St Joseph (Good Shepherd Parish)

About Good Shepherd Parish

Good Shepherd Parish is a Roman Catholic community in the Diocese of Portland in Maine, formed on July 1, 2008 to bring together the Catholic faithful of Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Lyman and Biddeford Pool under one pastoral team. Today the parish family worships at five distinct sites — St. Joseph (Biddeford), Most Holy Trinity (Saco), St. Margaret (Old Orchard Beach), St. Philip (Lyman) and the seasonal St. Brendan Chapel (Biddeford Pool) — and operates St. James Catholic School in Biddeford. The parish office, phone line (207-282-3321) and pastoral center are shared across all sites.

History & Heritage

Catholic life in the Biddeford–Saco valley traces to the Irish and French-Canadian immigrants who came to work the textile mills along the Saco River in the mid-1800s. St. Mary of the Assumption first served the whole area; the French-Canadian influx led Bishop David W. Bacon to create St. Joseph Parish on May 13, 1870. The great neo-Gothic St. Joseph Church was built 1873–1883 and, at 235 feet, was the tallest building in Maine for almost a century. Subsequent parishes — St. André (1899), Most Holy Trinity (1916), St. Brendan Chapel (1917), Notre Dame de Lourdes (1929), St. Margaret (1926) and St. Philip (1981) — grew out of the same Franco-American community. The 2008 diocesan reorganization merged most of them into Good Shepherd Parish; St. Mary and Notre Dame closed in 2009 and St. André in 2011.

• 1870 — St. Joseph Parish created by decree of Bishop David W. Bacon
• 1873 — Construction of the present St. Joseph Church begins
• 1883 — St. Joseph Church dedicated
• 1899 — St. André Parish (Biddeford) established
• 1916 — Most Holy Trinity (Saco) established
• 1917 — St. Brendan Chapel (Biddeford Pool) established
• 1926 — St. Margaret (Old Orchard Beach) established
• 1929 — Notre Dame de Lourdes (Saco) established
• 1981 — St. Philip (Lyman) established
• 2004 — Exterior restoration of St. Joseph completed
• July 1, 2008 — Good Shepherd Parish formed
• 2010 — St. Margaret and St. Philip join the parish
• 2011 — St. André Church closes

Worship Sites

Because Good Shepherd is a multi-site parish, daily and weekend Masses are spread across the five churches so parishioners can find a convenient time and location. The flagship is St. Joseph Church in Biddeford.

Parish Staff & Clergy

Good Shepherd is pastored by a Dominican-style team: a pastor, two parochial vicars from the Order of Preachers, a deacon, and a lay staff of directors and coordinators for faith formation, business, buildings and grounds, school administration and the front office.

• Rev. Timothy J. Nadeau — Pastor
• Rev. Joseph Osunde, O.P. — Parochial Vicar
• Rev. Felix Udolisa, O.P. — Parochial Vicar
• Deacon Kevin Jacques — Deacon, Director of Pastoral Life
• Dr. Timothy Kane — Director of Pastoral Administration
• Amy Loring — Director of Business, Buildings and Grounds
• Melissa Tardif — Director of Faith Formation
• Michael Provencher — Principal, St. James School
• Christine Madden — Bookkeeper
• Helen — Receptionist

St. James Catholic School

St. James School, at 25 Graham Street in Biddeford, is the parish's Pre-K through Grade 8 Catholic school and the sole Catholic school in the Good Shepherd family — formed by merging the former parish schools of the cluster. The school follows the Archdiocese of Hartford curriculum standards and is known for its small size (about 147 students, 11:1 student-teacher ratio), differentiated instruction, French language instruction at every grade, STREAM classes (Science-Technology-Religion-Engineering-Art-Math), and a service-driven ethos. Students begin each day praying the Our Father or Hail Mary, attend weekly Mass, study faith through the Sadlier 'We Believe' series, and complete 20 hours of community service by 8th grade.

• Grades: Pre-K through 8
• Approx. 147 students; 11:1 student-teacher ratio
• S.A.F.E. motto: Service • Academics • Faith • Excellence
• French language at every grade; STREAM special classes
• Enrichment: Math Club, soccer, basketball, track, baseball, softball, band, guitar, First LEGO League, yearbook, biennial school play
• Community-building events: spaghetti supper, 5K road race, kids' fun run
• Director contact: 207-282-4084

Faith Formation & Religious Education

The parish Faith Formation program (Director: Melissa Tardif) prepares children and adults for the sacraments and ongoing discipleship. Recent sacramental-preparation highlights include the SPY2 Reconciliation Retreat, with retreat videos hosted on the parish website. Adult initiation is available through the RCIA process; young adults can plug into the parish's College Ministry, which uses a GroupMe chat to coordinate summer events and rides to Mass (contact: Lindsay Tufts).

• Faith Formation office: 207-282-3321
• RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) — inquire via Faith Formation
• SPY2 Reconciliation Retreat
• College Ministry (GroupMe; contact Lindsay Tufts)
• Family fellowship: Playground Meet-Up mornings at St. James School

Music, Liturgy & the French Choir

Good Shepherd's most distinctive liturgical ministry is its 11-member French Choir, founded by Monsignor René Mathieu at Notre Dame Church in 2004 and moved to St. Joseph after Notre Dame closed in 2009. The choir — directed by music director and organist Hélène Fortier — provides music for the only French Mass still celebrated in York County, preserving the Franco-American heritage of the original mill-town parishioners who built St. Joseph and St. André. Music is offered at Mass in both English and French.

• French Choir — 11 volunteer members
• Music Director / Organist: Hélène Fortier
• French Mass celebrated at St. Joseph Church
• Hook & Hastings tracker organ (c. 1880) at St. Joseph

Parish Life, Fellowship & Outreach

Beyond the sacraments, Good Shepherd fosters a strong fellowship life: a senior social ministry, parish-wide community events such as the Faith & Family Night at Hadlock Field, a Playground Meet-Up at St. James School, and an on-site Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. The parish also partners with the Diocese of Portland's annual Catholic Appeal and runs the Shepherds of Hope capital campaign to maintain its historic buildings and support St. James School.

• Forever Young Ministry 'Deal Me In' — 3rd Friday of the month, free, handicap accessible
• Faith & Family Night (community outings)
• Playground Meet-Up at St. James School
• Alcoholics Anonymous (parish grounds)
• Pastoral Council — consultative body to the pastor
• Shepherds of Hope Capital Campaign
• Annual Catholic Appeal (Diocese of Portland)

Getting Involved & Contact

Parishioners can connect through the Pastoral Council (which meets the second Tuesday of every other month at 6:00 PM at Most Holy Trinity), through specific ministries listed on the parish website, or simply by calling or visiting the parish office. Office hours are Monday–Friday 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

• Parish Office: 207-282-3321
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://goodshepherdparish.us
• Pastoral Center: 271 Main Street, Saco, ME 04072
• Office Hours: Mon–Fri 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM