Parish of the Precious Blood

Parish Restructure Update for Cluster 3 Background Since February 20, 2025, when Bishop James Ruggieri met with parish leaders (Finance and Pastoral Council members) and representatives from each worship site on the vision of the parish, the priests of Cluster 3 have been engaging with parishioners to explain the proposed restructuring. Throughout March, we informed the faithful about potential worship site combinations and listened to their feedback. Community Response The idea of restructuring has generated mixed feelings, primarily due to concerns about possible church closures. Over four weeks, we held town hall meetings at each worship site to address questions and gather suggestions. Survey Results. This past weekend, a survey was conducted, particularly focusing on churches proposed to join Van Buren, Caribou, or Presque Isle. The responses were as follows: Presque Isle Preference • St. Joseph (Mars Hill): 40 were present—all opted for Presque Isle. • Our Lady of the Lakes (Portage): 36 were present—30 chose Presque Isle, while 6 were open to either Caribou or Presque Isle, stating they would attend Mass wherever it was held. • St. Mark (Ashland): 32 were present—all preferred Presque Isle. Some of those present also proposed naming the new cluster "Immaculate Conception Parish." Caribou Preference • St. Denis (Fort Fairfield): 50 were present—45 chose Caribou, while 5 preferred Presque Isle. • St. Catherine (Washburn): 20 were present—15 opted for Caribou, while 3 preferred Presque Isle due to better winter road maintenance. (I agree with this reasoning, having experienced the same travel conditions.) and the two others were not bothered where they will be associated to so long as there is mass being offered in Washburn. • St. Theresa (Stockholm): 18 were present—all favored Caribou; none chose Van Buren. • Sacred Heart (North Caribou): 39 were present—27 preferred Van Buren, while 12 chose Caribou. o Reasons for choosing Caribou:  Different mindset compared to the Valley.  Questioned why two churches in the same town would be separated.  Lack of faith formation at their worship site. • St. Louis (Limestone): 38 were present (lowest attendance)—22 chose Van Buren, while 16 preferred Caribou. Normally the attendance is between 50 and 70. Proposed Way Forward From the survey it means that Van Buren will go with Hamlin, North Caribou and Limestone, Caribou will take Washburn, Fort Fairfield and Stockholm and Presque Isle will go with Mars Hill, Ashland and Portage Lake.

On February 20, 2025, Most Reverend James T. Ruggieri, Bishop of the Diocese of Portland, met with members of the Pastoral and Finance Councils and Parish representatives at Holy Rosary’s Parish Center. The purpose of this meeting was to respond to our submitted Parish profile and offer thoughts about ways that our Parish and the Christian faithful in the Caribou, Presque Isle, and surrounding areas can move forward to create an increasingly more vibrant Catholic community. After consultation with the Priest Personnel Board, his response is to present us with the following recommendations. In our profile, we stated that we have one of the largest territories in the Diocese and that having 10 worship sites prevents us from creating the vibrant Parish we would like it to be. So, in thinking about current and future needs, the Bishop stated, “It is clear that there is a need for a greater priest presence in the communities served by the Parish of the Precious Blood. Greater attention needs to be paid to those priorities we have laid out in our profile. We have many families in the Parish; focusing on them and developing ministries to walk with them will be essential. Identifying the most helpful locations to make these ministries flourish will also be necessary.” The Bishop would like us to consider that beginning on July 1, 2025, there would be a priest living in the following towns: Van Buren, Caribou, and Presque Isle. Over the next year, we need to identify, recommend, and agree upon the most appropriate and manageable boundaries for the new parishes which includes the current Parish of the Precious Blood and St. Peter Chanel in Van Buren. Each Parish at that moment will consist of four church sites that will be served by one priest. The Bishop continued to say that he believes it would greatly benefit us as people of God and the priests assigned. We need to create two separate parishes from the current Parish of the Precious Blood, one whose base is in Caribou and the other with a base in Presque Isle. In all this, he is asking that Fr. Tony be the designated Moderator with two other priests assigned in solidum in accord with CIC c. 517 §1. Fr. Tony’s role as Moderator would be facilitating the team ministry for the Parish of the Precious Blood during the planning phase to transition to two separate parishes. Each of the priests in solidum has the same rights and duties as the Moderator. However, it will be Fr. Tony’s charge to direct the joint action and report to the Bishop. Over the next year, or sooner, Bishop Ruggieri will be asking Fr. Tony, the two other priests in solidum, and, with input from parishioners, to make a recommendation for the appropriate boundaries of these three new parishes. Fr. Tony will also ensure that the number of Masses for each priest assigned to the current and/or possible future configuration of St. Peter Chanel Parish and the successor parishes to the Parish of the Precious Blood conforms to four. Four Masses can mean that there are two vigil Masses on Saturday and two on Sunday, or one vigil Mass on Saturday and three on Sunday. Four Masses for each priest would be the maximum possible beginning July 1, 2025.