About St. Hyacinth (St. Anthony of Padua Parish) · Westbrook, Maine
St. Hyacinth Church is one of three worship sites that together make up St. Anthony of Padua Parish in the Diocese of Portland, Maine. The historic church sits at 268 Brown Street in Westbrook's old Frenchtown neighborhood and was founded in the 1870s to serve the French-Canadian mill workers who flooded into the city's cotton and paper mills. Today the parish is pastored from the St. Hyacinth pastoral office and is known across Greater Portland for its MLK Day of Service and its Matthew 25 homeless-outreach kitchen, both of which use the church hall as a hub for community-wide ministry.
- Established
- 1870s
- Patron
- St. Hyacinth of Poland
- Rector
- Very Rev. Louis J. Phillips, VF
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine
Why belong here
St. Hyacinth is the historic heart of a multi-campus Catholic community that worshipes in three parishes across Westbrook, Gorham, and Windham under one pastor. The parish is unusually outward-facing for its size: it hosts an annual MLK Day of Service with free health screenings and community resources, and its Matthew 25 kitchen and shelter ministry — begun in 2020 and recognized with the Catholic Charities Maine Matthew 25 Award — turns the church hall into a hub for feeding and housing neighbors experiencing homelessness. For a smaller church with deep Franco-American roots, it offers daily and weekend Mass, confession, Friday adoration, and a full faith-formation program for children and adults.
Mass times at St. Hyacinth (St. Anthony of Padua Parish)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Adoration times
- Friday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Parish Identity & Heritage
St. Hyacinth Church is the Westbrook worship site of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine. Founded in the 1870s, it is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in the Greater Portland area and was established specifically to minister to the French-Canadian immigrants who came to work in Westbrook's mills. The parish retains deep Franco-American roots even as its liturgical life is now conducted entirely in English.
- Patron: St. Hyacinth (feast day August 17)
- Founded in the 1870s to serve French-Canadian mill workers
- Part of the combined St. Anthony of Padua Parish with St. Anne (Gorham) and Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Windham)
- Diocese of Portland in Maine
The Franco-American Story & Walker Street Campus
The 1894 St. Hyacinth School and 1922 Convent, at 2 Walker Street, were built to serve the children and families of this French-Canadian community. Classes were originally taught in both French and English, but by the 1950s French immigration had ended, the community had shifted to English, and the school eventually closed in 1974.
- 1881: Parish buys land on Walker Street from Westbrook Manufacturing Company
- 1882: Remains from on-site cemetery moved to St. Hyacinth Cemetery, 296 Stroudwater Street
- 1893–94: Three-and-a-half-story brick school built in Second Empire style (designed by Coburn & Sons of Lewiston)
- 1921–22: Gothic Revival convent added (designed by Timothy O'Connell / O'Connell & Shaw of Boston)
- 1963: Last eighth-grade class graduates
- 1974: Elementary school closes
- 2013: Buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- Adaptive reuse into 37 units of affordable housing as 'Hyacinth Place' — 2014 Greater Portland Landmarks Preservation Honor Award
St. Hyacinth Cemetery
Just down the hill from the Walker Street campus lies St. Hyacinth Cemetery at 296 Stroudwater Street. Established in 1882 when remains from the original Walker Street burial ground were relocated, it is the resting place of generations of Westbrook's Franco-American community and contains more than 6,300 memorials.
- Address: 296 Stroudwater Street, Westbrook, ME
- Established 1882
- During WWII over 300 iron crosses were removed for the war effort — each had been numbered to match parish burial records
Clergy & Pastoral Staff
The pastoral office for the combined St. Anthony of Padua Parish is located inside St. Hyacinth Church and is staffed Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The current leadership team has served the parish since at least 2018.
- Very Rev. Louis J. Phillips, VF — Pastor
- Rev. Dominic Tumusiime, AJ — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Patrick J. Finn — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Peter J. Bernier
- Deacon Lawrence L. Guertin, O.F.S.
- Sister Jackie Moreau, R.S.M. — Faith Formation and pastoral staff
Faith Formation & Sacramental Preparation
The parish runs a year-round faith-formation program for children from Pre-K through high school, plus the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) for adults preparing to enter the Church. Sacramental preparation covers Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Holy Eucharist, and Confirmation, and the parish is always recruiting parent catechists and volunteers ('Protecting God's Children' training required).
- Pre-K through Grade 5 faith formation classes
- Middle school and high school youth ministry (Grades 6–12)
- Adolescent Catechesis and Catholic Youth Leadership Team (CYLT)
- RCIA for adults
- Sacrament preparation: Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation
- Vacation Bible School (last week of June)
- Christmas Pageant (January)
- Mardi Gras celebration
- Contact: Sr. Jackie Moreau, R.S.M.
Liturgy, Music & Music Ministry
The parish's Liturgical Commission assists the pastor in planning seasonal celebrations for Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and special feast days, and oversees the broad array of liturgical volunteers who make Sunday worship possible.
- Altar Servers
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
- Lectors
- Greeters
- Ushers (contact: Andre Levesque)
- Sacristans
- Music Ministry — Folk Group and Adult Choir (led by Brian & Jean Labanowski)
- Ladies Guild
- Liturgical Commission — Deacon Larry Guertin, O.F.S.; Sr. Jackie Moreau, R.S.M.; Jane Hahn; Mona Roy
Parish Life & Committees
Parish governance is supported by the Parish Pastoral Council and the Church Life Team, which was established in 2021 (formerly the Leadership Team) to ensure the vitality and growth of parish family life through collaboration among parishioners, clergy, and staff. Several standing committees report to the CLT.
- Parish Pastoral Council
- Church Life Team (CLT) — meets roughly monthly
- Communications Committee — website, bulletin, e-newsletter, Facebook (contact: Steve Sedgeley)
- Hospitality Committee — coffee socials, welcome baskets, clergy milestone luncheons
- Peace and Social Justice Committee
- Environment Committee — church, grounds, gardens (contact: Nancy Innes)
- Faith Formation Committee (contact: Sr. Jackie Moreau)
Outreach & Social Justice — MLK Day of Service
Each January the parish opens the St. Hyacinth Church Hall for a community-wide MLK Day of Service that honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s example of servant leadership. The event, now in its fifth year, brings together community organizations offering free blood-pressure screenings, vaccinations, and other services, along with fellowship and a shared breakfast.
- Held annually on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in the St. Hyacinth Church Hall
- Free blood-pressure screenings and vaccinations
- Community fellowship and breakfast
- Open to neighbors from across Westbrook and the surrounding towns
Matthew 25 Ministry to the Homeless
The parish's Matthew 25 ministry began in 2020 when parishioner Blanca Lytle saw a need among neighbors experiencing homelessness and rallied the parish to respond. What started as a small effort has grown into a full shelter-and-kitchen program that uses the St. Hyacinth parish hall, kitchen, and storage areas almost continuously. In recognition, Catholic Charities Maine awarded the parish its Matthew 25 Award, accompanied by a $5,000 grant.
- Founded in 2020 by parishioner Blanca Lytle
- Operates temporary shelter for people experiencing homelessness
- Provides meals; food also delivered to local motels being used as shelter overflow
- Winner of the Catholic Charities Maine Matthew 25 Award
- Heavy use of the parish hall, kitchen, and storage spaces
Practical Information
St. Hyacinth is open daily for scheduled Mass and devotions, with the parish office available Monday through Thursday during business hours. Visitors and parishioners are encouraged to call ahead for confession, anointing, or marriage preparation.
- Address: 268 Brown Street, Westbrook, ME 04092
- Phone: 207-857-0490
- Office hours: Monday–Thursday 9 AM – 4 PM (closed Fridays and federal holidays)
- Website: https://stanthonysparish.org/
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Very Rev. Louis J. Phillips, VF2018–present
Pastor of the combined St. Anthony of Padua Parish (St. Hyacinth, St. Anne, Our Lady of Perpetual Help). As of January 2025 he was still serving as pastor, per his column in Harvest magazine.