Religion
Head of Portland Catholic Diocese thanks Maine lawmakers for service
AUGUSTA, Maine — Bishop Richard J. Malone, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, thanked lawmakers Tuesday for their service at an annual reception held in their honor. Malone also explained why the church takes positions and lobbies on political issues, but he did not urge legislators to support ...
Lincolnville Center church plans activities during Lent
LINCOLNVILLE, Maine — The United Christian Church will hold a series of special services during Lent. “Music and Reflection for the Season of Lent” will be held at 4 p.m. Sundays, beginning Feb. 26. The 45-minute programs will include performances by local musicians, selected readings and a time for quiet ...
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Marriage Equality
on Feb. 19, 2012, at 3:57 p.m.
Sometimes I just don’t get it…I do not understand the ‘dialog’ or discourse around marriage. While I agree that from a faith based stance, marriage is a sacred covenant or sacrament, there is nothing in the scriptures to state that marriage between a man and a woman is the only ...
Community
Woody Woodson in Thomaston Feb. 23
THOMASTON, Maine — Woody Woodson, supernatural manifest through his preaching and teaching, will be at Penobscot Bay Family Church at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, at the Thomaston Academy Building, 60 Main St., second floor, room 206. For more information, call Pastor Steve Young at 354-7100 or visit www.penbayfamilychurch.com.
Muslim student group raises $4,000 to send water to drought-stricken Africa
ORONO, Maine — Officially the famine in the Horn of Africa is over, according to the United Nations. But the aftermath of the seven-month-long drought, especially in Somalia, a nation torn by civil strife and without a central government, is predicted to be long-lasting. Members of the Muslim Student Association, ...
Belfast area churches plan Lenten luncheon series
on Feb. 16, 2012, at 7:22 p.m.
BELFAST, Maine — The Greater Bay Area Ministerium will sponsor a Lenten luncheon series at noon on Wednesdays, Feb. 29 through March 28, at First Baptist Church, 95 High St. All are invited to bring their own brown bag lunch to eat. Beverages and dessert will be provided. The theme ...
Windham pastor accused of domestic assault
The Associated Press on Feb. 14, 2012, at 7:10 a.m.
FALMOUTH, Maine — The pastor of a non-denominational Christian church in Windham has been arrested on domestic violence charges. Police say they were called to the Falmouth home of 57-year-old Kendall Libby at about 11 p.m. Sunday for a fight and determined probable cause to charge him with domestic assault ...
Catholic bishops dismiss Obama’s policy change on contraceptives
By David G. Savage, Tribune Washington Bureau on Feb. 12, 2012, at 9:29 p.m.
WASHINGTON — Catholic bishops say they remain opposed to President Barack Obama’s plan to require insurers to provide free birth control, even if religiously affiliated employers such as Catholic hospitals and universities aren’t forced to pay for it. “The only complete solution to this religious liberty problem is for HHS ...
Bangor Theological Seminary to suspend Master of Divinity, Arts programs
BANGOR, Maine — The Bangor Theological Seminary board of trustees has unanimously voted to suspend the school’s Master of Divinity and Master of Arts programs at the end of the 2012-13 academic year. The move will allow the school to explore a range of options in line with its historic ...
VIDEO
Bishop Malone takes wait-and-see approach to birth control announcement
BANGOR, Maine — Bishop Richard J. Malone on Friday called President Barack Obama’s announcement that religious employers would not have to provide free birth control coverage under his health care plan a step in the right direction, but stopped short of endorsing it. “Today’s decision to revise how individuals obtain ...
Obama compromises on birth control policy for religious employers
By Ben Feller, AP White House Correspondent on Feb. 10, 2012, at 11:36 a.m.
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama declared Friday he has found a solution to a birth-control uproar that will protect religious liberty but also ensure women have access to free contraception, as he rushed to defuse an election-year issue that threatened to overtake his administration. Capping weeks of growing controversy, Obama ...
Experts to bishops: pedophiles lie, trust victims
By NICOLE WINFIELD, The Associated Press on Feb. 07, 2012, at 8:30 p.m.
ROME — Priests who rape and molest children lie when confronted with an accusation but victims usually tell the truth, psychologists told Catholic bishops at a symposium Tuesday, advising them to listen first to the victims. The message came during a Vatican-backed meeting on clerical sex abuse that aimed to ...
Sadness, joy are themes for closing of Waterville Catholic church
WATERVILLE, Maine — Sun shone through stained-glass windows on a full crowd for the final time at St. Francis de Sales Church on Sunday afternoon. Bishop Richard Malone, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, celebrated the final Mass in front of a full crowd of nearly 400 at ...
‘Quran: Learn It or Burn It?’ draws 200 to Orono mosque Saturday
ORONO, Maine — Johanna Szillery of Old Town came to meet her neighbors. The Rev. John Buhr, pastor of Pathway Community Church in Newport, attended so he would be better equipped to answer questions from his congregation about Islam. Lindsey Piper of Belfast brought her sister, who married a Jordanian ...
Community
REGISTRATION OPENS FOR DOWNEAST SPIRITUAL LIFE CONFERENCE
BLUE HILL, Maine — Online registration has opened for the two-day Downeast Spiritual Life Conference: “Spirituality in Our Times: One Journey, Many Paths” to be held August 24-25, at the Grand Theater in Ellsworth and at other nearby locations. The conference features principal speakers Fr. Richard Rohr, Phyllis Tickle, and ...
Waterville pastor’s book debunks ‘prosperity gospel’
The Rev. William Cripe Sr. of Waterville has a bone to pick with the ministers he calls the “purveyors of prosperity.” The senior pastor of Faith Evangelical Free Church in Waterville felt so strongly that they were turning the almighty into a “vending machine God,” who dispenses wealth and good ...
Maine Catholic bishop starts ministry to support people attracted to the same sex
PORTLAND, Maine — Bishop Richard Malone, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, announced Thursday the formation of a new ministry to support people with same-sex attraction. Malone announced in a press release the establishment of a local chapter of Courage, a worldwide spiritual support group based in Norwalk, ...
Series of events to mark closing of Waterville Catholic church
WATERVILLE, Maine — The 137-year-old Catholic church at 52 Elm St. will be given a proper sendoff before being torn down to make way for senior housing. St. Francis de Sales Church, established in 1874, will host several events beginning on Feb. 1, to mark its closure. The church was ...
Mass, right-to-life march moving for Jesuit volunteer in Portland
Seeing a group of young adults with special needs receive Communion on Monday morning during a Mass for teens and young adults at the Verizon Center in Washington made the long bus ride to the nation’s capital worthwhile for Lisa Yanzer, 24, of Portland. “Seeing the kids with special needs ...
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Solitude
on Jan. 22, 2012, at 12:36 p.m.
It is okay, in fact, more than okay to spend time in solitude. In this society where we are in constant touch – either physically or virtually, we are inundated by what others think, what others feel, and by the shoulds of our culture. We seldom if ever move inside ...
Rosa Scarcelli suing stepfather for not firing her mother
Man shot in Hermon home invasion arrested for second time Friday, released Tuesday
Bangor police looking for Florida firefighter
Scarborough boy, 11, rocking open mike nights at Lewiston restaurant
What’s more important — presidential or party preference?
Toilet-papering spree in Bangor neighborhoods a result of high school swimmers’ success
No. 8 Houlton stuns No. 1 Orono, will face Stearns in semifinal
Cianbro has 150 job openings
Gambling board approves Maine’s first casino: Hollywood Slots becomes Hollywood Casino Bangor
Maple syrup producers concerned about mild winter
Maine inspires chefs and foodies nationwide
Photos of Mainers who served in Vietnam War needed for national center
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