing Conversion Held in Presque Isle, Winslow & Portland
For Richard Ezell of Amity, Easter Vigil will mark the culmination of one journey and the beginning of another.
“It’s like starting anew,” he says. “It’s like I am a new creature.”
Ezell is among 59 people around the state who will be baptized, confirmed, and receive first Eucharist during the Easter Vigil Mass. Another 45 candidates, those previously baptized in other Christian faiths, will be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church through the sacraments of confirmation and Eucharist. [Read more]
Echoes of Faith Online Learning
“You can never learn too much about God.”
Joanne Fortier, catechetical leader for the Parishes of the Western Maine Lakes and Foothills, says that is why she welcomed the opportunity to participate in Echoes of Faith, a diocesan-wide program that launched in February.
I really have a thirst for God and the Holy Spirit. I am driven by it,” she says. “I want to learn how to be a better catechist or communicator or how to bring the word of God to others.”
Lynette Dobbs, a parishioner of St. Mary of the Visitation Parish in Houlton, had a similar desire.
“I was attracted to the adult faith formation. I wanted to be able to express myself more clearly when talking with other people. Sometimes, finding the right words can be challenging for me,” she says.
Lynette and Joanne are among 75 people who are participating in Echoes of Faith, a learning tool being offered through the diocese’s Office of Lifelong Faith Formation (OLFF). [Read more.]
