PORTLAND---Six Catholic parishes in Maine have been named recipients of the 2015 Matthew 25 Awards. The awards are presented annually by the Catholic Charities Maine Parish Social Ministry program, honoring parishes who are directly serving vulnerable people in need, regardless of their faith affiliation, and adhering to the principles of the Bible verse Matthew: 25 ("I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink...").

Along with a stained glass award, grants totaling $15,000 are given to the parishes to assist them in expanding their capacity to serve more people or to help develop a new social ministry.

The 2015 recipients are:

St. Michael Parish, Augusta
(St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Augusta; St. Augustine Church, Augusta; St. Joseph Church, Gardiner; Sacred Heart Church, Hallowell; St. Denis Church, Whitefield; St. Francis Xavier Church, Winthrop)

St. Michael Parish will use the grant funds to start an art therapy program for children in local homeless shelters to assist in building their self-esteem and nurturing their creativity.

All Saints Parish, Brunswick
(St. Charles Borromeo Church, Brunswick; St. John the Baptist Church, Brunswick; St. Mary Church, Bath; Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Boothbay Harbor; St. Katharine Drexel Church, Harpswell; St. Ambrose Church, Richmond; St. Patrick Church, Newcastle)

All Saints Parish will use the grant funds to purchase a new freezer and refrigerator for the Ecumenical Food Pantry of Newcastle. The purchases will allow the staff to provide more fruits, vegetables, and meat to families in need.

Our Lady of the Snows Parish, Dexter
(St. Anne Church, Dexter; St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Dover-Foxcroft; Ss. Francis Xavier & Paul the Apostle Church, Milo)

Our Lady of the Snows Parish will use the grant funds to improve their prison ministry program through the purchase of faith formation and evangelizing materials for inmates, and an enhanced training program for those working in the ministry.

St. Rose of Lima Parish, Jay
St. Rose of Lima Parish will use the grant funds to buy new freezers and thermal blankets for the Tri-Town Ministerial Food Pantry which provides emergency and supplemental food to area families in need.

Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Parish, Portland
Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Parish will use the grant funds to purchase new tables, floor mats, and other materials for the Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Food Pantry which distributes close to 3,000 pounds of food each week.

Parish of the Holy Eucharist, Yarmouth

(Holy Martyrs Church, Falmouth; St. Gregory Church, Gray; St. Jude Church, Freeport; Sacred Heart Church, Yarmouth)

The Parish of the Holy Eucharist will use the grant funds to start a ministry for the aging which will provide education, socialization, and spiritual support for the elderly population in the parish.

This is the fifth year that the Matthew 25 Awards have been given, but it is the first time that more than one parish has been honored. Previous recipients include Corpus Christi Parish in Waterville (2014), Resurrection of the Lord Parish in Old Town (2013), Christ the Divine Mercy Parish in Millinocket (2012), and Our Lady of the Snows Parish in Dexter (2011).