As part of an initiative by the Diocese of Portland, a Parish planning effort took place in our Cluster in the  spring and summer of 2020.The process was facilitated by the Catholic Leadership Institute. It included a parishioner survey as well as reflection and online ZOOM discussions by 20 parishioners over several weeks during the pandemic.  The result is a one page plan approved by Bishop Robert Deeley that outlines our Mission, Vision and Values, as well as, priorities and measurable goals for the next three years.  A 3 -page “Action Steps” document will help guide the Pastoral Council, Commissions, groups, staff and clergy.  Exciting events and projects are anticipated for ongoing personal conversion, enhanced community, and outreach and service.   The Plan will help as we emerge from the pandemic and respond eagerly to God’s call to us as Christians.  Guided by the Holy Spirit, inspired by Jesus’ teaching, may our two parishes  truly be as our Vision states: “a thriving faith-filled family which loves and serves the Lord - welcoming all to Christ.”

O Lord,  thank You for the gift of our Catholic Faith, for our Parishes, and  Holy Eucharist.
In our Parish Plan we seek ongoing conversion, hearts closer to You,
that we grow as a parish community,
and reach out and serve others.
We pray O Lord,
that guided by the Holy Spirit and inspired by the teaching of Jesus,
our two parishes will always be
a thriving faith-filled family
which loves and serves the Lord - welcoming all to Christ.
We ask all this though Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen

St Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.
St Catherine of Sienna, pray for us.
St Elizabeth Ann Seton, pray for us.
St Joseph, pray for us.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, Our Lady of Ransom, pray for us.
God’s Will be done!  Amen.

Welcome!

We are a vibrant and faith filled community driven by the Spirit to welcome all to Christ.  Our mission is to grow in our Roman Catholic Faith and to reach out to help each other and the larger community by using our individual gifts through fellowship, prayer, and the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.  In this way we proclaim the Gospel in the spirit of faith, hope and charity, through worship, ministry and outreach to those in need.
 

Our cluster consists of
St. Catherine of Sienna, Norway
Our Lady of Ransom, Mechanic Falls
St. Mary's, Oxford
St. Joseph, Bridgton
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Fryeburg.

"The Parishes of the Western Maine Lakes & Foothills," Cluster 30 in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Maine, embraces two parishes and five churches. The two parishes are joined under one pastor with a small pastoral team and many dedicated volunteers who together serve the varied needs of a wide region in one of the most beautiful areas of Maine.
 
*St. Joseph Parish, established in 1971, is comprised of two Catholic worshiping communities, St. Joseph (SJ) Church in Bridgton and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church (SEAS) in Fryeburg. 

Our Patron Saints

Saint Joseph (March 19 and May 1) was of royal descent, and his genealogy is told in St. Matthew’s and St. Luke’s Gospels. He was the foster father of Jesus Christ and husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A carpenter by trade, St. Joseph was named Patron Saint of the Universal Church by Pope Pius IX in 1870. He is also patron saint of Carpenters, the Dying, Engineers, Families, Fathers, Interior Souls, Social Justice, and Workers.


Saint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton (1774-1821) (memorial January 4) was the first native-born citizen of the US to be canonized by Blessed Pope Paul VI on September 14, 1975.  She established the first Catholic school in the US, and she founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph. She had a deep devotion to the Holy Eucharist, Sacred Scripture and the Virgin Mary




*Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish, established in 2008, includes the year-round worshiping communities of Our Lady of Ransom, Mechanic Falls and St. Catherine of Sienna, Norway; and in the summer, St. Mary’s, Oxford.

Our Patron Saints

Our Lady of Ransom (September 24) and Saint Mary (various feasts) are just two of the many titles by which Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is known. As Our Lord was conceived in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus is both fully divine and fully human, she is often referred to as the Mother of God, and holds the highest place of reverance after God, who is One in Three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. "Our Lady of Ransom" refers to the Blessed Virgin as special patroness of persecuted Christians.


Saint Catherine of Sienna (1347-1380) (memorial April 29) was a great mystic and is honored as a Doctor of the Church because of her writings which are spiritual classics, including her Dialogues, in which she records her inspirations and reflections of her love of Christ and the sick and the poor for whom she cared. When the Norway church was originally established by Dominicans from Lewiston, they adopted a variant of the French spelling "Sainte Catherine de Sienne".


Saint Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997) (memorial September 5) is best known for her work with "the poorest of the poor" in India and around the world through the work of the Missionaries of Charity, the order of religious women she founded in 1950, and which today serve in over 130 countries. Among the recognition she received was the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.