‘Year of St. Joseph’ Masses set for Ellsworth, Soldier Pond and Standish on March 19

Catholic churches in Ellsworth and Soldier Pond, as well as St. Joseph College in Standish, will spend the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (March 19), celebrating the name that adorns their churches and school while commemorating the “Year of St. Joseph” declared by Pope Francis in the process.

Special Masses are set for Friday, March 19 at:

St. Joseph Church

231 Main Street in Ellsworth

5:30 p.m.

Mass will be livestreamed at www.facebook.com/StJosephEllsworth. For more information on attending in person, call 207-667-2342.

Established as St. Joseph in 1862.

St. Joseph Church

7 Church Street in Wallagrass (of which Soldier Pond is a village)

5 p.m.

For information on attending, call 207-834-5656 on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Established as St. Joseph in 1890.

St. Joseph College of Maine

Healy Chapel on campus in Standish

9 p.m.

Mass will be livestreamed at https://meet.google.com/pwn-kmcs-gtu. For more information on attending in person, call 207-893-7791.

Established as St. Joseph in 1912.

On December 8, 2020, Pope Francis declared a “Year of St. Joseph” and released Patris corde (“With a Father’s Heart”), an apostolic letter celebrating the 150^th anniversary of Pope Pius IX’s declaration naming Saint Joseph the patron of the Universal Church. The aim of this apostolic letter and declaration is, according to the Holy Father, to “increase our love for this great saint, to encourage us to implore his intercession, and to imitate his virtues and his zeal.” Pope Francis was moved to issue the decree and apostolic letter during the many months of the global pandemic, saying it has shown “‘how our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people, people often overlooked.” 

A special web section focusing on the Year of St. Joseph can be found on the Diocese of Portland’s website at www.portlanddiocese.org/year-of-saint-joseph. It features a variety of resources for the year, including Patris corde, a list of celebrations and events planned for Maine that will be continually updated, prayers, images, and more. You can also learn more about the plenary indulgences associated with the year and the conditions and ways to receive one.