Your Stories

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The McAuley Residence: A model to follow

By Diocese of Portland

“A beautiful, beautiful story.” That is how Melissa Skahan, vice president of mission integration at Northern Light Mercy Hospital, describes the gift that the McAuley Residence in Portland

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A drive to rebuild God's Church

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Freezing rain is falling, but that hasn’t stopped nearly 60 college students from strolling and steering their way to the Newman Center on the University of Maine campus in Orono.

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Bearing witness to the love of God

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Parise Rossignol, a shooting guard for the University of Maine Women’s Basketball team, has long held a love for the game.

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A life dedicated to healing and service

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Deacon Richard Huot says it is hard to put into words what it has meant to be a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church in Maine.

Sister Dale Jarvis, RSM with caseworkers and a family in Haiti.

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A Mission of Mercy and Hope in Haiti

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

In the past 20 years, Sister Dale Jarvis, RSM, has visited Haiti 10 times, traveling there from Portland on three occasions just within the past year.

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A Mission of Mercy and Hope in Haiti

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

In the past 20 years, Sister Dale Jarvis, RSM, has visited Haiti 10 times, traveling there from Portland on three occasions just within the past year.

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Teacher of the Year Honored for her Commitment and Creativity

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

“I love kids. They’re so much fun.” Mary Ellen White has been in the classroom for 33 years but has never lost her passion for teaching.

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Parishioners embrace a shared mission

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Why would you want to settle for less when a life with God promises so much more?

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An Unexpected Gift of Life and Love

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

At age 2 ½, Emmitt Tice is a boy bursting with energy. “He’s such a handful. He is the busiest kid,” says Katina, his mother, laughing.

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Parishioners step up to provide new sneakers to students

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Adidas. Converse. New Balance. Nike. Each fall, you will find pairs upon pairs of new sneakers lining tables in the hall of St. Mary Church in Bangor.

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Giving Rise to Hope

Your Stories

By Harvest magazine

Saint Andre Home's CourageLIVES is the first residential treatment program in Maine dedicated to helping women who have been victims of human trafficking.

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Saying goodbye to a 'powerhouse of prayer'

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

You may not be aware of it, but you have long had a quiet but powerful advocate.

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Deacon of the Year honored for his selfless service

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

A prayerful and caring man. That is how those who know him describe Deacon Darrell Blackwell.

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Providing an avenue out of addiction

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

“Everything I thought I never could be, I am.” That is how Tanya Salazar describes her life now, five years after she first reached out to Catholic Charities Maine’s Counseling Services.

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Celebrating 50 years of joy-filled service

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

With her infectious laugh and unpretentious manner, it is no wonder that those who meet Sister Carol Martin, PFM, quickly feel at ease.

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Totus Tuus helps youths discover the gift of belonging to God

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Why is the Body of Christ referred to as the Eucharist? Why is Jesus’ body kept in the tabernacle? Why is Mary depicted holding rosary beads?

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Theology at Tim's has Faith Brewing

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Coffee, community, and conversation are proving to be an appealing blend for teenagers in Aroostook County. One Sunday a month, the teens gather at Tim Hortons, either in Presque Isle or Caribou, to grab a latte and learn about their faith.

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Teens prove they’re up to the task during LOYO camp

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

You’ve broken a glass and shattered pieces are strewn across the kitchen floor. You’ve spilled something hot on your arm, causing a burn. You’ve accidently locked yourself out of the house.

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Middle schooler pens Fatima play

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

“In the spring of 1916, an angel appeared to three children tending sheep in a pasture in the village of Fatima, Portugal.”

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"I know God has a plan for me."

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

“It’s my best friendship.” That is how Hallie Pike, a 17-year-old from Jay, describes her relationship with God.

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Staying Steadfast in Faith through Life's Struggles

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Although she has faced some challenges in her life, they haven’t stopped 18-year-old Elizabeth Deschenes of Presque Isle from doing her best to live out her faith, serving both her parish and her community.

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Glorifying God through Sacred Music

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Ever since he was a child learning to play John Denver tunes from his dad, Paul Griffin, age 25, has had a love for music.

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Embracing a commitment to a life of service

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Two men who have long served the community, one through the United Way and the other through parish and campus ministry, are among the Diocese of Portland’s newest permanent deacons.

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Youth ministers keep a cross-county connection

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

“How do you do your service Saturdays? How does that work?” Theresa Bonner has only been the director of youth ministry at the Parish of the Precious Blood in Caribou for a short time, so she is still learning the job.

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All for God

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

“I feel that I am home.” Sister Ann Theresa Boyle, RSR, says she feels a sense of ease and comfort, along with gratitude...

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A ministry of mercy behind bars

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

An avid hunter and fisherman, Woody Livingston moved to Maine after he retired so that he could pursue those two passions.

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Two paths lead to the priesthood

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Two young men who first pondered the priesthood as children have seen their early aspirations come to fulfillment.

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Decades of Dedication to a Melodic Ministry

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Jennie Leighton has always loved to sing. It is why she first joined the choir at St. Leo the Great Church in Howland when she was still a teenager.

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Development Center nurtures children, while supporting families

Your Stories

By Harvest magazine

The St. Louis Child Development Center, a program of Catholic Charities Maine, provides parents with affordable, quality child care.

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Parishes seek to lift up their communities

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

How can parishes best bring the mercy and hope of Christ to those around them? At many, you’ll find food pantries or thrift stores.

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Serving the Lord in the Sebago Lakes Region

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Deacon Lawrence “Larry” Guertin says you never know what the Lord will call you to do, but as a recently ordained permanent deacon in the Diocese of Portland, he says he wants to be sure he is ready to respond

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Creating a PATH out of homelessness

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Janice Lara-Hewey, M.S.S.A., LCSW, has an office on Second Street in Auburn, but on most days, you won’t find her there.

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The Beginning of a New Century of Faith

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

“It was glorious.” That is how Lorraine Auclair, bookkeeper of Holy Family Parish, describes the dedication Mass for the new Holy Family Church in Greenville.

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Choir members preserve their heritage while praising God

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

“Venez a moi,” “C'est le moi de Marie,” and “J'Irai la voir un jour.” It is hymns like those that welcome parishioners and give praise to God each Sunday at St. Joseph Church in Biddeford.

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Born to be a Deacon

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

A tireless worker who embodies what it means to be a deacon of the Catholic Church. That is how those who know him describe Deacon Dennis Popadak.

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Forming Families in Faith

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

“Name three good things you can do.” In a classroom at St. Michael School in Augusta, Sherry Marcum, a catechist, invites students to turn their minds toward service this Lent.

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V Encuentro: A call to reach out to the Hispanic / Latino community

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

How can the Catholic Church better reach and serve members of the Hispanic / Latino community so that they may grow in their faith and become missionary disciples who evangelize others?

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Finding a home in the Catholic Church

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

When Ira Mandel’s wife, Catherine, told him about a friend’s upcoming pilgrimage to Medjugorje, he says he instantly felt it was a trip they should take

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Junior Chaplains Lead the Way

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

As is the case at many Catholic schools, morning prayer begins the day at Saint Dominic Academy’s Lewiston campus.

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Coming Home to Answer Christ's Call

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

“It’s just all the Lord.” Deacon Patrick Finn says he owes his vocation to God’s grace and providence.

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Serving Christ in the County

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Since the permanent diaconate was restored in the Diocese of Portland, there has only been one deacon serving in northern Aroostook County, Deacon Don Clavette, ordained in 2004.

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A March that Changed a Life

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Nathaniel McGrath, age 17, rarely takes off the crucifix that hangs around his neck.

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Carrying on a legacy of Mercy

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

As president of Mercy Hospital and a senior vice president of the Eastern Maine Health System (EMHS), Charlie Therrien knows well the challenges facing the health-care industry.

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Ordained to a ministry of joy

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

“I’m floating on air. That is something that can only happen once in a lifetime.” That is how Deacon Mark Tuttle, from St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, Scarborough, describes what it is like to be ordained a deacon of the Catholic Church.

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Soaring in faith following a devastating crash

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

It was a call to change the way he was living his life. That is how Arrin Farrar of Plymouth now views a plane crash that nearly killed him.

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Mercy is forever her song

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

With her guitar in hand and a broad smile on her face, Sister Kathryn Kelm, SSS, has a way of warming the hearts of all she meets.

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Celebrating a Century of Excellence

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

"It’s certainly been a love affair for me.” That is how John Mullen describes his 38 years at Cheverus High School in Portland, nine of them spent teaching, two as assistant principal, and 27 as acting principal and principal.

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Walking in the footsteps of a martyr

Your Stories

By Diocese of Portland

Led by three diocesan seminarians, a group of pilgrims went on a journey this August to learn about the life, love, and sacrifice of a missionary priest who ministered along the banks of the Kennebec River 300 years ago.