Harvest

“When there are obstacles, it is not those who give up who succeed but those who are able to pick themselves up and push forward.”

Does it unsettle you when things are quiet – even if other people are around? Do you feel uneasy when you are alone and quiet?

Dr. Claire Morissette Girardin grew up caring for pets. “We had ducks, guinea pigs. I had a rat at one point, turtles,” she says. “We had cats when I was little.”

“It’s just learning their stories, what brings them here.” Mary Hazzard is a Catholic lay chaplain at Maine Medical Center (MMC) in Portland. 

The confirmation season, Easter through Pentecost, is an annual high point of my ministry as bishop. As I think about it, I have never met a bishop – and I have met hundreds – who does not thoroughly enjoy his role as the ordinary minister of confirmation.

Many gathered to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Sister Aurelie Michaud’s profession to the Daughters of Wisdom.

The Gift of the Most Holy Eucharist

As parish catechetical leader, I prepared second graders for the sacraments. The parents of one boy (David) who attended the parish school were not Catholic and never had David baptized.

In preparation for Lent, one of my favorite Scriptures to read is the First Letter of St. John. ­In this letter, the beloved disciple invites us to fellowship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

“It’s a feeling of loss, of wondering what is going to transpire.” Lee and Millie Noddin of Lewiston know the pain of having a loved one behind bars.

It’s ten o’clock in the morning, and customers are alread

Positive. Confident. Motivated. Helpful. Surrounded by splashes of color, those are among the words that greet you as you enter Holy Cross School in South Portland.

Today, I would like to examine the central truth of our faith. As we continue our look at the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, we turn to Chapter 14 which wraps us in the Paschal Mystery.

I remember as if it were yesterday the times when I was blessed with the beautiful but painful privilege of offering the prayers of commendation of the dying for my mother and father – Mom in 1977 and Dad in 1998.

On October 13 in Rome, Pope Francis declared John Henry Newman (1801-1899) a saint.

A visit to the threshold of the apostles

What would the Christmas be without the music that fills the air and enhances every gathering and celebration of the season?

With her kindergarten class gathered on the floor around her, Kathleen Curry shares the Gospel story of the feeding of the 5,000.

“You build a stack of special blocks, and then, you have to push them into a circle. If it’s the same color, you get more points.”

 “I know in my heart that this is where God wants me.” That is how Deacon Donald Clavette sees his vocation as a permanent deacon

“The coats that we ordered are for kids in grades 2 through 8.” Bob Frederick from Moosehead Lake Council 2368 shows other Knights of Columbus two of the 27 coats the council purchased for children attending Greenville Consolidated School.

On Sunday mornings, the first-floor hallway of St. André Health Care in Biddeford is a busy place. In wheelchairs, with walkers, or with an arm to lean upon, around 30 residents are making their way to the community room for the celebration of Mass.

As we continue our review of the Catechism for Adults, we come to chapter 12: Mary: The Church’s First and Most Perfect Member.

Celebrating a beautiful house of God

Chapter Eleven of the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults has to do with the four identifying marks of the Church: it is one, united under our pope and bishops, holy, catholic or universal, and apostolic.

Bishop Robert Deeley joins in celebrating the 100th anniversary of St. Rose of Lima Church in Jay.

Two members of the Dominican Sisters of the Roman Congregation, jubilees with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Robert Deeley at Holy Cross Church in Lewiston on Sunday, August 25, 2019,

The Lord Jesus commands his disciples to love God and their neighbor. Love for our neighbor includes our concern for their bodily needs, e.g. food for the hungry, and for their spiritual needs.

I start with the centerpiece and then go to the bottom and then around.” Roger Jean of Augusta explains his technique for making rosary beads, something he has been doing for more than a quarter century now.

If you’re looking for Jeffrey Quinn on a Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning, you’ll most likely find him behind a keyboard at Notre Dame de Lourdes Church in Skowhegan. 

 “If you know how to do it, and God has given you the gift, you should.” That is the mantra of Avis Fleck, a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Windham.

This year on January 1, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, I celebrated the Eucharist with the people of St. Mary’s Parish in Orono.

On the day of the Ascension, our Lord said to His apostles and disciples: “For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7)

In May of this year, the Maine Legislature passed the so-called “Maine Death with Dignity Act,” legalizing physician-assisted suicide (PAS) in Maine.

When it comes to politics, I must confess that I am very cynical. I do, however, pay close attention to legislation that our elected officials pass.

Enter the St. Thomas Aquinas Gift Shop in Madawaska and you will be surrounded by faith-inspired treasures filling every shelf and tucked into every corner.

At age 17, Jean-Daniel Liwanga says he already understands the importance of keeping God in his life.

Waitresses busily move from table to table carrying plates filled with appetizers, burgers, salads, and sandwiches.

As he approaches the second anniversary of his ordination to the permanent diaconate, Deacon Michael Augustino says he feels privileged to have the opportunity to serve God.

Fourth of July celebrations are known to end with a bang, but in Freeport, they start with a sizzle. 

People always laughed when a seminary classmate of mine said: "Things always look darkest, just before they get pitch black." They chuckled because they appreciated the irony of the statement.

The occasion is the Annunciation, when the archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary, inviting her to be the Mother of God. Mary’s yes–her faithful fiat and great amen–has resonated throughout two millennia

The week after Easter of this year, I made a trip to visit a friend and classmate from seminary. As we were driving to lunch after Mass one day, my friend put a question to me that took me by complete surprise.

While the closure of the Monastery of the Precious Blood is still keenly felt by many in the Diocese of Portland, two beautiful pieces from the monastery’s chapel will now grace another faith community.

Unity, friendship, and charity.  They are the principles at the heart of the Daughters of Isabella, an international Catholic women’s organization, and they are words to live by for members of St. Thomas Circle 546 in Madawaska.

“This is what we call the base fabric, so that is what we lay down on the base. Then, everything else would be an accent.” It’s not often that you hear a priest sharing sewing tips with parishioners, but that is what you’ll find happening at St. Peter the Fisherman Parish in Machias.

“It’s not easy.” Ask Michele Guillemette of Waterboro what it takes to raise a family in the Catholic faith in today’s world and that is what she will tell you. 

The beautiful season of summer has arrived. It has taken a while, but here we are. I hope it means that you will have a chance to enjoy the beauty of Maine

Sr. Francine, my sixth grade teacher many years ago, was a woman of conviction who could drive a point home like a nail gun.

In Kris Kristofferson’s poignant song, “Me and Bobbie Magee,” there is the haunting line, “Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose.”