About St. Brendan (Good Shepherd Parish) · Biddeford Pool, Maine
St. Brendan Chapel is a small, seasonal Catholic mission church in the seaside community of Biddeford Pool, Maine, and is one of six worship sites of Good Shepherd Parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. Built in 1916 to serve immigrant workers who could not easily reach St. Mary's in Biddeford by horse and buggy, the simple, knotted-pine chapel opens each summer from Memorial Day through Labor Day, drawing a mix of year-round residents, returning summer families, and vacationers. With about 200 seats, no stained glass, and only a small statue of the Blessed Mother and one of St. Patrick, St. Brendan's remains a beloved and intimate place of worship — and a popular site for summer weddings — more than a century after it was first blessed.
- Established
- 1916
- Patron
- St. Brendan (the Navigator)
- Rector
- Rev. Timothy J. Nadeau
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine
Why belong here
St. Brendan Chapel offers something rare: a small, simple, summer-season Catholic mission church set in the coastal village of Biddeford Pool, where the same families have worshipped in many cases for generations. If you live in or vacation in the Pool, it is the parish's way of bringing Sunday Mass and the Friday weekday Mass directly to the community from Memorial Day through Labor Day, without the drive into Biddeford. It is also a beloved setting for summer weddings, and its congregation includes both year-round neighbors and visitors who return summer after summer to keep their Sunday obligation in a place they consider family.
Mass times at St. Brendan (Good Shepherd Parish)
Weekly Mass schedule
St. Brendan Chapel at a Glance
St. Brendan Chapel is a seasonal mission chapel of Good Shepherd Parish, located at 40 Lester B. Orcutt Boulevard in the small coastal village of Biddeford Pool, Maine. It is dedicated to St. Brendan the Navigator, the sixth-century Irish monastic founder and legendary voyager who is honored as patron saint of sailors, mariners, travelers, and boatmen. The chapel is classified within the parish as a 'mission' rather than a parish church, meaning it is staffed and administered by Good Shepherd Parish rather than having its own resident pastor.
- Address: 40 Lester B. Orcutt Boulevard, Biddeford Pool, ME 04006
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine
- Parent parish: Good Shepherd Parish (271 Main Street, Saco, ME 04072)
- Parish office: (207) 282-3321
- Season: open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend
- Capacity: approximately 200
History
The chapel was born of a practical need. In the early 1900s, Fr. Timothy Linehan, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Biddeford, watched the immigrant Catholic workers of Biddeford Pool struggle to make long horse-and-buggy rides into Biddeford for Sunday Mass. He resolved to bring the church to them. Land was bought in 1914, the chapel was designed by Portland architect Timothy O'Connell, and contractor W.H. Tibbetts completed the building in 1916. More than a century later the simple, knotted-pine interior is largely unchanged.
- 1914 — Land purchased from Emma Goldthwaite for $3,900 by Biddeford Pool residents and summer visitors.
- 1914–1916 — Designed by Timothy O'Connell; built by W.H. Tibbetts of Biddeford.
- 2008 — Major renovation (trim, painting, new roof) completed for over $150,000 in donations.
- August 21, 2016 — 100th anniversary Mass concelebrated by Bishop Robert Deeley and Monsignor René Mathieu.
- August 20, 2021 — 105th anniversary Mass celebrated.
Founding Story and Vision
Fr. Timothy Linehan's guiding principle — 'If you can't bring the people to the church, you bring the church to the people' — is the reason St. Brendan exists. It was conceived not as a grand statement but as a working solution: a small chapel within riding distance of the Pool's Catholic families and seasonal workers. That pastoral vision still shapes the chapel today, which remains open only in summer when the Pool's population swells with returning families and vacationers.
Architecture and Interior
Designed by Timothy O'Connell, the architect of the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston and St. Mary Church in Biddeford, St. Brendan is a deliberate change in scale and style for O'Connell. The simple interior relies on knotted pine, exposed beams, and maple pews for warmth; there are no stained-glass windows, and only two small statues — the Blessed Mother and St. Patrick — adorn the worship space. A Gaelic Cross tops the roofline.
- Original blueprints by Timothy O'Connell still on display inside the chapel
- No stained-glass windows
- Statues: Blessed Mother and St. Patrick
- Gaelic Cross on roof
- Knotted pine, exposed beams, maple pews
Stewardship and Chapel Upkeep
Because St. Brendan is a mission chapel open only seasonally, its ongoing care depends almost entirely on the generosity of year-round neighbors and returning summer families. Two dedicated trusts — the Harold Carroll Fund and the Norma and Ted Truman Fund — support the chapel's maintenance. As of the 2021 anniversary, two large windows above the sanctuary were slated for replacement and the Gaelic Cross atop the building needed repair; contributions can be directed through Good Shepherd Parish.
- Harold Carroll Fund
- Norma and Ted Truman Fund
- Current repair priorities: sanctuary windows and Gaelic Cross
- Donations: contact Good Shepherd Parish, (207) 282-3321
Clergy and Parish Staff
St. Brendan Chapel is served by the clergy of Good Shepherd Parish. The current pastor is Fr. Timothy J. Nadeau, assisted by two Dominican parochial vicars — Fr. Joseph Osunde, O.P., and Fr. Felix Udolisa, O.P. — and deacons Kevin Jacques and Rick Huot. The full Good Shepherd staff also includes a Director of Pastoral Administration, Director of Faith Formation, Director of Finance / Buildings and Grounds, principal of St. James School, and parish communications, finance, and reception staff, all reachable through the parish office in Saco.
- Rev. Timothy J. Nadeau — Pastor
- Rev. Joseph Osunde, O.P. — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Felix Udolisa, O.P. — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Kevin Jacques — Director of Pastoral Life
- Deacon Rick Huot (assigned)
- Parish office: (207) 282-3321
Part of Good Shepherd Parish
St. Brendan Chapel is one of six worship sites of Good Shepherd Parish, headquartered at 271 Main Street, Saco. The other churches in the parish are Most Holy Trinity (Saco), St. Joseph (Biddeford), St. Margaret (Old Orchard Beach), St. Luke (Old Orchard Beach), and St. Philip (Lyman). Together they provide a full schedule of daily and weekend Masses, faith formation, a Catholic school (St. James School), youth ministry, and outreach across the southern Maine coast.
- Most Holy Trinity — 271 Main Street, Saco
- St. Joseph — 178 Elm Street, Biddeford
- St. Margaret — Old Orchard Beach
- St. Luke — Old Orchard Beach
- St. Philip — 404 Goodwins Mills Road, Lyman
St. Brendan the Navigator — Patron Saint
The chapel's patron is St. Brendan the Navigator (c. AD 484–577), one of the early Irish monastic saints and one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. He is venerated as the patron saint of boatmen, mariners, sailors, travelers, elderly adventurers, and whales, and is patron of the Diocese of Kerry and the Diocese of Clonfert in Ireland as well as the United States Navy. His feast day is celebrated on May 16.
- Patronage: sailors, mariners, travelers, boatmen, whales, U.S. Navy
- Feast day: May 16
- Major shrine: Clonfert, Ireland
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Timothy Linehanearly 1900s
Pastor of St. Mary Parish in Biddeford; conceived the idea of a chapel at Biddeford Pool so immigrants could attend Sunday Mass without a long horse-and-buggy ride into Biddeford. Purchased the land in 1914 and oversaw construction completed in 1916.
- Monsignor René Mathieu
Pastor of Good Shepherd Parish who concelebrated the chapel's 100th anniversary Mass on August 21, 2016 with Bishop Robert Deeley.