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Judy Shaw is the Project Rachel Coordinator for the Diocese of Portland. Project Rachel is a ministry that helps people recover mentally and spiritually from an abortion experience. Judy sat down with our producer to talk about who the Project Rachel team serves as well as how and why they do it.

Bishop James T. Ruggieri announces the following assignments for recently ordained permanent deacons in the Diocese of Portland. All assignments were effective October 17, 2026.

Why does prayer often feel so difficult? In this episode of the Auspice Maria podcast, Bishop James Ruggieri continues his walk through the Catechism of the Catholic Church, exploring paragraphs 2725-2758 and the Church’s teaching on the “battle of prayer.”

During an All Souls' Day Mass of Remembrance at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Bishop James Ruggieri said that the "r esurrection is not an abstract consolation. It is the foundation of our hope."

WASHINGTON – The Catholic Church in the United States will observe National Vocation Awareness Week from November 1 to 7. Each year, national Catholic organizations, dioceses, schools, and parishes host events and provide resources that raise awareness of vocations and support those discerning God’s call, particularly to ordained ministry or consecrated life.

This episode is a practical guide to Christian prayer. This week, Bishop Ruggieri walks through paragraphs 2650 to 2724 of the Catechism and shows that prayer is not something we invent. It is something we receive.

Prayer reaches its fullness in the relationship between Jesus Christ and God the Father. Bishop Ruggieri explains this and continues with the fourth part of the Catechism (Prayer) in this week's episode. He emphasizes that even Jesus, as busy as he was, always made time for prayer before important moments.

“For citizens in a representative democracy such as our own, participation in public life—including voting—is both a right and a responsibility,” said Archbishop Coakley, president of the USCCB in a message leading up to Election Day (Nov. 3) in the United States.

Bishop James Ruggieri ordained seven men from six parishes to the permanent diaconate during a Mass celebrated on Saturday, October 17, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland.

This Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of World Mission Sunday, established by Pope Pius XI. Pope Leo XIV invites us to reflect on this year's theme: “One in Christ, united in mission.”

We often mistake prayer for a way to call upon God as though He is not otherwise aware of us. The Catechism teaches that the opposite is true. God constantly reaches out to us and prayer allows us to engage with Him. Christian prayer is relationship.

The Novena for Mental Health is an opportunity for all the People of God to pray for all who are experiencing or impacted by mental health issues and for all those who accompany them. The USCCB Encourages us to pray this Novena in solidarity with one another from October 10 to October 18 each year.

The Portland Peninsula and Island Parishes have announced that Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Parish will celebrate a final Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Portland on Sunday, October 25.

King David once saw a woman from his rooftop. Within days, an innocent man was dead. Bishop James Ruggieri opens the final two commandments with a story that shows how sin begins long before the act. It begins in the heart, with a desire that is welcomed, fed, and allowed to steer.

Christ says that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Since Jesus is the Truth, our relationship with truth is deeply important for our faith. This is the core of this week's episode of Auspice Maria.

Bishop James Ruggieri celebrated the diocese’s second Blue Mass of the year on Sunday, September 27, at Holy Rosary Church in Caribou. Dedicated to honoring all first responders, the Mass drew hundreds of faithful.

Each October since 1973, the Catholic Church in the United States observes Respect Life Month and focuses on reflecting more deeply on the dignity and gift of human life. This year, the theme chosen is Mary, Mother of Life.

New assignments will take effect in November at the Parish of the Holy Eucharist in Falmouth and St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Bangor.

The commandment "you shall not steal" goes far deeper than avoiding theft and jealousy. The Catechism frames it's teachings on business ethics, labor, and economic policy within this commandment.

The first of the Diocese of Portland’s 2026 Blue Masses was celebrated on September 20 at the Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul in Lewiston.