St. Michael School’s commitment to service, the importance of reading, and providing faith and fun to its students will all be highlighted throughout Catholic Schools Week (January 30-February 5) at the Augusta school.

In an effort to promote solidarity throughout the hemisphere by providing support for pastoral projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Diocese of Portland will hold a special collection at all weekend Masses in Maine churches on the weekend of January 22-23. Last year, even at the height of the pandemic, dioceses across the country raised nearly $6 million that were distributed to 334 ministries in Mexico, Central/South America, and the Caribbean.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, a response to Christ's prayer “that they all may be one" (John 17:21), is an eight-day period of prayer in which all Christians are invited to participate on January 18-25.

Maine Catholics are invited to join thousands of Catholics across the country in nine days of prayer for life and human dignity.

All are welcome to gather for the 2022 Hands Around the Capitol on Saturday, January 15, from noon to 1 p.m. in Augusta. The annual gathering publicly recognizes and mourns the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, calls for an end to abortion, and promotes the protection of human life from conception to natural death.

When searching for reasons to smile during the pandemic, a common source of comfort has been the sacrifices made by many Mainers as they have looked past their own needs in hopes that those in greater danger might be helped.