News - January 2024 RSS Feed

What differentiates the diocesan priesthood from religious order priests? What makes marriage unique among all vocations? What does pretzel making have to teach us about our relationship with Christ?

Kicking off on January 28th with Masses across the Roman Catholic Diocese of Maine, Catholic Schools Week celebrates its 50th anniversary year in 2024, with schools as south as Sanford and as north at Bangor participating through a variety of activities and programs in the coming days.

Nearly 100 parishioners of St. Paul the Apostle, Bangor, braved the wintery weather last Thursday morning, January 25, to celebrate the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. Mass was celebrated at St. Mary Church by Msgr. Andrew Dubois, pastor of the parish, who was joined by Father Frank Murray and Deacon Michael Whalen.

The community assistance programs at St. Joseph Parish in Farmington and St. Rose of Lima Parish in Jay were chosen as the winners of the 2024 Matthew 25 Award.

Bishop Deeley received a warm greeting during an all-school assembly on Wednesday morning, January 17, at St. James School in Biddeford. Bishop Deeley was welcomed by principal Nancy Naimey and pastor of Good Shepherd Parish Fr. Timothy Nadeau before students performed an arrangement of "Silent Night" from their Christmas concert.

“Flu shots, haircuts, hand massages, nails.” Lorraine Sullivan, a member of the Social Justice and Peace Commission at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Westbrook, shares some of the many services being offered at the parish’s MLK Day of Service.

Matthew Valles said it’s hard to find the right words to describe what it was like to be ordained a deacon of the Catholic Church. “I’m so happy, so happy, so happy. I’m very, very grateful to be ordained. I can’t really describe it in words,” he said.

Bishop Robert Deeley continued the Church’s celebration of Christmas with a Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland held on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, a feast that commemorates the arrival of the Magi at the manger.

​Acknowledging the trials faced in 2023, including the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, but expressing his fervent hope for a year ahead blessed with peace and joy, Bishop Robert Deeley celebrated a New Year’s Day Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland.