About St. Agnes (St. Agnes Parish) · Pittsfield, Maine
St. Agnes Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Pittsfield, Maine, in the Diocese of Portland. The parish traces its origins to the first Mass celebrated in Pittsfield on May 21, 1893, in the home of the Monahan family. Its historic church on Detroit Street — featuring a natural cypress interior and notable stained-glass windows — was built in 1904 and formally dedicated by Bishop Walsh on July 17, 1910. Today St. Agnes is clustered with Our Lady of the Snows Parish (which covers the nearby churches in Milo, Dover-Foxcroft, and Dexter) under a single pastor and shared administrative office. The parish offers weekend and weekday Mass in English and a Spanish-language Mass on the first and third Fridays of each month, along with faith formation, Knights of Columbus service, and outreach ministries.
- Established
- 1893
- Patron
- St. Agnes
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Anthony Lawir
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland (Maine)
Why belong here
St. Agnes offers a small-town Catholic community with deep central-Maine roots, an English-language weekend Mass schedule, and a Spanish Mass on the first and third Fridays for the region's Hispanic Catholics. The parish is part of a cluster that combines Sunday faith formation for grades K–8, OCIA (Order of Catholic Initiation for Adults), Vacation Bible School, Knights of Columbus service, community meals, and parish outreach — all under one pastor serving central Maine. It is a good fit for families looking for an active faith-formation program, Spanish-speaking Catholics in Somerset County, and anyone who values a historic 1904 church with a sense of continuity going back more than 130 years.
Mass times at St. Agnes (St. Agnes Parish)
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration (listed among parish ministries)
Parish History
Saint Agnes Parish traces its roots to May 21, 1893, when the first Mass was offered in Pittsfield in the Monahan home. For its first three decades the mission was served from Waterville, Belfast, and North Vassalboro. In 1903 Father Kelley launched a building drive that produced the historic cypress-interior church on Detroit Street, opened for worship on November 17, 1904, and formally dedicated by Bishop Walsh on July 17, 1910. Bishop John Gregory Murray assigned the parish its first resident priest, Father M. L. Ballou, in 1927, beginning a continuous succession of resident pastors that has continued for nearly a century.
- First Mass in Pittsfield: May 21, 1893 (Monahan home)
- Church opened: November 17, 1904
- Church dedicated: July 17, 1910 (Bishop Walsh)
- First resident priest: 1927 (Father M. L. Ballou)
Leadership & Clergy
St. Agnes is led by Father Anthony Lawir, who also serves as pastor of the clustered Our Lady of the Snows Parish. The pastoral team includes retired Deacon David Denbow. Parish staff — bookkeeper Melissa Wanat, religious education coordinator Ann Goulette, and secretary Jill Gisselere — operate out of the shared cluster office at St. Anne's in Dexter, Maine.
- Pastor: Rev. Fr. Anthony Lawir
- Retired Deacon: Deacon David Denbow
- Religious Education Coordinator: Ann Goulette
- Bookkeeper: Melissa Wanat
- Secretary: Jill Gisselere
Faith Formation
Faith Formation classes are held every Sunday during the school year at St. Agnes in Pittsfield from 9:15 to 10:30 AM (after the Sunday Mass). The program serves children in grades K–8 and emphasizes a 'family covenant' of regular Mass attendance, family prayer, and ongoing faith conversation at home. Registration fees are voluntary, and families are encouraged to give what they can (about $25 per child for materials).
- K–8 Sunday faith formation at St. Agnes, 9:15–10:30 AM
- Family Covenant of prayer, Mass, and catechesis
- Vacation Bible School (VBS) offered annually
- Circle of Grace Safe Environment curriculum
- Protecting God's Children / VIRTUS training for volunteers
Order of Catholic Initiation for Adults (OCIA)
The OCIA (formerly RCIA) program at Our Lady of the Snows and St. Agnes Parishes begins each September and is open to anyone interested in learning about the Catholic Church, unbaptized adults seeking Baptism, Christians from other denominations seeking full communion, and baptized Catholics who have not yet received Confirmation and Eucharist. The process is no-commitment and centers on ongoing conversion to Christ.
- Open to inquirers, catechumens, candidates, and Catholics seeking Confirmation
- Begins each September
- Coordinated through the cluster office (207-924-7104)
Parish Ministries & Outreach
St. Agnes and the wider cluster maintain a broad ministry network that combines worship, formation, fellowship, and charity. The Knights of Columbus operate a local chapter, the parish supports the community soup kitchen 'My Brother's Table' (originated under Father Sabatino), and seasonal outreach includes a Thanksgiving Pie Sale and Christmas Baskets. The cluster office coordinates communications through FlockNote and maintains a Parish Library open Monday–Thursday.
- Knights of Columbus — Pittsfield chapter
- Community Meals / 'My Brother's Table'
- Thanksgiving Pie Sale
- Christmas Baskets
- Parish Library (60 Free St, Dexter)
- FlockNote parish communications (text 'olots' to 84576)
Cluster 7 — Our Lady of the Snows & St. Agnes Parishes
St. Agnes Parish in Pittsfield is clustered with Our Lady of the Snows Parish, which serves the Catholic communities of Milo, Dover-Foxcroft, and Dexter. The two parishes are separate canonical entities but share one pastor (Father Anthony Lawir) and one central administrative office at St. Anne's, 60 Free Street, Dexter, ME 04930. Faith formation programs are split between St. Agnes in Pittsfield and St. Thomas Aquinas in Dover-Foxcroft, while weekend Masses are celebrated across all four church sites.
- St. Agnes, Pittsfield
- Sts. Francis & Paul, Milo
- St. Thomas Aquinas, Dover-Foxcroft
- St. Anne, Dexter (cluster administrative hub)
- Cluster office: 60 Free Street, Dexter, ME 04930
- Cluster phone: (207) 924-7104
- Cluster email: [email protected]
Visiting & Practical Information
St. Agnes Church is located at 238 Detroit Street in Pittsfield, Maine, and is best reached by road from US Route 2 and ME-11. Parking is available on site. The cluster office is open Mondays and Thursdays, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Visitors wishing to see the historic 1904 cypress and stained-glass interior are encouraged to attend one of the scheduled Masses.
- Address: 238 Detroit Street, Pittsfield, ME 04967
- Cluster office: 60 Free Street, Dexter, ME 04930 (PO Box 193)
- Office hours: Mondays and Thursdays, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Phone: (207) 924-7104
- Email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Narcisse Chartrand1893
Pastor of St. Francis de Sales, Waterville; offered the first Mass in Pittsfield on May 21, 1893, in the Monahan home.
- Rev. Maurice O'Brien1894–
Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi, Belfast; given charge of the Pittsfield mission and traveled by rail from Burnham Junction.
- Rev. Father Kelley1903–1904
Succeeded O'Brien in Belfast; initiated the drive to build St. Agnes Church in 1903 and pledged matching funds up to $1,000.
- Rev. John Kealy1904
Celebrated the first Mass in the newly constructed St. Agnes Church on November 17, 1904.
- Rev. Father McCaffreyearly 1900s
Stationed at North Vassalboro; traveled in winter storms to serve the Pittsfield Catholics.
- Rev. M. L. BallouMay 29, 1927 – March 31, 1928
First resident priest assigned by Bishop John Gregory Murray when the parish was formally erected.
- Rev. Leo CareyMarch 31, 1928 – September 24, 1948
Served 20 years; in 1929 purchased the Doctor Blanchard house at 1 North Main Street as the rectory; led the parish through the Great Depression.
- Rev. Edward LynchSeptember 24, 1948 – February 1958
Resident pastor.
- Rev. Samuel DouganSeptember 1958 – May 1, 1960
Resident pastor.
- Rev. Antonio GirgardinMay 1, 1960 – July 1, 1967
Resident pastor.
- Rev. Armand J. LandryJuly 1, 1967 – September 1974
Resident pastor.
- Rev. Joseph LemieuxSeptember 1974 – June 1977
Resident pastor.
- Rev. Normand CarrierSeptember 1977 – November 1978
Resident pastor.
- Rev. Lawrence SabatinoNovember 1978 – August 6, 1990
Opened St. Agnes Hall for the soup kitchen 'My Brother's Table'; died suddenly at Mercy Hospital, Portland — the first active pastor of the parish to die in office.
- Rev. C. James MartelAugust 16, 1990 – present (as of 1994 anniversary history)
Added a third weekend Mass, reorganized the Sunday schedule, and launched High School Youth Ministry.
- Rev. Fr. Anthony Lawircurrent
Current pastor of St. Agnes and Our Lady of the Snows parishes (Cluster 7).