St. Charles Borromeo (All Saints Parish)

About All Saints Parish

All Saints Parish is a Roman Catholic faith community on the coast of Maine, established on July 1, 2009 as a cluster of seven churches that formerly were six parishes with one mission. The parish mission statement reads: "All Saints Parish is a Roman Catholic faith community on the coast of Maine. Our common mission is to become the saints of today as disciples, evangelists, and stewards of Jesus Christ. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit, formed by His Word, and nourished by the Eucharist. We believe and we share." The seven worship sites are Our Lady Queen of Peace (Boothbay Harbor), St. Ambrose (Richmond), St. Charles Borromeo (Brunswick), St. John the Baptist (Brunswick), St. John's Catholic School (Brunswick, PreK–8), St. Katharine Drexel Summer Chapel (Harpswell), St. Mary's (Bath), and St. Patrick's (Newcastle).

St. Charles Borromeo Church

St. Charles Borromeo Church sits at 132 McKeen Street in Brunswick and serves both as a worship site and as the Pastoral Center (main parish office) for All Saints Parish. The parish main office here is open 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. It is the English-speaking sister church of nearby St. John the Baptist and hosts a Saturday Vigil Mass, a livestreamed Sunday morning Mass, a Sunday evening Mass during the school year, and weekday Masses on Mondays and Fridays.

• Address: 132 McKeen Street, Brunswick, ME 04011
• Parish phone: 207-725-2624
• Parish email: [email protected]
• Established January 26, 1931

Clergy and Staff

All Saints Parish is served by a team of Marist, diocesan, and other-order priests together with three deacons and a robust lay staff. The pastor is Rev. Philip A. Tracy. Parochial vicars include Rev. Patrick Machayi, SMA and Rev. Peter Shaba, SMA. The three deacons are Deacon John M. Murphy, Deacon Thomas J. Blatz, and Deacon Robert Curtis. Lay staff include a Principal (John Patrick Yorkey), Parish Secretaries (Ann Carlton, Sheila Finamore, Janet Bolduc), Faith Formation and Youth Ministry coordinators, a Pastoral Associate (Angela Boivin), Music & Choir Director at St. John the Baptist (Leon Griesbach), a Business Coordinator (Charleen Foley), and Technology Support (Julia Wilkins).

Faith Formation and Religious Education

Faith Formation is designed to foster a relationship with Jesus through shared experiences and a growing understanding of the Catholic tradition across a lifetime. Programs are available to all parishioners and those seeking membership in the Catholic Church and include adult Bible study, formation for youth from preschool through high school, Children's Liturgy of the Word, OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), and Catholics Returning Home. Pre-K through Grade 5 classes at St. Charles Borromeo and St. Mary's are coordinated by Amy Ford; at St. Patrick's by Sarah Buchwalder; and at Our Lady Queen of Peace by Amy Ford. Youth Ministry for Grades 6–12 at St. Charles Borromeo is led by Debbie Poulton, with additional coordinators for junior high, high school, and the St. Patrick's site.

• OCIA / RCIA for adults and children seeking initiation
• Adult Bible Study
• Children's Liturgy of the Word
• Catholics Returning Home
• Catechist and sacramental-preparation volunteer opportunities

St. John's Catholic School

St. John's Catholic School (PreK–8) is the parish school of All Saints Parish, located at 37 Pleasant Street, Brunswick. It shares a campus with St. John the Baptist Church and the St. John's Community Center (opened 2019). The current principal is John Patrick Yorkey (phone 207-725-5507). The school has a long Catholic education tradition in Brunswick, previously staffed by the Sisters of Sion, the Sisters of Mercy, and for many decades the French-speaking Ursuline Nuns (1915–1998).

Parish History and the St. John the Baptist History Museum

Catholic life in Brunswick dates back to the 1840s, when families were served by visiting priests from Augusta and Newfield and met for Mass in one another's homes. They bought a Methodist church on Federal and Franklin Streets in 1866 and, as French-Canadian mill workers swelled the population, the Mission of Brunswick became the parish of St. John the Baptist on January 1, 1877. A larger brick church on Pleasant and Union Streets was begun in 1882 and completed in 1886 at a cost of $25,000. A devastating fire destroyed the church on April 12, 1912; the rebuilt church was dedicated on February 27, 1927, and an adjoining school and convent followed. In 1931, English-speaking members of the parish were given their own church — today's St. Charles Borromeo, established January 26, 1931. In 2009, St. John the Baptist, St. Charles Borromeo, and five other midcoast churches merged to form All Saints Parish. The St. John the Baptist History Museum, blessed in 2021, preserves artifacts from across all the merged parishes, including an 1884 Bible, melted bell fragments from the 1912 fire, vestments, stained glass, and one of the oldest items in the collection — the old pastor's desk. The museum is in the former Ursuline convent at 39 Pleasant Street and is open the second and fourth Sundays of the month from noon to 2 PM and Wednesdays from noon to 3 PM (appointments via the parish office).

• St. John the Baptist Parish established January 1, 1877
• Original wooden church destroyed by fire April 12, 1912
• Rebuilt St. John the Baptist Church dedicated February 27, 1927
• St. Charles Borromeo Church established January 26, 1931
• All Saints Parish established July 1, 2009
• St. John the Baptist History Museum blessed and dedicated July 25, 2021
• St. John's 150th Anniversary to be celebrated in 2027

Parish Outreach and Community Life

All Saints Parish lives out its Catholic identity through a number of community and outreach efforts. The parish website links visitors to Catholic Charities Maine, the Knights of Columbus councils in Brunswick and Bath, Protecting God's Children (safe-environment training), the Vatican, and the USCCB. Online giving and a step-by-step giving guide make stewardship easy for parishioners, and funeral-planning and cemetery-rules documents are available to support families in times of loss. Weekend Masses are also rebroadcast on local cable television to reach homebound parishioners and the wider midcoast community.

• Knights of Columbus — Brunswick Council
• Knights of Columbus — Bath Council
• Catholic Charities Maine partnership
• Funeral planning guide and cemetery rules
• Online giving (parish-wide program)