Parishioners from two Catholic churches, in Farmington and Jay, realize there will be changes ahead, both challenging and advantageous, when they’re overseen by one priest beginning next week on July 1.
Maine has experienced, and is expected to continue experiencing, a significant decline in the number of priests available to serve the 150 churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, which covers all of the state.
The Rev. Richard “Dick” Senghas, 77, a surgeon turned priest and pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in Jay, plans to retire Thursday, June 30.
“I just get awfully tired at the end of the day,” Senghas said Friday. “I’m going to miss the parish. The people are just great and very active, too.”
The Rev. Roger Chabot, 66, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Farmington will remain pastor of St. Joseph’s. He’s been appointed to be administrator of St. Rose, as well.
He’ll split his time between the churches and keep residences at both.
The Rev. Paul Plante, pastor of Our Lady of the Lakes Church in Oquossoc, and overseer of mission churches in Rangeley, Carrabassett Valley and Eustis, will assist Chabot with funerals. St. Rose has an average of 40 funerals a year, Chabot said Friday and St. Joseph has an average of 15 funerals annually.
Members of both churches are expected to step up and pick up some of the duties that traditionally were handled by the priests. The parishioners from both churches are considered very active and strong, the priests said.
The number of weekend Masses is to be reduced from four to two at St. Rose and from three to two at St. Joseph’s. The idea is fill the churches during each Mass, Chabot said. About 450 people attend church at St. Joseph’s on the weekend and about 800 people attend at St. Rose. There are about 1,500 families, combined, who belong to the two churches
Daily Mass will continue to be held at both churches, but the details on the times haven’t been completed, Chabot said.
He’ll be traveling the 15 miles between both churches several times during some weekends to celebrate the weddings of parishioners.
“You could see it coming,” Don Castonguay of Livermore and a member of St. Rose said Thursday. “With less and less priests and fewer parishioners, you have to divide up the workload. We’ve all got to make changes. It doesn’t bother me any.”
Margaret Yates of Wilton, formerly a member of St. Mary’s Church in Wilton, and now a member of St. Joseph’s, said Saturday parishioners at the Farmington church have been through this before. The Farmington and Wilton churches were overseen by one priest in 1993 before St. Mary’s closed and the congregation split, with some going to St. Rose and others to St. Joseph’s.
“I think we have seen this coming because we knew the number of priests was declining,” Yates said.
She expects members of both churches to pick up the slack as Chabot’s time is stretched.
Yates said she expects the change to be difficult for people but also anticipates that both congregations are strong enough to keep the identity of their churches.
“I think they form a community,” she said.
While she expects some difficulties, Yates said, there are some blessings in this as well.
She travels, she said, and can choose the Mass and the church she wants to attend. Both churches are of equal distance from her home, she said.
“There will be some challenges,” Yates said. “But I’m going to look for the gains.”
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