Parish of the Resurrection of the Lord in Old Town receives Matthew 25 Award

The Parish of the Resurrection of the Lord in Old Town has been chosen as the 2026 recipient of Catholic Charities Maine Parish Social Ministry’s (PSM) Matthew 25 Award. The parish was honored for its work serving the community through its food pantry, community meals, and funeral luncheons.

“When this parish is doing these things, it’s not just handing out food or a hot meal. It’s serving our Lord, and it’s being a light to the community,” said Deacon Frank Daggett, director of PSM.

“To be a light of Christ is not first about doing more. It’s about belonging more deeply to Christ,” said Bishop James Ruggieri, who presented the award during a Mass celebrated at Holy Family Church in Old Town on Sunday, February 8. “When we are united to Christ in love, action follows naturally. Service flows from a communion. Charity becomes an expression of a relationship.”

The Matthew 25 Awards, which include financial grants, are intended to help parishes bolster social ministry programs so that they can better serve the needs of the community. The Parish of the Resurrection of the Lord received $6,000, which the parish used to buy a new freezer. The old one had broken down several times, resulting in wasted food.

“I was ecstatic because we really do need it,” said Jeannette Bernard, who submitted the application for the award. “We needed the freezer because we do a lot. This is the heart of the community right here.”

The parish serves a free community meal in the Holy Family Church hall on the fourth Monday of the month, on the same day that the Holy Family Food Pantry is open. The meal has drawn more than 150 people, including parishioners, food pantry clients, parish staff, and volunteers, while the food pantry regularly serves between 80 and 100 families.

“We have a very large elderly population, with four elderly houses, and so I think that contributes to it. They live on a limited budget, so this helps,” said Kathy Shorette, co-director of the pantry and community meal.

“They were doing 20 families when it was over in the thrift store. That was probably 10 years ago, so it’s grown, grown, grown over the years. I think people just need the help,” said Janet Lepage, a co-director, who buys food for the pantry and is the chef for the community meal.

Because the food pantry does not receive food from the government, there are no income restrictions. Anyone who needs help is welcome to come by.

“It’s a corporal work of mercy, reaching out to others, taking care of those who are more in need,” said Cindy Labbe of Old Town, who has volunteered for more than 20 years.

The food pantry, community meals, and other initiatives of the parish's Matthew 25 Commission receive some of the proceeds from the parish's thrift store but are also generously supported by parishioners and community members. The Daughters of Isabella, for example, donate fresh produce each month.

"When we reach out to the people, sometimes we start out by saying that we know we've already asked so much of you, but can you still help? And they never let us down," said Dottie Poisson, chair of the Parish of the Resurrection of the Lord's Matthew 25 Commission. 

Around 20 volunteers help out at the food pantry, community meals, and funeral luncheons.

“I’ve been doing it at least 10 years, back to when it used to be over in the thrift shop,” said Duane Brasslett, one of the co-directors. “It’s just interesting meeting the people and knowing that I’m helping people out. It is definitely important. There are a lot of people who really need it out there.”

“It does your heart good to do something nice for somebody,” said Sue Cust, who helps with the community meals and leads the funeral luncheon committee, along with her husband. “It’s just the best feeling in the world.”

In addition to honoring the Parish of the Resurrection of the Lord with its Matthew 25 Award, Catholic Charities Maine Parish Social Ministry also awarded Christ the King Parish in Skowhegan a $4,000 grant to be used for jail ministry.

For a decade now, parishioners have been bringing Christ's love and mercy to residents of the Somerset County Jail, and during that time, the program has continued to grow, with more residents participating and with visits going from monthly to weekly.

Working in collaboration with two other area Christian churches, the parish also helped to bring a Celebrate Recovery program to the jail to help those battling addiction. It is now hoping to start a similar program outside the jail. The grant money will be used for that and to purchase pamphlets, booklets, and journals.