Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes to offer Masses in six languages on Sunday, April 18

PORTLAND — In a reflection of the area’s rich tradition and diversity, six different languages will be employed during Masses on Sunday, April 18, at the Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes (Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Parish, Portland; Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Parish, Portland; St. Christopher Parish, Peaks Island; St. Louis Parish, Portland; St. Peter Parish, Portland).

The Masses are in addition to the parishes’ all-English Masses offered at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, located on 307 Congress Street, at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.; St. Peter Parish, located on 72 Federal Street, at 9 a.m.; and St. Christopher Parish, located on 15 Central Avenue, at 10 a.m.

Spanish

Mass in Spanish will be offered by Fr. Kevin Upham at Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Parish, located on 65 Mellen Street, at 12:30 p.m. The Mass is celebrated every Sunday, with regular Holy Hours in Spanish frequently offered as well. Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Parish is the home for Hispanic Ministry for the Greater Portland area, serving people from 12 Spanish-speaking countries through a variety of events and celebrations.

Polish

Mass in Polish will be offered by Fr. Robert Bedzinski at St. Louis Church, located on 279 Danforth Street, at 4 p.m. St. Louis is the only Polish parish in Maine. It was established in 1915 when over 250 Polish families were living in the immediate area. The red brick church that stills stands today was opened in 1924.

French
Mass in English with French translation will be offered at Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Parish at 10:30 a.m. The tradition of French Masses in Maine dates back to the early 17^th century, with the community growing with an influx of French Canadians in the area during the late 19^th century.

Vietnamese

Mass in Vietnamese will be celebrated by Fr. Vo Dinh at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at 5 p.m. Four of the Diocese of Portland’s current seminarians are Vietnamese: Hoa Nguyen, Thanh Pham, Vinh Nguyen, and Lam Vo.

Latin

Mass in Latin will be offered by Fr. Robert Parent in the chapel of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at noon. The Mass, offered weekly, is done according to a simple form of the “Missa Cantata” (sung Mass) with all of the prayers and hymns in Latin. Since 2008, Fr. Parent has been the chaplain of the St. Gregory the Great Latin Mass Chaplaincy in the Diocese of Portland ,serving those who wish to make use of the Missal of 1962 as provided by Pope Benedict XVI’s motu proprio Summorum Pontificum.

Masses celebrated at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception are also offered via livesteam (www.facebook.com/PortlandCathedral) for those who cannot attend in person.