About St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (St. Joseph Parish) · Fryeburg, Maine
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church is a Catholic mission church located at 857 Main Street in Fryeburg, Maine, serving the rural western foothills community within the Diocese of Portland. It is a mission church of St. Joseph Parish in Bridgton, and together with several other worship sites forms Cluster 30 — the Parishes of the Western Maine Lakes & Foothills. The parish celebrates Sunday Mass at 10:30 AM and a Thursday morning Mass, with regular Eucharistic Adoration on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Named for the first native-born American saint, the parish offers a quiet, intimate worship experience in the small town of Fryeburg.
- Established
- 1990
- Patron
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
- Rector
- Rev. Thomas Aquinas Giragori Chinnappan, HGN
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine
Why belong here
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton offers an intimate, faithful Catholic worship community in the heart of rural western Maine, with Sunday Mass, a Thursday morning Mass, and two weekly sessions of Eucharistic Adoration. As part of Cluster 30, parishioners benefit from shared pastoral staff, faith formation programming for all ages, youth ministry, music ministry, and a strong pastoral council committed to evangelization and community outreach. The cluster's vision is to be 'a thriving faith-filled family which loves and serves the Lord – welcoming all to Christ,' making this mission church a warm and welcoming place for both year-round residents and seasonal parishioners in the Fryeburg area.
Mass times at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (St. Joseph Parish)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM - 3:45 PM (available at St. Joseph, Bridgton)
- By appointment (call the Cluster office at 207-743-2606)
Adoration times
- Tuesday 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Noon)
- Thursday 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
About St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church is a Catholic mission church serving the rural community of Fryeburg, Maine, in the western foothills region of the state. The church sits at 857 Main Street and operates as a mission of St. Joseph Parish in Bridgton. The parish is named for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774–1821), the first person born in the United States to be canonized a saint (1975), who founded the Sisters of Charity and is credited with establishing the first American Catholic parish school.
- Mission church of St. Joseph Parish, Bridgton
- Part of Cluster 30 — Parishes of the Western Maine Lakes & Foothills
- Named for the first American-born Catholic saint
- Located at 857 Main Street, Fryeburg, ME 04037
History & Founding
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church was established in 1990, as recorded in the Diocese of Portland's official Cluster 30 directory. The mission was created to serve the Catholic faithful in Fryeburg, a small town in Oxford County famous for the annual Fryeburg Fair. The church falls under the pastoral umbrella of St. Joseph Parish in Bridgton, which itself was founded in 1971.
- Founded 1990
- Mission of St. Joseph Parish, Bridgton (established 1971)
- Part of Cluster 30 collaborative parish grouping
Mass & Worship Schedule
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton celebrates Mass twice weekly. Sunday Mass is offered at 10:30 AM in English, and a weekday Mass is offered on Thursday morning at 8:30 AM. As part of Cluster 30, the church shares weekend and weekday Mass rotations with sister churches in Bridgton, Norway, Mechanic Falls, and Oxford.
- Sunday: 10:30 AM (English)
- Thursday: 8:30 AM (English)
- Cluster 30 shared weekend and weekday rotation
Cluster 30 — Western Maine Lakes & Foothills
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is one of two worship sites within St. Joseph Parish, which together with St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish (Norway) forms Cluster 30 — the Parishes of the Western Maine Lakes & Foothills. The cluster shares pastoral staff, faith formation, music ministry, and administrative resources across all of its worship sites in Bridgton, Fryeburg, Norway, Mechanic Falls, and Oxford.
- St. Joseph Parish: St. Joseph Church (Bridgton) and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (Fryeburg)
- St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish: St. Catherine of Sienna (Norway), Our Lady of Ransom (Mechanic Falls), St. Mary (Oxford, seasonal)
- Pastoral Center: 225 South High Street, Bridgton, ME 04009
Clergy & Staff
Cluster 30 is served by two priests from the HGN congregation, supported by a deacon and a full team of lay pastoral and administrative staff. Sacramental records for all worship sites are maintained at the St. Joseph Pastoral Center in Bridgton.
- Pastor: Rev. Thomas Aquinas Giragori Chinnappan, HGN
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Arockia Natha Prabu Magimaidass, HGN
- Deacon Francis Daggett
- Business Coordinator: Kristen Short
- Faith Formation Coordinator: Joanne Fortier
- Cluster Secretary: Gloria Vaznis
- Administrative Assistant: Sharon Rogers
- Campus Minister: Kylie O'Brien
- Youth Minister: Kailee Cabral
Music Ministry
Each Cluster 30 worship site has its own music leader. Music at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is directed by Heather Sheehan.
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Music Director: Heather Sheehan
Faith Formation & Youth Ministry
Faith formation for children, youth, and adults is coordinated across Cluster 30 by Catechetical Leader Joanne Fortier, with youth ministry led by Kailee Cabral and campus ministry by Kylie O'Brien. The cluster also supports sacrament preparation through shared programming.
- Faith Formation Coordinator: Joanne Fortier
- Youth Minister: Kailee Cabral
- Campus Minister: Kylie O'Brien
Pastoral Council & Parish Vision
Cluster 30 operates under a shared pastoral council with a published vision: 'We envision a thriving faith-filled family which loves and serves the Lord – welcoming all to Christ.' The council has identified three priority areas — Ongoing Personal Conversion, Engagement and Community, and Services and Outreach — with measurable goals for liturgical participation, evangelization, community service, and ministry to the sick and homebound.
- Vision: a thriving faith-filled family welcoming all to Christ
- Mission: grow in Roman Catholic faith and reach out through fellowship, prayer, and the Works of Mercy
- Core values: community outreach, Catholic social justice, family enrichment, evangelization, centrality of the Eucharist
Fryeburg Fair Mass Tradition
Each fall, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton has offered Mass at the Fryeburg Fair — one of New England's largest and best-known agricultural fairs — celebrating Sunday Mass at 11:00 AM at the Fryeburg Fairgrounds during the fair's run.
- Sunday Mass at 11:00 AM at Fryeburg Fairgrounds during the Fair
Parish Registration & Getting Involved
New parishioners, returning parishioners, and seasonal residents can register or update their information through the Cluster 30 website. The parish maintains year-round, summer, and new parishioner registrations, and offers online giving through eCatholic as well as parish communication via the Cluster Connection email newsletter.
- Online registration/update via cluster30.org
- Online giving available through eCatholic
- Cluster Connection email newsletter
- Year-round and summer parishioner options