Dear Friends,

November has gone by too fast. We are already in the season of Advent. It is a season of hope and reflection as we wait for the coming or our Lord.    We decorate our homes with lights to ready ourselves to celebrate the birth of our savior. We should also keep in mind that we also await the second coming of our Lord. Last Sunday our Gospel reminded us to stay awake and ready ourselves for the “day of the Lord.”

I would like to take this opportunity to write to you concerning our belief in the second coming and the significance of burying our loved ones in hope for the “day of the Lord.”

Ever since the Sacred Body of Jesus Christ was reverently laid in the tomb, to await the hour of its glorious Resurrection at Easter, the Church has been vigilant to surround the burial of those who hope to rise with Christ with an atmosphere of deep Christian faith and profound reverence. In the Funeral Mass and burial prayers, the Church gives voice to the belief in the Christian doctrines of the Resurrection of the Body, the Communion of Saints, and Life Everlasting. As a further seal and symbol of that faith, the Church sets apart and solemnly blesses the places in which the bodies of the faithful departed await the resurrection of the dead.
We have 16 Cemeteries in our parish. These are our sacred places of hope.

Our parish has a cemetery committee that oversees the maintenance of these cemeteries and their proper esthetic care.

Here is the issue. Preparing for burials and maintaining them is very costly. For some years now, our cemeteries have been operating at a $30-40,000 deficit. Burial preparation includes the digging and filling the grave, securing necessary permits, maintaining legal files, keeping records, the use of a casket-lowering device, and other items or services that our parish employees provide to families.

Then there is the cost of summer maintenance. Costs have gone up. Last year we paid some $38,000 to mow our cemeteries. We anticipate the price to increase next Spring. In other words, we need to increase our fee structure, so our parish does not have to carry the burden of the deficit each year from our parish savings. Cemeteries should be able to pay for themselves.

From December 2021 to November 2022, we cared for 185 deaths of our loved ones. Out of those, 36 were not buried in our cemeteries but at the Veteran’s Cemetery or other cemeteries in the area.

Friends, we will strive to do all we can to make Catholic Cemeteries as inspiring as possible so that when you visit, you will be reminded of what death is really about – a preparation for a better life.

Catholic Cemeteries give hope to us all that we shall be reunited with Christ and those we love in the resurrection on the last day.

The new fee structure can be found in the entrance or back of the church or by going online to our website at www.theppb.org.
                                                                              Blessings,
                                                                              Fr. Dave

    As Catholics, we are called to not only live our faith for ourselves but in community with one another.  A living faith is an active faith and one that follows the example Jesus set for us. It brings us together to celebrate the Eucharist, to share our gifts, and to lift others up so that they may discover the gifts they, too, have to offer. 

One way that Catholics in Maine can help their faith come alive is by contributing to the annual Catholic Appeal. Each year, ministries supported by the appeal touch the lives of tens of thousands of people across the state, from newborns to seniors.

As a community of faith, we are called to be witnesses to the Gospel, changing individual hearts one at a time and transforming the communities where we live. This is our work, the work of our Church, made possible through your support.  Please look into your heart and step out in faith by prayerfully considering a gift in support of the 2022 Catholic Appeal.

If you would like more information or need assistance, please call David DiNapoli at (207) 321-7835.  Click on "Make a Gift" to make your gift TODAY!

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