A labor of love and service at St. Michael School in Augusta will return next week after shifting to become a virtual event last year due to the pandemic.

April 25 is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations when the Church prays for vocations to ordained ministries, consecrated life in all its forms, secular institutes, and missionary life. The encouragement and formation of vocations is the task of all of us.

On Earth Day, we remember that God has created our world and placed us in it. There is, therefore, a true harmony that exists between God, ourselves as human persons, and our natural world.

Bishop Robert Deeley has announced the following priest assignments and retirements. All assignments are effective Friday, July 30. Pictures and captions are available at www.portlanddiocese.org/PriestAssignmentsApril2021 (larger images available upon request).

To celebrate Earth Day, the Social Justice & Peace Commission at St. Michael Parish (St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Augusta; St. Augustine Church, Augusta; St. Joseph Church, Gardiner; Sacred Heart Church, Hallowell; St. Denis Church, Whitefield; St. Francis Xavier Church, Winthrop) invites all to a special Zoom session on Thursday, April 22, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

A blessed Easter to you all! This beautiful feast brings us to the heart of our faith: Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. We, sharing in that resurrection, have been saved and given the gift of hope! Whether in person or via livestream, we come together at Easter to be reminded of the gifts we have received and to commit ourselves anew to the life we assumed when we became disciples of the Lord Jesus. We were reconciled by God in order to reconcile one with another; we were forgiven to forgive; we were shown mercy in order to be merciful.