Effective Father’s Day Weekend (June 19-20), the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland has lifted the general dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation throughout the state of Maine. Issued due to the pandemic, the dispensation has been in place for Maine Catholics since March 18, 2020.
Whether you are just curious about prison ministry, have served or currently serve in the ministry, or have an interest in getting involved, a special virtual gathering on Thursday, June 17, may be for you.
A year after turning into a virtual event due to the pandemic, the St. Michael School and Travis Mills Walk-A-Thon returned as an in-person event on Wednesday, May 19, thanks to the creativity and determination of students, school parents, and staff
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the annual St. Michael School and Travis Mills Walk-A-Thon, originally scheduled for May 5, will now be held on Wednesday, May 19. Pledges and donations will continue to be accepted through May 19. For more information about the event, email jennsparda1@gmail.com or legalboxerz@hotmail.com.
National Teacher Appreciation Week is a time in which we lift up with thanks the talents, the selflessness, and the dedication of our teachers. It is an annual commemoration that has surely never been more deserving than this year.
A labor of love and service at St. Michael School in Augusta will return next week after shifting to become a virtual event last year due to the pandemic.
April 25 is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations when the Church prays for vocations to ordained ministries, consecrated life in all its forms, secular institutes, and missionary life. The encouragement and formation of vocations is the task of all of us.
On Earth Day, we remember that God has created our world and placed us in it. There is, therefore, a true harmony that exists between God, ourselves as human persons, and our natural world.
Bishop Robert Deeley has announced the following priest assignments and retirements. All assignments are effective Friday, July 30. Pictures and captions are available at www.portlanddiocese.org/PriestAssignmentsApril2021 (larger images available upon request).
To celebrate Earth Day, the Social Justice & Peace Commission at St. Michael Parish (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) invites all to a special Zoom session on Thursday, April 22, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
A blessed Easter to you all! This beautiful feast brings us to the heart of our faith: Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. We, sharing in that resurrection, have been saved and given the gift of hope! Whether in person or via livestream, we come together at Easter to be reminded of the gifts we have received and to commit ourselves anew to the life we assumed when we became disciples of the Lord Jesus. We were reconciled by God in order to reconcile one with another; we were forgiven to forgive; we were shown mercy in order to be merciful.
March 19 annually marks the Solemnity of St. Joseph, a commemoration that holds additional significance this year in the Year of St. Joseph, declared by the Holy Father.
The Social Justice and Peace Commission at St. Michael Parish in Augusta has received a grant from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) valued at nearly $2,000 to help create a “greater awareness of the importance of our Catholic call to social justice issues.”
Beginning on Friday, March 26, all of Maine’s Catholic churches will allow for 50% capacity for all daily and weekend Masses. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday on March 28.
On Friday, Pope Francis began a four-day visit to Iraq, the first-ever papal visit to the country, with a plea for the citizens to protect the area’s centuries-old diversity through interfaith unity and respect.
Despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many people from around Maine are preparing to enter the Catholic Church this Easter season, and on the first weekend of Lent, Bishop Robert Deeley joined with them in celebrating the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion (11 pictures below).
A Lakota version of the Stations of the Cross is being shared on the Thursdays of Lent at 3 p.m., and all are invited to participate through the use of Zoom. The stations, a popular Lenten devotion dating back centuries, take the Christian faithful on a spiritual pilgrimage through Christ’s Passion and death.
As I stated in December in regards to COVID-19 vaccines, we must thank God for the scientific advancement and dedication of those in the medical field that have led to these lifesaving vaccines during a global pandemic. When it is your turn to receive a vaccine, you can receive the one that is offered to you without moral reservation.
In a time of decreased opportunities for gathering together to discuss their common faith, young adult Catholics in Maine are invited to join each other for the first “Holy Hangout” on Wednesday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m.