News - December 2024 RSS Feed

Bishop James Ruggieri celebrated a special Mass on Sunday, December 29 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, marking the opening of the Jubilee Year of 2025 and the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis launched the jubilee with the rite of the opening of the Holy Doors at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome before celebrating Midnight Mass.

During his first Christmas as Bishop of the Diocese of Portland, the Most Reverend James Ruggieri celebrated two Masses at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland on December 25.

In this installment of Auspice, I would like to write about the Holy Family’s time in Egypt. Before we go to Egypt with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, it is important to recount the circumstances that led them to go there. For this, we will turn to St. Matthew’s Gospel and recall the turn of events.

Last weekend's showings of The Polar Express at the Narrow Gauge Cinema raised significant funds to support the St. Joseph Center Food Pantry in Farmington. While $1,000 was donated to the cause from ticket sales, another $9,000 was given by an anonymous donor who had previously pledged to match ticket proceeds.

Embracing an Advent tradition that dates to 19th-century England, several parishes in the Diocese of Portland presented the Festival of Lessons and Carols during the weekend of December 13-15.

The Third Sunday of Advent is liturgically a "pivot point" in the season. As we draw ever closer to the Feast of Christmas, starting on December 17th, the Liturgy of the Church draws us more into the details of the story of Jesus’ birth. The daily Mass readings, the antiphons in the Liturgy of the Hours, and the prayer of the Church focus us more on the story of the first coming of Christ. As the story unfolds, we are brought to the focal point of Bethlehem, and the night Christ was born.

As part of Advent celebrations, St. Christopher's Church on Peaks Island hosted its "From All Around the World: The Joy of Crèches" event on the afternoon of Saturday, December 7. The open house for the entire community featured a display of more than 40 nativity scenes in the church from across the globe, as well as holiday refreshments and children's crafts in the community room.

As we continue our celebration of the Advent Season, the liturgy unfolds, and we meet certain persons in the story of Jesus’ birth, such as Zechariah, Elizabeth, John the Baptist, Mary, and Joseph. The story told anew each year hopefully reminds us that the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, was “in the works” for centuries and generations. We can say that since the Original Sin was committed by our first parents, humanity and all creation needed a savior. The Father provides! St. Paul writes, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption.” (Galatians 4:4-5)

Students from All Saints School in Bangor will continue their tradition of service on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception by hosting the school's annual "baby shower" for the Blessed Virgin Mary. On Monday, December 9 at 8:30 a.m., the All Saints School community will celebrate Mass for the holy day together at St. John's Church in Bangor. As part of the Mass, students will bring items to be donated to Shepherd's Godparent Home to display in front of the statue of Mary.

On Wednesday evening, December 4, the Parish of the Holy Eucharist hosted an open house at the St. Gregory the Great parish hall in Gray as part of the official launch of its "Fulfillment of a Dream" capital campaign.