A national speaker, Mass with Bishop Robert Deeley, and activities inspiring faith and fellowship are among the many moving experiences awaiting participants at the 2023 Maine Catholic Men’s Conference on Saturday, March 18.

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 21-22. Last year, even during the pandemic, dioceses across the country raised nearly $6 million that were distributed to 281 ministries in Mexico, Central/South America, and the Caribbean.

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

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an opportunity to ask God to help Christian Churches seek common ground and appreciation for each other. Prayer is the key which opens our hearts to Christ’s desire for unity. In opening ourselves to prayer, we remember that we share a common baptism and faith in the Trinity. Our practice of faith begins in our shared appreciation for Scripture as the Word of God where we encounter the saving truth of Jesus.

Happy New Year! I hope the past few weeks have been a time of celebration and created cherished memories for you and your loved ones. As we embark on a new year, we would be wise to be guided by Mary, whose solemnity we celebrate on January 1 under the title of Mother of God.

The passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is a great sadness for the universal Church and a personal loss for me and countless others who benefited from his great faith, intelligence, and kindness. He served for over seven decades as a priest and nearly eight years as the Successor to St. Peter. His contributions to theology are extraordinary, including the creation of many conciliar documents, and even as his health declined in recent years, he continued to teach of the sacredness of life.

To honor the memory of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Bishop Robert Deeley will preside at a special Mass on Wednesday, January 4, at 12:15 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on 307 Congress Street in Portland.