About St. Joseph (St. Michael Parish) · Gardiner, Maine
St. Joseph Church, located at 110 School Street in Gardiner, Maine, is one of six worship sites that together make up St. Michael Catholic Parish, the central Maine Catholic community of the Diocese of Portland. Established as a worship site of St. Michael Parish when the parish was canonically erected on July 1, 2007, St. Joseph's draws on a Catholic presence in Gardiner that goes back to 1858, when the first wooden church was raised on the corner of Lincoln and School Streets. The parish community today gathers for Sunday Mass, a Wednesday evening Mass, and several Marian and devotional practices rooted in more than 165 years of Catholic life along the Kennebec River.
- Established
- 1858
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Nathan D. March
- Diocese
- Diocese of Portland in Maine
Why belong here
St. Joseph Church offers a warmly rooted Catholic community in the heart of Gardiner, with Sunday Mass, a Wednesday evening Mass, and the Scriptural Rosary prayed before each Wednesday Mass. Parishioners can take part in monthly Eucharistic Adoration on the first Sunday, weekly Confession before Mass, the active St. Joseph's Ladies of Charity Outreach Group, and the parish-wide St. Michael School and faith formation programs. With more than 165 years of Catholic life in Gardiner and a current pastor supported by two HGN parochial vicars and a deacon, the worship site combines the intimacy of a small-city parish with the resources of a six-church central Maine Catholic community.
Mass times at St. Joseph (St. Michael Parish)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:30 AM – 8:00 AM (or by appointment)
Adoration times
- First Sunday of the month, 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
St. Joseph Church — Gardiner's Catholic worship site
St. Joseph Church is one of six worship sites that make up St. Michael Catholic Parish, the central Maine Catholic community of the Diocese of Portland. Located at 110 School Street in Gardiner, the church serves a town whose Catholic roots stretch back to the mill-building era of the 1850s. Today the worship site offers Sunday Mass, a Wednesday evening Mass, weekly Confession, monthly Eucharistic Adoration, and a parish-wide roster of ministries through St. Michael Parish.
- 110 School Street, Gardiner, ME 04345
- Worship site of St. Michael Catholic Parish, Diocese of Portland in Maine
- Founded 1858 (current granite church dedicated 1916)
History of St. Joseph Parish
Catholic life in Gardiner began in the years after 1850, when workers drawn to local mills, factories, lumber operations, and the ice industry swelled the Catholic population. In 1856, Fr. Charles Egan — the second resident priest in Augusta — was assigned the care of Gardiner Catholics and purchased a lot at the corner of Lincoln and School Streets facing the Gardiner Common. The first Catholic Church in Gardiner was built there with volunteer labor from the men of the parish, foundation laid in May 1858, and first Mass celebrated in October 1858. Bishop Bacon dedicated the church under the patronage of St. Joseph on June 16, 1863.
- 1856: Fr. Charles Egan buys lot at Lincoln & School Streets
- 1858: First wooden church built; first Mass celebrated in October
- 1863: Bishop Bacon dedicates St. Joseph's
- 1863–1876: Mission church, served from St. Mary's Augusta
- 1876: First resident pastor, Fr. Raphael Wissel, OSB
- 1880–1900: Fr. Jeremiah McCarthy enlarges church (c. 1891, ~500 seats)
- 1900: Fr. Patrick H. Reardon assigned; begins plans for a new church
- 1916: Present granite Gothic church dedicated by Bishop Lewis S. Walsh
- 1925: New church paid off; pews and organ installed 1925–1926
- c. 1933: Old wooden church demolished under Fr. William J. Culbert; basement hall created
- 2007: St. Joseph's merges into St. Michael Parish (July 1)
The 1916 Granite Gothic Church
Dedicated June 4, 1916 by Bishop Lewis S. Walsh, the present St. Joseph's is a granite church in a Gothic style, built from Hallowell granite. It measures roughly 78 feet wide by 132 feet long and seats about 700. The building project was funded by years of parish collections, fund drives, and church fairs; by 1925 the parish was free of debt. The pews (a $3,000 gift from Fr. Reardon) and a new organ installed in the winter of 1925-1926 (cost more than $5,000) joined stained-glass windows, a pulpit, Stations of the Cross, and other furnishings given by parishioners and friends. The basement was later developed into a church hall that remains in active use for religious education and parish events.
- Style: Gothic, built of Hallowell granite
- Dimensions: approximately 78 ft × 132 ft, ~700 seats
- Dedicator: Bishop Lewis S. Walsh (June 4, 1916)
- Approximate cost: $85,000 building alone; ~$150,000 with windows and interior
- Notable furnishings: stained glass, pulpit, Stations of the Cross, organ
Clergy and Parish Staff
St. Joseph Church is served by the clergy team of St. Michael Parish, based at the Pastoral Center at 24 Washington Street, Augusta. The current pastor is supported by two HGN parochial vicars and a deacon. Parish staff coordinate faith formation, parish operations, communications, bookkeeping, welcome services, property and cemetery management, and facility care across the six worship sites.
- Rev. Nathan D. March — Pastor
- Rev. Antonidass Amirthanathan, HGN — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Prabhu Toniyo Pastin Antony Raj, HGN — Parochial Vicar (Fr. Britto Amalogam, HGN, also named in Oct. 2024 bulletin)
- Deacon Jeffrey Lewis
- Gina Czerwinski — Pastoral Life Coordinator
- Sr. Carol Martin — Faith Formation / Initiation Coordinator
- Lisa Cooper — Parish Operations & Communications
- Karol Skoby — Bookkeeping Services
- Lisa Dumais — Parish Welcome Services
- David Hayward — Property / Cemetery Manager
- James Pino — Sexton
Devotions and Marian Practices
The St. Joseph community gathers before each Wednesday evening Mass to pray the Rosary, often as the Scriptural Rosary with Glorious Mysteries beginning at 4:45 PM, and the Wednesday Mass itself is periodically marked as a Marian Mass Celebration with a special blessing of the statue of Mary. These devotions tie St. Joseph's into the broader St. Michael Parish devotion schedule, which includes Rosary groups at other worship sites and an Hour of Prayer for Priests at St. Francis.
- Scriptural Rosary (Glorious Mysteries): Wednesdays 4:45 PM
- Rosary before the 5:30 PM Wednesday Mass
- Marian Mass Celebration with blessing of statue of Mary
Parish Ministries and Community Life
St. Joseph's ministries combine parish-wide programs with worship-site-specific groups. The Ladies of Charity Outreach Group meets in the St. Joseph's church hall, while the Gardiner Knights of Columbus council hosts a popular Friday-night Bingo at 109 Spring Street. Parishioners can also take part in the parish-wide Prayer Shawl Ministry, Children's Faith Formation (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd), OCIA (RCIA) for adults seeking to become Catholic, and the diocesan Catholic Appeal.
- St. Joseph's Ladies of Charity Outreach Group — Thursdays 5 PM, Church Hall basement (contact Linda Hanley 207-242-9466 or Carol Albert 207-485-4017)
- Knights of Columbus Bingo — Fridays, doors 3:30 PM, games 6:00 PM, 109 Spring Street, Gardiner
- St. Michael Parish Prayer Shawl Ministry
- Children's Faith Formation / Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
- OCIA / RCIA — Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (Becoming Catholic)
- Parish School: St. Michael School, Augusta (PK3–Grade 8), 56 Sewall St., 207-623-3491
- Diocesan Catholic Appeal
- Support of Catholic education in the Holy Land
The Catholic Cemetery
Fr. Patrick H. Reardon, pastor from November 1900, purchased a section of land next to Oak Grove Cemetery at the end of Deane Street for the parish's Catholic cemetery. The cemetery remains in active use and is managed today through the parish's property and cemetery team.
- Located next to Oak Grove Cemetery, end of Deane Street, Gardiner
- Acquired by Fr. Patrick H. Reardon in November 1900
- Still serving the needs of the parish
Becoming Catholic and Sacraments
Adults seeking full communion with the Catholic Church are welcomed through the parish's OCIA (formerly RCIA) process, coordinated by Faith Formation Director Shawn Gregory and Initiation Coordinator Sr. Carol Martin. Information about Baptism and the other Sacraments is available through the parish's main 'Baptism & All Sacraments' page and through the Pastoral Office at 24 Washington Street, Augusta.
- OCIA / RCIA classes — contact Shawn Gregory
- Baptism and Sacramental inquiries — Pastoral Office, (207) 623-8823
- Email: [email protected]
Part of St. Michael Catholic Parish
St. Joseph is one of six worship sites that together form St. Michael Catholic Parish, established July 1, 2007 by the canonical merger of St. Mary of the Assumption and St. Augustine and St. Andrew in Augusta, St. Joseph in Gardiner, and St. Denis in Whitefield. St. Francis Xavier in Winthrop (with its mission community of St. Leo in Litchfield) joined in 2008. The churches of St. Andrew and St. Leo were later closed due to budget constraints and a shortage of priests. The parish today describes itself as 'Central Maine's Catholic Community, based in Augusta with worship sites in Gardiner, Hallowell, Winthrop, and Whitefield.'
- St. Michael Parish established July 1, 2007
- Original merger churches: St. Mary of the Assumption, St. Augustine, St. Andrew (Augusta); St. Joseph (Gardiner); St. Denis (Whitefield)
- 2008: St. Francis Xavier (Winthrop) and St. Leo (Litchfield) join
- Closed worship sites: St. Andrew (Augusta), St. Leo (Litchfield)
- Pastoral Center: 24 Washington Street, Augusta, ME 04330
Visiting and Getting Involved
Newcomers are invited to sign up for the parish e-Newsletter, register as parishioners through the 'Join St. Michael Parish' page, and explore fellowship groups or service ministries. The Pastoral Center office hours are 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM, Monday through Thursday (a temporary schedule until a Parish Operations Director is hired). The Gardiner K of C Hall Bingo on Friday evenings is a popular entry point for community fellowship.
- Pastoral Office: 24 Washington Street, Augusta, ME 04330
- Phone: (207) 623-8823; Fax: (207) 623-7574
- Office hours: Monday–Thursday, 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Sign up for the parish e-Newsletter via stmichaelmaine.org
- Friday Bingo at 109 Spring Street, Gardiner — doors 3:30 PM, games 6:00 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Raphael Wissel, OSB1876 – c. 1880
First resident pastor; Benedictine, also served missions in Richmond, Leeds, Monmouth, Readfield, Winthrop, and Togus; first salaried chaplain at the Soldiers Home at Togus.
- Fr. Jeremiah McCarthyJanuary 12, 1880 – November 2, 1900
Second pastor; church enlarged about 1891 to seat around 500; reassigned to Houlton.
- Fr. Patrick H. ReardonNovember 1900 – c. 1925+
Built the present granite Gothic church (dedicated 1916); purchased land next to Oak Grove Cemetery for a Catholic cemetery; gifted the $3,000 pews.
- Fr. William J. Culbertby 1933
Oversaw demolition of the original 1858 wooden church (c. 1933) and development of the basement church hall still in use.