About St. Christopher (St. Christopher Parish) · Peaks Island, Maine
St. Christopher Parish is a small Catholic mission-style church serving Peaks Island in Casco Bay, Maine, just a short ferry ride from downtown Portland. Founded in 1923 and dedicated on March 9, 1924, the parish was created to serve the island's growing summer Catholic population. Today it is part of the Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes Cluster, sharing its priests with the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, St. Peter, St. Louis, Sacred Heart/St. Dominic, and the Long Island mission of Our Lady Star of the Sea.
- Established
- 1923
- Patron
- St. Christopher
- Rector
- Very Rev. Seamus Griesbach, S.T.L.
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine
Why belong here
St. Christopher is a small island parish with a tight-knit community feel, anchored by a historic 1924 Mission-style church just up the hill from the Peaks Island ferry landing. Parishioners worship in English at a single Sunday Mass, can have their children baptized right after that Mass, and are part of the larger Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes Cluster, which gives them access to daily Mass, confession by appointment, faith formation for First Communion and Confirmation, and the wider sacramental and pastoral life of the Portland peninsula. The church's striking timber interior, the noon carillon ringing across Casco Bay, and a century of island Catholic tradition make it a distinctive spiritual home on the Maine coast.
Mass times at St. Christopher (St. Christopher Parish)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By request/appointment only — call the Pastoral Office at (207) 773-7746, Monday–Friday, 9 AM–5 PM
About St. Christopher Parish
St. Christopher Parish is the Catholic community of Peaks Island, Maine, founded in 1923 and serving both year-round islanders and summer residents. The parish belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine and is administered as part of the Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes Cluster, sharing its priests with the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Portland and four sister parishes across the peninsula. The church sits on Central Avenue, a short walk up from the Casco Bay Lines ferry landing.
- Founded 1923; first Mass March 9, 1924
- Part of the Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes Cluster
- Located at 15 Central Avenue, Peaks Island, ME 04108
History
Catholic worship on Peaks Island long predates the parish. In the late 1600s or early 1700s, Father Sebastian Râsle — a French Jesuit missionary living among the Abenaki at Norridgewock — is believed to have celebrated Mass on the island. Regular Catholic life on Peaks began in 1911, when Sunday Mass was offered in the Greenwood Gardens Dance Pavilion (an amusement park dating to the 1880s) and later at The Gem theater. As summer steamboat service boomed and workers gained more vacation time, attendance at these island Masses grew into the hundreds.
- Late 1600s/early 1700s: Father Sebastian Râsle likely celebrates first Mass on the island
- 1911: Regular Sunday Masses begin at Greenwood Gardens Dance Pavilion and The Gem theater
- 1923: Father George P. Johnson purchases the Central Avenue lot and breaks ground
- March 9, 1924: First Mass celebrated in the new church
- 1950s: Stained-glass crucifixion window and carillon gifted to the church
- 1964: Belfry added to house the carillon
- July 23, 2023: Bishop Robert Deeley celebrates the parish's centennial
Architecture & Features
St. Christopher is built in the Mission style with striking open timberwork throughout the nave. Originally painted brown, the church seats about 440 people, with an additional 70 originally seated in the choir loft, which is no longer used. The most treasured interior element is the central stained-glass window installed in the 1950s, depicting the Crucifixion of Christ with the Blessed Virgin Mary on the left and St. John on the right. In front of the church stands a belfry added in 1964 to house a carillon that rings out at noon every day over Casco Bay. In preparation for the parish's centennial, parishioners funded a campaign that included resealing and restoring the stained-glass window, replacing the carillon, and rewiring the building.
- Mission-style design with open timberwork
- Seating for about 440 (plus 70 originally in the choir loft)
- Crucifixion stained-glass window (1950s)
- Belfry and carillon (1964); rings daily at noon
- Centennial renovations: stained-glass restoration, carillon replacement, new wiring
Clergy & Pastoral Staff
Because St. Christopher is part of the Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes Cluster, its priests serve multiple parishes across the Portland peninsula. The Very Rev. Seamus Griesbach, S.T.L., is Pastor of the cluster and Rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. He is assisted by Parochial Vicars Rev. Paul R. Marquis and Rev. Sylvester Nwaokolo, OP, and by Deacon Michael B. Augustino. Fr. Kevin Upham coordinates baptismal preparation, and Abrey Feliccia oversees the cluster's Faith Formation and sacramental preparation programs for First Communion and Confirmation.
- Very Rev. Seamus Griesbach, S.T.L. — Pastor / Rector of the Cathedral
- Rev. Paul R. Marquis — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Sylvester Nwaokolo, OP — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Michael B. Augustino
- Fr. Kevin Upham — Baptism preparation
- Abrey Feliccia — Faith Formation / First Communion & Confirmation prep
Sacraments
Sacramental life on Peaks Island is coordinated through the cluster's Pastoral Office. Baptisms at St. Christopher are celebrated at 9:30 AM on Sundays, immediately after the 8:30 AM Mass. Parents are asked to contact the parish as soon as a child is born — or even in the later months of pregnancy — using the online Baptism Intake Form or by calling the Pastoral Office. Fr. Kevin Upham walks parents through the required preparation and helps them choose godparents. First Holy Communion and Confirmation preparation is offered cluster-wide; families contact Abrey Feliccia to enroll. Weddings at St. Christopher are arranged through the parish office, and the Anointing of the Sick and funerals are also coordinated through the cluster.
- Baptism: 9:30 AM Sundays, following the 8:30 AM Mass
- First Communion & Confirmation prep: contact Abrey Feliccia at the Pastoral Office
- Marriage: see portlandcatholic.org/saint-christopher-weddings
- Anointing of the Sick: non-emergency via (207) 773-7746; emergencies (207) 217-4392
- Funerals: arranged through the Pastoral Office
Faith Formation
Faith Formation for children — including preparation for First Holy Communion and Confirmation — is run cluster-wide by the Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes. Families can enroll children through the registration page on portlandcatholic.org or by contacting Abrey Feliccia at the Pastoral Office. Infant baptism preparation is led by Fr. Kevin Upham and begins as early as pregnancy, with parents taking on the responsibility for raising their child in the practice of the faith.
- Online Faith Formation registration via portlandcatholic.org
- First Communion & Confirmation prep with Abrey Feliccia
- Infant baptism preparation with Fr. Kevin Upham
- Baptism Intake Form available online
Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes Cluster
St. Christopher is one of six parishes (plus one mission) that make up the Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes Cluster, sharing clergy, pastoral staff, and programs. The cluster office is located at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 307 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101, and can be reached at (207) 773-7746. Being part of the cluster means Peaks Island parishioners have access to daily Mass, a wider Sunday Mass schedule in multiple languages, faith formation, sacramental preparation, and a single pastoral team.
- Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Portland) — 307 Congress St.
- St. Peter's Parish
- St. Louis Parish
- Sacred Heart / St. Dominic Parish
- St. Christopher Parish (Peaks Island)
- Mission: Our Lady Star of the Sea (Long Island) — 8 Beach Avenue, Long Island, ME 04050
- Cluster phone: (207) 773-7746; email: [email protected]
Contact & Practical Information
Parishioners and visitors reach the parish through the cluster's Pastoral Office, which is staffed Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM. The office handles Mass intention requests, prayer line requests, confession scheduling, baptism and marriage arrangements, faith formation enrollment, sacramental records, and inquiries about using parish facilities. For pastoral emergencies (including danger-of-death situations requiring the Anointing of the Sick), a separate emergency line is provided.
- Pastoral Office phone: (207) 773-7746 (Mon–Fri, 9 AM–5 PM)
- Pastoral emergency line: (207) 217-4392
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: 15 Central Avenue, Peaks Island, ME 04108
- Website: https://www.portlandcatholic.org
- Online giving and parish registration available on the website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father George P. Johnson1923–1924 (founder)
Rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland who drove the founding of the parish, purchased the Central Avenue lot, and celebrated the first Mass on March 9, 1924.