Jump to content

Diocese of Portland

From Catholicism Wiki
Diocese of Portland
Dioecesis Portlandensis
Catholic
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Location
Country United States
Territory Maine
Episcopal conference United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Ecclesiastical region Region I
Ecclesiastical province Province of Boston
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston
Coordinates 43°41′05″N 70°16′13″W / 43.68472°N 70.27028°W
Statistics
Area 33,040 sq mi (85,600 km2)[1]
Population
Total
Catholics 		(as of 2023)
1,362,357[1]
286,095[1] ( 21.0%)
Parishes 48 (2023)[1]
Information
Denomination Catholic
Sui iuris church Latin Church
Rite Roman Rite
Established July 29, 1853
Cathedral Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Secular priests 101 (diocesan) (2023)[1]
35 (religious)
46 (permanent deacons)
Current leadership
Pope Leo XIV
Bishop James T. Ruggieri
Metropolitan Archbishop Richard Henning
Map
Website
portlanddiocese.org
Sources: [1][2]

The Diocese of Portland (Latin: Dioecesis Portlandensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church for the entire state of Maine in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston. The mother church of the Diocese of Portland is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland. James T. Ruggieri is the bishop.

History

1600 to 1783

The first Catholics in present-day Maine were French Jesuit priests who established missions among the Native American tribes. Saint Sauveur mission was founded on Mount Desert Island in 1613. Assumption Mission was established in present-day Augusta in 1646.[3] The Catholic mission to the Penobscot Native Americans was established in 1688 by Louis-Pierre Thury on Indian Island.[4]

During the 17th and early 18th centuries, the Maine area was contested territory among the British and French In 1724, militiamen from the British colonies raided the Abenaki village at Norridgewock, killing scores of inhabitants along with their Jesuit priest, Sébastien Rale.[3] With the end of the French and Indian War in 1763, the British took complete control of Maine.[5]

1783 to 1853

After the American Revolution ended in 1783, Pope Pius VI erected in 1784 the Prefecture Apostolic of the United States, encompassing the entire territory of the new nation. At this point, Maine had become part of the new State of Massachusetts. Pius VI created the Diocese of Baltimore, the first diocese in the United States, to replace the prefecture apostolic in 1789.[6][7] Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus, the future first bishop of the Diocese of Boston, performed missionary work with the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy in Maine in 1798.

Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Boston in 1808, including all of New England in its jurisdiction.[8] That same year, Cheverus dedicated St. Patrick Church in Newcastle. It is the oldest Catholic church still in use in New England.[4] In later years, Cheverus made an agreement with Archbishop Joseph-Octave Plessis that allowed the Archdiocese of Quebec to send priests to the St. John Valley and other areas in Maine with large French-Canadian communities.[9]

St. Denis Parish was established in North Whitefield in 1818.[4] In 1820, Maine became its own state.[10] The early 19th century saw an influx of Irish Catholic immigrants to Maine. In 1833, St. Dominic's became the first Catholic church in Portland.[11] Bangor built its first Catholic Church, St. Michael's, in 1834.[12]

1853 to 1875

On July 29, 1853, Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Portland. He took New Hampshire and Maine from the Diocese of Boston to create the new diocese, making it a suffragan of the Archdiocese of New York.[13] The pope appointed David Bacon of the Archdiocese of New York as the first bishop of Portland. At the beginning of Bacon's tenure, the diocese held only six priests and eight churches.[3]

An anti-Catholic riot broke out in Bangor in July 1854. Inflamed by a street preacher, a mob of 1,500 descended on the Old South Church, a former Congregational Church that had been purchased recently by an Irish Catholic group.[14] The rioters broke into the church, smashed the pews, hoisted an American flag from the belfry, rang the bell, and then set the building on fire.[15] During this period, another church was burned by rioters in Lewiston. In Ellsworth, the priest John Bapst was robbed, tarred and feathered. When Bacon arrived in the diocese for the first time, he arrived at night dressed like a layman to avoid conflict.[3]

The American Civil War in the early 1860s slowed the establishment of new churches and parishes in the diocese. With the end of the war, the cotton mills in New England began to reopen. Thousands of Catholic French-Canadians moved from Quebec to Maine and other New England States to work in these factories.[16]

The Great Fire of Portland in 1866 damaged some diocesan property. In 1868, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was dedicated.[3] When Bacon died in 1874, the diocese contained 63 churches, 52 priests, and 23 parish schools, serving a Catholic population of approximately 80,000.

1875 to 1900

On February 12, 1875, Pope Pius IX elevated the Diocese of Boston to the Archdiocese of Boston.[17] He moved the Diocese of Portland from the Archdiocese of New York to the new archdiocese.[18] That same month, the pope appointed James Healy from Boston as the new bishop.[19] Healy was the first African-American Catholic bishop in the United States, although he kept his racial identity a secret.

Early into his tenure as bishop, Healy became involved in a conflict with one of his priests, Jean Ponsardin of Biddeford, Maine. Healy suspected that Ponsardin had been stealing money that the diocese had given him to build a new church. After four years of construction, the building only had a basement and unfinished exterior walls.[20] Healy refused to give Ponsardin any more money and suspended him from ministry in October 1877.[20] Ponsardin then appealed his suspension to the Vatican, which created gossip among officials there.[21] Healy finally agreed to pay Ponsardin's debts on the condition that he leave the diocese.[20]

The Ponsardin matter caused such embarrassment for Healy that he submitted his resignation to Leo XIII in 1878, but the pope rejected it.[21] In 1884, Pope Leo XIII erected the Diocese of Manchester and removed New Hampshire from the Diocese of Portland.[22] This action reduced the diocese to its current territory, the State of Maine. Healy supervised the setup of the new diocese. The Sisters of Charity of St. Hyacinthe in 1888 opened St. Mary's Hospital in Lewiston, the first hospital in that community. Today it is St. Mary's Health System.[23] By the time Healy died in 1900, the diocese had 92 priests, 86 churches, and 96,400 Catholics.[3]

1900 to 1925

Leo XIII appointed William O'Connell of Boston in 1901 as the new bishop of Portland. After five years as bishop there, he was appointed coadjutor archbishop of Boston.[24] To replace O'Connell, Pope Pius X in 1906 appointed Louis Walsh from Boston.[25] During his tenure as bishop, Walsh established several new parishes and schools, and renovated the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conceptionl.[26] His tenure was also marked by a wave of immigrants from Poland, Italy, Slovakia, and Lithuania.[27] He met vocal opposition from groups of French-Canadian parishioners over the ownership of parish property, leading Walsh to place six of their leaders under interdict.[27]

The Sisters of Mercy in 1912 established Saint Joseph’s College in Portland to train women to become teachers. Today it is Saint Joseph's College of Maine.[28] The Spanish Flu pandemic hit Portland in 1918, sickening thousands of people. In response, Walsh asked the Sisters of Mercy to open a hospital in the city. Queen’s Hospital opened in December 1918. Today it is Northern Light Mercy Hospital.

Walsh's last years as bishop of Portland saw the rise of the Ku Klux Klan as a political force in Maine, particularly in Portland. The diocese's expanding parochial school system became a Klan rallying point. Walsh personally led the fight against the Barwise Bill, a Klan-supported measure in the Maine Legislature that would have prevented the state government from providing the Catholic Church with funds for any purpose. The Barwise Bill and two similar bills by State Senators Owen Brewster and Benedict Maher were defeated in 1923, the last one in a statewide referendum.[29] Walsh died in 1924.[25]

1925 to 1950

Auxiliary Bishop John Murray of the Diocese of Hartford was appointed by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as bishop of Portland.[30] During his five-year tenure in Portland, Murray established 30 new parishes and a diocesan weekly newspaper, Church World, in 1930. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Murray organized relief committees to raise money for the homeless and unemployed families. He was forced to mortgage church property to continue funding hospitals, orphanages, and other institutions. Consequently, the diocese accumulated millions of dollars in debt.[31] Murray was appointed archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul in 1932.[30]

Murray's replacement as bishop was Joseph McCarthy of Hartford, named by Pius XI in 1932.[32] McCarthy used his power as a corporation sole to alleviate the debt accumulated by Murray by offering the diocesan property holdings as security for a successful bond issue.[33] By 1936, he had stabilized the diocesan financial situation.[27]

In 1938, McCarthy purchased the former Portland home of railroad executive Morris McDonald as his official residence.[33] He opened numerous elementary schools and high schools during his tenure.[27] In 1939, the College Séraphique opened in Biddeford. It was a Catholic high school and junior college for the children of French-Canadian immigrants working in the area mills. Today it is the University of New England.[34]

Pope Pius XII named Daniel Feeney of Portland as an auxiliary bishop of his diocese in 1946;[35] McCarthy delegated most of his administrative tasks to Feeney due to his own declining health.[27] The Felician Sisters in 1947 opened St. Joseph's Hospital in Bangor.[36] Today it is part of St. Joseph Health Care.

1950 to 2000

In 1952, Pius XII appointed Feeney as coadjutor bishop of the diocese. When McCarthy died in 1955, Feeney automatically became the new bishop of Portland.[35]

Feeney opened new rectories, convents, schools, social centers, parish halls, and the diocesan chancery. In what he described as his greatest accomplishment, Feeney eliminated the diocesan debt burden, which dated back to the 1930s. In 1967, Peter Gerety of Hartford was appointed by Pope Paul VI as coadjutor bishop of Portland to assist Feeney. When Feeney died in 1969, Gerety automatically succeeded him as bishop of Portland.[37]

As bishop, Gerety implemented the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council of the early 1960s by modernizing the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, through the removal of the high altar, cathedra, pulpit, and communion rail.[37] He also helped provide housing for the elderly and expanded the diocesan Bureau of Human Relations.[37] In 1970, Paul VI appointed Edward O'Leary of Portland as auxiliary bishop in that diocese.[38] When Gerety left Portland in 1974 to become archbishop of the Archdiocese of Newark, Pope John Paul II appointed O'Leary as Gerety's replacement.[39] Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Gerry from Manchester was named by John Paul II to succeed O'Leary in 1988.[40]

In 2000, the Associated Press reported that the Diocese of Portland had negotiated with and supported a Maine lawmakers' bill that barred discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation; this bill aimed to overcome the results of the Maine election in February 1998 that repealed the gay marriage law that Maine Governor Angus King signed into law. The diocese did not have a position on the February 1998 vote, citing ambiguities in the law while acknowledging that discrimination was unjust.[41][42]

2000 to present

During his tenure in Portland, Gerry consolidated parishes in Old Town, Lisbon, and Waterville and opened St. Dominic Regional High School in Auburn in 2002.[27] After Gerry's retirement as bishop of Portland in 2004, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Auxiliary Bishop Richard. J. Malone from Boston as the new bishop.

In 2012, Benedict XVI named Malone as bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo.[43] That same year, it was reported that the diocese had contributed $550,000 to Stand For Marriage Maine, a successful campaign in 2009 to prevent legalization of same-sex marriage in Maine.[44][45] In 2013, Pope Francis named Auxiliary Bishop Robert Deeley of Boston as Malone's successor in Portland.[46]

On February 13, 2024, Pope Francis announced the appointment of James T. Ruggieri from the Diocese of Providence as Deeley's successor.[47]

Sexual abuse

In 1998, nine male former students at the Jesuit-run Cheverus High School in Portland sued the Diocese of Portland, stating that they had been molested by James Talbot, a teacher, and Charles Malia, a coach.[48] The plaintiffs accused both Cheverus and the diocese of hiding information about the abusers, and said that both parties knew about previous accusations against Talbot in Massachusetts. Prior to working in Portland, Talbot had been employed at the Boston College High School in Boston. After receiving accusations of sexual abuse against him in Boston, the Jesuit Order had transferred Talbot to Cheverus.[49][48] By 2002, the Diocese of Portland had paid approximately $700,000 in settlement compensation to the Cheverus victims.[48]

  • Talbot admitted his guilt and was fired. In September 2018, Talbot pled guilty to the sex abuse charges in Maine and immediately began serving two concurrent three-year prison sentences.[50][51]
  • Malia retired in 1998, but did not admit his guilt until 2000.[52] Due to the statute of limitations in Maine, Malia could not be prosecuted for any of his crimes.[53]

In 2016, the Diocese of Portland settled six lawsuits for sexual abuse for an estimated $1.2 million.[54] The male plaintiffs accused Bangor priest James Vallely of sexually abusing them between 1958 and 1977. In 2005, a former priest wrote to the diocese about Vallely, saying that Bishop Feeney had received sexual abuse allegations from five boys about Vallely during the 1950's. Feeney simply transferred Valley out of Bangor to another parish in a different town.[55] In 1993, after several men reported abuse by Vallely to the diocese, he was suspended and sent to Florida for treatment.[56]

By January 2019, the Society of Jesus' Northeast Province in the United States had acknowledged seven accused Jesuit clergy had taught at Cheverus.[57] In August 2019, Bishop Deeley launched an abuse reporting system for the diocese.[58]

In 2002, Gerry removed two priests, Michael Doucette and John Audibert, from ministry in parishes in northern Maine. The two men had admitted to sexually abusing different boys during the 1980s. Gerry said that the men would not be transferred to other parishes.[59] Audibert was permanently from priesthood functions in 2006 and told to live a live of prayer and penance.[60] Doucette was removed permanently from ministry in 2009.[60]

Ronald Paquin, a priest with the Archdiocese of Boston, was convicted in Maine in November 2018 of eleven counts of sexual abuse. During the 1980's, he sexually abused a Massachusetts altar boy during trips they took to Maine. Paquin was sentenced to 16 years in prison in May 2019.[61][62] In April 2020, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court upheld ten of Paquin's eleven convictions and vacated one of them.[63][64] Paquin was laicized in 2004.[65]

Bishops

Bishops of Portland

  1. David William Bacon (1853–1874)
  2. James Augustine Healy (1875–1900)
  3. William Henry O'Connell (1901–1906), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop and later Archbishop of Boston (elevated to Cardinal in 1911)
  4. Louis Sebastian Walsh (1906–1924)
  5. John Gregory Murray (1925–1932), appointed Archbishop of Saint Paul
  6. Joseph Edward McCarthy (1932–1955)
  7. Daniel Joseph Feeney (1955–1969; coadjutor bishop 1952–1955)
  8. Peter Leo Gerety (1969–1974; coadjutor bishop 1966–1969), appointed Archbishop of Newark
  9. Edward Cornelius O'Leary (1974–1989)
  10. Joseph John Gerry (1989–2004)
  11. Richard Joseph Malone (2004–2012), appointed Bishop of Buffalo
  12. Robert Deeley (2014–2024)
  13. James T. Ruggieri (2024-)

Auxiliary bishops

Other diocesan priest who became bishop

Parishes

The Diocese of Portland is divided into 30 clusters/parishes.[66]

Basilica

The Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul is located in Lewiston. Erected in 1872, the parish grew due to a wave of late 19th century immigration by French Canadians. Construction of the current church began in 1906 and continued until 1936, by which time it was the second largest church in New England.

Education

As of 2026, the Diocese of Portland has one middle school and nine elementary/middle schools.[67] Cheverus High School in Portland is the only Catholic high school in the diocese[68]

Canonical status and jurisdiction

Diocese of Portland is a diocese of the catholic church of the Catholic Church.[69]

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Diocese in the State of Maine; suffragan of Boston; established by Pius IX, 8 Dec., 1854. When erected it included the territorial limits of the present States of Maine and New Hampshire. Previous to that time it was under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Baltimore and later of the Bishop of Boston. In 1884 the diocese was divided, New Hampshire being made a separate diocese and the episcopal see located at Manchester (q.v.). The present Diocese of Portland includes all the State of Maine. It has an area of 29,895 square miles, and a Catholic population of 125,000, or one-sixth of the total population. The diocese is organized in the form of a corporation sole, the title of which is "Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland".

Early History

The earliest attempts at Catholic colonization in the north or east of what is known as the United States took place in Southern Maine. In 1604, sixteen years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Henry IV, King of France, gave authority to Pierre du Gaust, Sieur de Monts, to establish colonies between the 40th and 46th degrees of north latitude. He landed at Cape La Heve, on the southern part of the Nova Scotian coast, and after making several expeditions to the north in the vicinity of the St. Lawrence, sailed south and discovered and named the River St. John, thence south to an island which he named Ste-Croix, or Holy Cross, and now called De Monts Island. The Ste-Croix River derived its name from this island, and to-day flows by the easternmost part of the United States. A colony was established on this island, and in their chapel in July, 1604, Holy Mass was offered for the first time in New England by the Rev. Nicholas Aubray of Paris. The hardships of the severe winter were such that seventy-nine of the colonists died before the opening of spring. From Ste-Croix Island on 12 September, 1605, Champlain set out on a voyage of discovery. He sailed west along the coast as far as the Penobscot River, which he ascended to the mouth of the Kenduskeag Stream, the present site of Bangor. The falls, a mile above, prevented further progress. Descending the Penobscot River, Champlain sailed west to the mouth of the Kennebec and then returned to the Island of Holy Cross. No doubt Holy Mass was offered up on this voyage. This was the first foothold of France and Catholicism in the North. Potrincourt who succeeded De Mont, after receiving a blessing on his labours from the pope, applied himself to the work of colonization and Christianizing the natives. Two Jesuits, Fathers Peter Biard and Enemond Masse, who were sent to him after some work among the Micmacs of Nova Scotia, came to Maine, and began their very successful labours among the Abenaki. In a vessel under the command of La Saussaye, having on board also Fathers Quentin and Lalemant, and the lay brother Du Thet, who had lately come from France, they sailed to the west and came to Mt. Desert Island, where they landed, and having erected a cross, set up an altar, and, after offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, founded a settlement which they called St. Sauveur, or Holy Redeemer. This settlement was destroyed by Argall, who came from Virginia. The Fathers were taken prisoners, and after many hardships were finally returned to France. Brother Du Thet was killed and buried on this island.

Some Capuchins were afterwards stationed along the coast in the French posts, and had a convent at Castine, and some settlements along the Kennebec. In 1646, Father Gabriel Druillettes was sent to the Kennebec and established the mission of the Assumption among the Abenaki, obtaining wonderful results from this docile people. In 1652, he returned to Canada, but in 1656 and 1657, came again and continued his work. Rev. Laurent Molin, a Franciscan, laboured at Pentagoet. In 1667, Father Morain was successful with the Penobscots and Passamaquoddy Indians. In 1667, Father Thury, a secular priest, came to the Penobscots and laboured successfully among them to the close of his life. In 1668, he established the mission at Panawaniski, at Oldtown. He was succeeded by Fathers Gaudin and Rageot, who remained among the Penobscots until 1703. In 1668, Father Bigot erected a chapel at Narantsouac, now Norridgewock, restoring the mission. The Jesuits, Fathers Joseph de la Chasse, Julian Binneteau, Joseph Aubery, Sebastian Rasle, Sebastian Lauvergat and Loyard, laboured in turn. Of these Father Rasle is the best known. He came to Norridgewock in 1695. There he founded a chapel and had the Indians instructed. In 1705, the English destroyed the chapel and village. They were rebuilt in 1722, were once more destroyed, and Father Rasle's treasures were carried off, including his dictionary of the Abenaki language, now in Harvard College. Father Rasle was murdered and scalped on 23 August, 1724, and his scalp carried to Boston. His body was buried on the spot where the altar had stood. Father James de Sirenne restored the mission at Norridgewock in 1730. For a long period during the wars the Indians were without missionaries, yet they remained faithful. Numbers of the Abenaki fought for the Colonies during the War of Independence. After the war, when Bishop Carroll was consecrated first Bishop of the United States, the Indians sent a deputation to him for a priest. Father Ciquard, a priest of St. Sulpice, was sent in answer to this appeal and remained for ten years, until 1794. In 1797, the Rev. John Cheverus, then a missionary at Boston, came to visit the Indians and remained three months, and while priest and first Bishop of Boston, visited them every year until 1804, built them a church and gave them Father Romagne as their pastor. The latter devoted himself for twenty years to the Penobscots and Passamaquoddys and to the scattered Catholic missions. Bishop Fenwick was consecrated in 1825, and continued the work. Father Ffrench, a Dominican, was stationed at Eastport, and from that place visited the Indian missions. In July, 1827, Bishop Fenwick visited them and at intervals later. In 1833, 109 years after the destruction of the mission at Norridgewock, Bishop Fenwick erected a monument to the memory of Father Rasle. Father Demilier continued the work until his death 23 July, 1843. Bishop Fitzpatrick, the successor to Bishop Fenwick, gave over the Abenaki mission to the Society of Jesus, and, in 1848, Father John Bapst was sent to Oldtown and became a zealous missionary to both whites and Indians. The Indians of Maine are, as a result of the careful teaching and self-sacrificing labours of the missionaries, Catholics.

In the latter part of the eighteenth century, some immigrants from Ireland came to Maine and settled in the towns of Newcastle, Damariscotta, and Nobleboro. Seven Catholic families had settled at Damariscotta Bridge, and for them Father Cheverus said Mass in the barn of Matthew Cottrill. Later Mr. James Kavanaugh, a merchant of the town, had fitted up a neat chapel and Mass was celebrated there on the visitations of the priest. In 1800, Mr. Kavanaugh and his partner, Mr. Cottrill, subscribed $1000 each for the new church, which was dedicated 17 July, 1808, Father Cheverus officiating. This was the second Catholic church in New England, and the first built by English-speaking Catholics in Maine. In 1822, Bishop Cheverus came to Portland at the request of some Catholics, and said the first Mass in Portland. Bishop Fenwick succeeded Bishop Cheverus and ruled the New England province from 1825 to 1845. The work of Bishop Cheverus among the Indians was continued by Bishop Fenwick, and he established in July, 1834, the Catholic colony at Benedicta in Northern Maine and to-day all the inhabitants of the township are Catholics. In 1853 the Holy See divided the Diocese of Boston and erected a new see at Portland, and named its first bishop, David William Bacon.

James Augustine Healy, second bishop, b. at Macon, Ga., 6 April, 1830. He entered Holy Cross College, 1844, and graduated, 1849. His theological education was received at the Grand Seminary, Montreal, where he spent three years, then two years at St-Sulpice, Paris. He was ordained in the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris, by Archbishop Sibour, 10 June, 1854. He began his priestly labours in Boston as Secretary to Bishop Fitzpatrick, and became the first chancellor of the diocese. In March, 1866, he was named pastor of St. James' Church by Bishop Williams. A papal bull dated 12 Feb., 1875, designated him as second Bishop of Portland. He was consecrated in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Portland, 2 June, 1875. When he assumed the cares of the diocese he found the Church well established in the cities of Maine and New Hampshire. In the small towns, however, little was known of Catholic doctrine. Bishop Healy established many missions and new parishes and the Catholic name became known in all parts of the state. He introduced the Dominicans and Marists and some religious orders of women, and was instrumental in establishing the hospital and Healy Asylum in Lewiston. In February, 1877, the school begun in Portland by Bishop Bacon was completed at a cost of $23,0000. It is named the Kavanaugh School in honour of Miss Kavanaugh, a sister of Governor Edward Kavanaugh. In 1881, Bishop Healy purchased a splendid estate in Deering, then a separate town, but now a part of Portland, and opened a boarding school for girls, under the care of the Sisters of Mercy. It is known as St. Joseph's Academy, and has an enrollment of about 100 pupils. He also caused to be built on the same grounds a home for aged women, and a neat chapel to serve the needs of the Catholics in the vicinity. In 1887, St. Elizabeth's Orphan Asylum, which had been transferred to North Whitefield, shortly after his accession, was re-established in Portland. The Sacred Heart School for boys was established by him in 1893. Bishop Healy died 5 August, 1900, respected and beloved by priests and people, as a scholar, a master of oratory, and a man of sanctity.

The third Bishop of Portland was William Henry O'Connell (see ).

Louis Sebastian Walsh, fourth bishop, b. at Salem, Mass., 22 Jan., 1858, son of Patrick Walsh and Honora Foley. He was educated for the priesthood at the Grand Seminary, Montreal, and St-Sulpice Seminary, Paris, and later made profounder studies of canon law and theology at Rome. Ordained in St. John Lateran, Rome, 23 Dec., 1882, by Cardinal La Valletta, he was appointed assistant pastor at St. Joseph's Church, Boston, and professor and director at St. Joseph's Seminary, Brighton, at its opening in 1884, where for thirteen years he taught church history, canon law, and liturgy. In Sept., 1897, he was appointed supervisor of Catholic schools in the archdiocese. He was one of the founders of the "New England Catholic Historical Society", also of the "Catholic Educational Association". He was appointed Bishop of Portland in Aug., 1906, and consecrated in the cathedral at Portland on 18 Oct., 1906, by Rt. Rev. Matthew Harkins of Providence. New parishes and schools were soon established, and the mother-house of the Diocesan Sisters of Mercy was erected in the Deering district of Portland. Bishop Walsh opened in Sept., 1909, the Catholic Institute in the former mother-house of the Sisters of Mercy, wherein are taught 200 boys, also the Holy Innocents Home for Infants and St. Anthony's Guild for Working Girls. At Damariscotta in Aug., 1908, a celebration was arranged to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the dedication of the parish church, and on this occasion was formed the "Maine Catholic Historical Society". At Norridgewock the monument erected by Bishop Fenwick to the memory of Father Rasle, S.J., was replaced and re-dedicated. On Mt. Desert Island in the town of Bar Harbor the arrival of the first missionaries, in 1604, was commemorated; and a beautiful church dedicated under the name given to the island by them, that of St-Sauveur or Holy Redeemer, was erected. The charities of the diocese have been arranged on a permanent basis. In general it may be said that there is a splendid advance in all that pertains to the Church.

Statistics

Within the limits of the diocese, comprising the State of Maine, there are (1911) 125,000 Catholics. They are cared for by 125 seculars and 22 priests of religious orders. There are 70 churches with resident pastors and 49 mission churches, 36 chapels and 67 stations. There is one college, St. Mary's, Van Buren, conducted by the Marist Fathers. Nine academies have an enrollment of 500 pupils. St. Joseph's Academy of Maine, conducted by the Sisters of Mercy, is the largest and best, and furnishes instruction to 100 pupils. There are two schools for Indians caring for 132 pupils; three Catholic hospitals and one home for aged women. The orphans under Catholic care number 415. Total of young people under Catholic care, 12,274.

Religious Communities

The Dominican Fathers are established in Lewiston and the Marists at Van Buren and Lower Grand Isle. The Diocesan Sisters of Mercy have their mother-house in Portland and number 185. The following Sisters and congregations are engaged in various parts of the state: The Sisters of Charity; Grey Nuns; Dominican Sisters; Little Sisters of the Holy Family; Little Franciscan Sisters of Mary; Sisters of the Holy Rosary; Congregation of Notre Dame; Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary; Daughters of Wisdom; Sisters of the Presentation; Ursuline Sisters; Sisters of St. Joseph.

References

  1. Back to citation occurrence 1.0 Back to citation occurrence 1.1 Back to citation occurrence 1.2 Back to citation occurrence 1.3 Back to citation occurrence 1.4 Back to citation occurrence 1.5 "Diocese of Portland Statistics". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. September 8, 2025.
  2. Back to citation "Diocese of Portland in Maine". GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. March 30, 2026.
  3. Back to citation occurrence 3.0 Back to citation occurrence 3.1 Back to citation occurrence 3.2 Back to citation occurrence 3.3 Back to citation occurrence 3.4 Back to citation occurrence 3.5 "History". Diocese of Portland. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  4. Back to citation occurrence 4.0 Back to citation occurrence 4.1 Back to citation occurrence 4.2 "Catholic Sites in Maine | Diocese of Portland". portlanddiocese.org. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  5. Back to citation "Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  6. Back to citation "Our History". Archdiocese of Baltimore. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  7. Back to citation "Freedom of Religion Comes to Boston | Archdiocese of Boston". www.bostoncatholic.org. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  8. Back to citation "Archdiocese of Baltimore". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. March 23, 2026.
  9. Back to citation "Catholic Church - Acadian Culture in Maine". acim.umfk.edu. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  10. Back to citation Woodard, Colin (August 31, 2010). "Parallel 44: Origins of the Mass Effect". The Working Waterfront. Archived from the original on March 31, 2026; Woodard, Colin (2004). The Lobster Coast: Rebels, Rusticators and the Forgotten Frontier. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-670-03324-3; "Maine History (Statehood)". www.maine.gov. Archived from the original on May 4, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
  11. Back to citation "St. Dominic's Church, Portland, ca. 1913". Maine Memory Network. Maine Historical Society.
  12. Back to citation "St. John's Church: A History and Appreciation: Produced on the Occasion of the Jubilee 2000". Bangor Public Library. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  13. Back to citation "Portland (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  14. Back to citation Birkhæuser, J. A. (May 27, 1893). History of the Church from Its First Establishment to Our Own Times (3rd, Revised ed.). New York, New York: Fr. Pustet & Co. p. 726fn – via Internet Archive.
  15. Back to citation "The Riot at Bath, Maine—Church Burned in Open Daylight—Effects of Street Preaching—An Unmolested Mob of Fifteen Hundred" (PDF). The New York Times. Boston Daily Mail. July 11, 1854. p. 4. Retrieved April 24, 2023 – via Times Machine.
  16. Back to citation "When an Influx of French-Canadian Immigrants Struck Fear Into Americans". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  17. Back to citation "Archdiocese of Boston". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. March 29, 2026. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  18. Back to citation "Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. March 6, 2026. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  19. Back to citation "Bishop James Augustine Healy [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  20. Back to citation occurrence 20.0 Back to citation occurrence 20.1 Back to citation occurrence 20.2 Hurst, Violet (November 19, 2021). "Bishop Healy Writes To Archbishop Williams From Rome". The Boston Pilot.
  21. Back to citation occurrence 21.0 Back to citation occurrence 21.1 Foley, Albert S. (1969). Bishop Healy: Beloved Outcaste. New York: Arno Press. ISBN 9780405019258.
  22. Back to citation "Diocese of Manchester". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. February 24, 2025.
  23. Back to citation "Our History". St. Mary's Health System. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  24. Back to citation "William Henry Cardinal O'Connell [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  25. Back to citation occurrence 25.0 Back to citation occurrence 25.1 "Bishop Louis Sebastian Walsh [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  26. Back to citation "Most Rev. Louis S. Walsh, D.D." Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. Archived from the original on December 3, 2007.
  27. Back to citation occurrence 27.0 Back to citation occurrence 27.1 Back to citation occurrence 27.2 Back to citation occurrence 27.3 Back to citation occurrence 27.4 Back to citation occurrence 27.5 "History of the Portland Diocese". Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. Archived from the original on November 26, 2007.
  28. Back to citation "Then and now, a look at our first 100 years - Saint Joseph's College of Maine". February 1, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  29. Back to citation '"Bishop Walsh Warns of Danger from Enkindling Religious Hatred Fires", Lewiston Daily Sun, February 8, 1923, p. 1
  30. Back to citation occurrence 30.0 Back to citation occurrence 30.1 "Archbishop John Gregory Murray [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  31. Back to citation "Most Rev. John G. Murray, D.D." Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. Archived from the original on November 26, 2007.
  32. Back to citation "Bishop Joseph Edward McCarthy [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  33. Back to citation occurrence 33.0 Back to citation occurrence 33.1 "Most Rev. Joseph E. McCarthy". Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. Archived from the original on November 26, 2007.
  34. Back to citation "St. Francis College History | University of New England in Maine". www.une.edu. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  35. Back to citation occurrence 35.0 Back to citation occurrence 35.1 "Bishop Daniel Joseph Feeney [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  36. Back to citation "Our History". St. Joseph Healthcare. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  37. Back to citation occurrence 37.0 Back to citation occurrence 37.1 Back to citation occurrence 37.2 "Most Rev. Peter L. Gerety, D.D." Diocese of Portland. Archived from the original on December 3, 2007.
  38. Back to citation "Archbishop Peter Leo Gerety [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  39. Back to citation "Bishop Edward Cornelius O'Leary [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  40. Back to citation "Bishop Joseph John Gerry [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  41. Back to citation "Catholic Diocese Supports Rights Proposal". Associated Press. January 6, 2000.
  42. Back to citation Meara, Emmet (November 8, 2000). "Failure looms for gay rights". Bangor Daily News. pp. 1–2. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  43. Back to citation "Bishop Richard Joseph Malone [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  44. Back to citation Harrison, Judy (March 2, 2012). "Portland bishop says Catholic Church won't actively campaign against gay marriage". Bangor Daily News.
  45. Back to citation "Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland". Maine Ethics Commission. Archived from the original on March 31, 2026. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  46. Back to citation "Pope picks Bishop Robert Deeley to lead diocese in Maine". The Boston Globe. December 18, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  47. Back to citation "Rinunce e nomine, 13.02.2024" [Renunciations and appointments, 13.02.2024] (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  48. Back to citation occurrence 48.0 Back to citation occurrence 48.1 Back to citation occurrence 48.2 Pfeiffer, Sacha (March 17, 2002). "Maine school struggles to deal with sex abuse issue". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on February 14, 2003.
  49. Back to citation Bodnar, Marissa (November 29, 2017). "Cheverus: Accusations against priest led to increased vigilance". Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  50. Back to citation Villaneuve, Marina (September 24, 2018). "Ex-priest with Boston ties sent to prison again for child sexual abuse". The Patriot Ledger. Quincy, MA. Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  51. Back to citation Gray, Megan (September 24, 2018). "Ex-priest, Cheverus teacher goes to prison for sexually assaulting Freeport boy". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  52. Back to citation "Ex-Coach Admits Abuse: Cheverus legend Charles Malia says he molested boys, by Peter Pochna, Portland Press Herald, March 4, 2000". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  53. Back to citation "No Recent Sex Abuse Found in Malia Case, by Peter Pochna, Portland Press Herald, March 24, 2000". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  54. Back to citation "Portland Catholic Diocese settles with 6 sexual abuse victims for $1.2 million". Portland Press Herald. August 15, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  55. Back to citation "Portland Catholic Diocese settles with 6 sexual abuse victims for $1.2 million". Portland Press Herald. August 15, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  56. Back to citation "Rev. James P. Vallely". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  57. Back to citation "Newly released list of priests accused of sex abuse includes 9 with Maine ties". Bangor Daily News. January 15, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  58. Back to citation "Diocese of Portland launches abuse reporting system". WCSH. August 15, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  59. Back to citation "Portland, Maine, Diocese Removes Two Priests Who Admitted Sex Abuse of Minors". Associated Press. March 25, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  60. Back to citation occurrence 60.0 Back to citation occurrence 60.1 McKiernan, Terry (February 26, 2021). "Diocese of Portland ME - BishopAccountability.org". Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  61. Back to citation Gray, Megan (May 24, 2019). "Defrocked priest, 76, sentenced to spend 16 years in prison for sexually abusing boy in Maine". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  62. Back to citation "Defrocked priest Ronald Paquin convicted of abusing another boy". Boston Herald. November 30, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  63. Back to citation "Maine's top court upholds defrocked priest's sex abuse convictions". Bangor Daily News. April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  64. Back to citation Byrne, Matt (April 24, 2020). "Maine high court upholds sex crime convictions of defrocked priest". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  65. Back to citation "Defrocked priest Ronald Paquin ordered to serve 16 years in Maine". www.boston.com. Associated Press. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  66. Back to citation "Current Cluster Configurations". Diocese of Portland. Archived from the original on March 31, 2026. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  67. Back to citation "Diocese of Portland | Find a School". portlanddiocese.org. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  68. Back to citation "Cheverus - Private Catholic High School in Maine". Cheverus High School. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  69. Back to citation Diocese of Portland, official website
Retrieved from "https://catholicism.wiki/index.php?title=Diocese_of_Portland&oldid=68215"