About St. Francis Xavier (St. Michael Parish) · Winthrop, Maine
St. Francis Xavier Church is the Catholic worship site in Winthrop, Maine, and one of six churches that together make up St. Michael Parish, a clustered community serving central Maine's "Capital Region." Founded as a separate parish to serve the Franco-American faithful of Winthrop, it joined St. Michael Parish in 2008. Today it hosts a Saturday Vigil Mass, an early Sunday Mass, and a weekday Mass on Thursday mornings, along with Saturday confessions and Thursday-morning Eucharistic Adoration. The wider St. Michael Parish, headquartered in Augusta, is pastored from the Diocese of Portland and serves Catholics across Augusta, Gardiner, Hallowell, Whitefield and Winthrop.
- Established
- 1910
- Patron
- St. Francis Xavier
- Rector
- Rev. Nathan D. March
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine
Why belong here
St. Francis Xavier offers a small, family-style Catholic community in Winthrop where, as visiting parishioners have noted, 'everyone knows one another' — a fitting home for the area's historic Franco-American Catholic families. As part of St. Michael Parish, members benefit from a wide range of ministries, faith formation (including RCIA/OCIA for adults becoming Catholic), a parish school, and outreach to local food banks and social services, while still worshipping in an intimate, traditional church setting on Route 133. The parish welcomes longtime Catholics, newcomers to central Maine, and those exploring the faith alike.
Mass times at St. Francis Xavier (St. Michael Parish)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Adoration times
- Thursday 7:30 AM – 8:00 AM (followed by Mass)
About St. Michael Parish
St. Michael Parish describes itself as 'Central Maine's Catholic Community, based in Augusta with worship sites in Gardiner, Hallowell, Winthrop, and Whitefield.' The parish was canonically established on July 1, 2007, when five Augusta-area parishes merged: St. Mary of the Assumption (Augusta), St. Augustine (Augusta), St. Andrew (Augusta), St. Joseph (Gardiner) and St. Denis (Whitefield). In 2008, St. Francis Xavier Parish in Winthrop, together with its mission community of St. Leo in Litchfield, was added to the cluster. Due to budget pressures and a shortage of priests, the churches of St. Andrew and St. Leo were subsequently closed. Six worship sites remain active under the unified parish banner.
- Established July 1, 2007
- St. Francis Xavier added 2008
- Six worship sites across five towns
St. Francis Xavier Church (Winthrop)
St. Francis Xavier Church, located at 130 U.S. Route 133 in Winthrop, is the parish's presence in the Winthrop lakes region. It grew out of Winthrop's historic French-Canadian Catholic community and maintains a small, family-style atmosphere. Today it serves as one of the regular Sunday and weekday Mass locations for St. Michael Parish.
- Address: 130 U.S. Route 133, Winthrop, ME 04364
- Saturday Vigil Mass at 4:00 PM
- Sunday Mass at 8:00 AM
- Weekday Mass Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00 AM
Sacramental Life
The parish offers the full range of Catholic sacraments through its Pastoral Office at (207) 623-8823.
- Baptism and all sacraments arranged through the Pastoral Office
- Confession: Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM at St. Francis Xavier Church
- Eucharistic Adoration: Thursday 7:30 AM – 8:00 AM, followed by Mass
Becoming Catholic (RCIA / OCIA)
St. Michael Parish runs the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), now also called OCIA — the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults — for adults preparing to enter the Catholic Church or complete their sacraments.
- Contact the Pastoral Office to begin the process
Clergy & Staff
St. Michael Parish is led by a pastor assisted by two parochial vicars from the HGN missionary congregation.
- Rev. Nathan D. March — Pastor
- Rev. Prabhu Toniyo Pastin Antony Raj, HGN — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Antonidass Amirthanathan, HGN — Parochial Vicar
Pastoral History
Since the 2007 founding of St. Michael Parish, the most publicly documented pastor/administrator has been the Rev. Francis Morin, who oversaw the cluster from 2009 until retiring in July 2018 after 45 years of ordained ministry. Under his leadership, the parish grew its enrollment at St. Michael School and increased outreach to local food banks and social services.
- Rev. Francis Morin, Administrator 2009 – 2018
Faith Formation & Parish School
Faith formation at St. Michael Parish includes preparation for the sacraments and RCIA/OCIA for adults. The parish also operates St. Michael School, which serves students across the cluster. By 2018 the school had grown to more than 170 registered students, up from 166, with a parish goal of reaching around 200.
- St. Michael School (parish K–8 school)
- Sacramental preparation
- RCIA / OCIA for adults
Fellowship, Ministries & Outreach
The parish invites parishioners to 'join us for Mass, attend a fellowship gathering, or get involved with one of our ministries.' St. Michael Parish emphasizes outreach to local food banks and social-service agencies and welcomes involvement from parishioners in both ministry/service and fellowship groups.
- Fellowship groups
- Ministry & Service programs
- Food-bank and social-service outreach
Visiting & Contact
All parish business, sacramental scheduling and inquiries are handled centrally through the Pastoral Office in Augusta.
- Pastoral Office phone: (207) 623-8823
- Main website: http://stmichaelmaine.org/
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Francis Morin2009 – 2018
Served as administrator of St. Michael Parish from 2009 until retiring July 1, 2018, after 45 years of priestly ministry. He oversaw the multi-site parish including St. Francis Xavier in Winthrop.