Harvest

A mission trip, the sacrament of reconciliation, and a walk to the library.

Christina Merritt is a determined young woman.  She works full-time, is taking college courses, and cares for her two young children.

Cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, squash.  Those are just a few of the vegetables being grown in a new community garden at Holy Name of Jesus Church in Machias.

“This is where cows are milked.” Dan Perron, co-owner of the Sumner Valley Farm in Sumner, explains to a group of teenagers what it’s like to live and work on a farm.

In the first chapter of The Joy of Love, we saw a lectio divina, or sacred reading, of Psalm 128 which offered us a Biblical perspective on marriage and family life.

When the revised Order of Christian Funerals went into effect in the United States in 1989, one of the new features was the following rubric after the communion prayer and before the final commendation: “A member or a friend of the family may speak in remembrance of the deceased before the final commendation begins.”

It is finally summer.  Winter has ended at last, and we can enjoy good weather. In the midst of winter, I had the privilege of making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land...

For the past 23 years, Tom Garwood of Buxton has been accompanying his wife, Eva, to Mass.  They raised four daughters in the faith, as well.  Until this Easter, however, Tom himself was not Catholic. He was Methodist.

Aldea Leblanc wants to be sure people in her community don’t go hungry.  It is why she volunteers at the new St. Peter Thrift Store & Food Pantry in Bingham.

There aren’t many venues in which you’ll hear “Baa Baa Black Sheep” and “Rub-a Dub-Dub” mixed together with “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” and “Ave Maria.”

“Hi dear! How are you doing?” Following a gentle knock on the door, Frank Steele cheerfully enters the room of a resident of St. Mary’s d’Youville Pavilion in Lewiston. “My name is Frank. It’s nice to meet you,” he says.

“Give your all and God gives you one hundredfold.” Time and time again, that is what Sister Linda Mae Plourde says she has found throughout her years as a Sister of the Presentation of Mary.

In this first chapter, the Holy Father invites us to contemplate the married couple pictured in Psalm 128.

I fear that we have lost something important in our contemporary spirituality of the Eucharist.  Oh, we are good at receiving holy Communion. 

This Harvest arrives in the midst of the joy of Easter. We celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus which the catechism tells us is the “the crowning truth of our faith in Christ” (#638).

With the unknown, there is sometimes fear.  But with knowledge, comes the opportunity for friendship. It was with that belief in mind that Catholics and Muslims sat down together to share supper

The sun has barely risen, but Sister Patricia Pora, director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry, is already in her car headed from Portland to Cherryfield.

Betsy Bricker, age 37, looks forward to every second Wednesday of the month.

At age 82, Sheila Benner’s vision isn’t as good as it used to be. A look around her Brunswick apartment will tell you she has still has an artist’s eye for decorating...

Whether she is competing on the soccer field, practicing a dance routine, or performing in a play, Delia Bonner says she always tries to make sure that her faith shines through.

Contemporary life challenges any married couple or family who seeks to live by the way of Christ.

With spring in the air, the media turns its attention to weddings. In this regard, I recently came across an article that spoke positively of the marriage workshop the author and his wife were required to take before their Catholic wedding.

There are frustrations, I am sure, in every line of work.  So, too, in ministry.  I would like to share one of mine with you, if I might. 

Hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps and practice medicine, Dr. Hassan Mahmoud began his residency at Maine Medical Center in Portland in July. 

They visit nursing homes and bring comfort to those who are ill. 

For 50 years, Steve and Kathy Beirne have been celebrating the joy of love. “We not only are married, but we love marriage,” says Steve.

“What is the purpose of a spoon? While most of us might think of it as an eating utensil, students at Saint James School in Biddeford are likely to have other ideas.

Stacks of paperwork surround Deacon Al Burleigh as he sits at his desk at Saint Mary of the Visitation Parish in Houlton. 

A smile spread across Michelle Kessler’s face as she was handed the key to her new home by Father Frank Murray, pastor of Saint Paul the Apostle Parish in Bangor.

A medal celebrating 15 years of sobriety proudly hangs around Scott McClelland’s neck.

Imagine putting together a jigsaw puzzle with each piece weighing in at between 10 and 20 pounds.

With these words, we brought the Jubilee Year of Mercy to a close in our cathedral in Portland on the Feast of Christ the King. 

Recently, the Holy See promulgated a new instruction regarding cremation, "To Rise with Christ.”  By now, I suppose most American Catholics are aware of the fact that cremation is now allowed in the Catholic Church, after many years of being prohibited.  That change in the law has been with us since the early 1960’s.

A freshman at the University of Maine in Orono, 18-year-old Amber Delaney is settling into college life. 

Mother Teresa is Canonized

It is hard to believe that it has been five years since the introduction of the new translation of the Roman Missal.  It was in November 2011 that we began using the new translation. 

On September 26, I was privileged to join with hundreds of priests and some 25 bishops at the Basilica Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey, for the funeral Mass for Archbishop Peter Leo Gerety

“I am feeling so happy. It’s very emotional. It’s very, very emotional. It really and truly is. God is so good.” Marcy Brenner, a Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) coordinator at All Saints Parish in Brunswick...

Archbishop Peter Leo Gerety, who served as the eighth Bishop of Portland before being appointed Archbishop of Newark, died on September 20, 2016. 

 “It’s nice to have you here.” It’s a phrase that may not seem out of the ordinary.  Yet, it was those words of welcome spoken by a priest...

During the nearly 50 years that she spent serving the poorest of the poor in India, Mother Teresa was considered by many to be a saint. 

Ask 8-year-old Henry More what stands out the most from the years he attended Saint Elizabeth’s Child Development Center in Portland, and he’ll give you a definitive answer: “John’s shepherd’s pies!”

Members of Holy Family Parish in Greenville want to ensure a bright future for their community.  Unfortunately, it means parting with a beloved piece of their present and past.

Passing through a holy door is an opportunity available to most of us during this Jubilee Year of Mercy.

A sea of raincoats, a field of candlelight, the chants of Italian pilgrims, the rhythmic beating of African drummers.  Voices raised in spontaneous song.

Election time will be quickly upon us, and among the many issues is that of immigration.  In that light, it is good that we review the teaching of the Church on this matter. 

As you are well aware, we are in the midst of election season. It is hardly necessary to remind you of that fact since the season seems unending.

Thomas LaJoie says that is what he came to believe at a young age and what now, at age 17, he still knows to be true.

Just after Easter this year, Pope Francis released one of the more important documents of his pontificate. Called Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love)...

For a number of years, I wrote a column concerned only with liturgical matters.  From time to time, I like to return to such topics.