About St. Joseph's Parish · Ellsworth, Maine
St. Joseph Parish is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Portland in Maine, serving the Ellsworth community from its main church at 231 Main Street in downtown Ellsworth. The parish was established in 1862 and today operates as part of the Catholic Churches of Hancock County cluster alongside the Parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Bar Harbor) and Stella Maris (Bucksport). It is led by Rev. Philip J. Clement, who also pastors the Transfiguration cluster parish, with a parochial vicar and lay staff supporting parish life. Liturgical life centers on weekend Masses in English, weekday Masses, Saturday confessions, Eucharistic adoration, and seasonal worship in two mission chapel locations (Our Lady of the Lake on Green Lake and St. Margaret Chapel in Winter Harbor).
- Established
- 1862
- Patron
- St. Joseph (Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Philip J. Clement
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine
Why belong here
St. Joseph Parish offers a full sacramental and devotional life within a tight-knit Catholic community: weekend Masses (Saturday vigil, two Sunday morning Masses), weekday Masses, Saturday confessions, Thursday Holy Hours with Benediction, First Friday all-day adoration, and the rosary prayed before each Mass. As part of the Catholic Churches of Hancock County cluster, parishioners also have access to seasonal Masses at Our Lady of the Lake on Green Lake and St. Margaret Chapel in Winter Harbor, plus family-focused programs like Sacramental Preparation and Children's Faith Formation. The parish's central location on Main Street in Ellsworth makes it a natural spiritual home for Catholic families across the Lakes and Schoodic Peninsula.
Mass times at St. Joseph's Parish
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
- Saturday 2:30 PM prior to Mass (seasonal / by appointment)
Adoration times
- Thursday — Holy Hour and Benediction following 9:00 AM daily Mass
- First Friday of each month — 9:45 AM to 4:45 PM
Parish Identity & History
St. Joseph Parish (1862) is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Portland in Maine, seated on Main Street in downtown Ellsworth. The parish takes its name from St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary (feast day March 19). Eastern Maine's Catholic roots are tied to the area's 19th-century Irish and French-Canadian immigrant communities, and the parish's founding follows the era of anti-Catholic violence that included the 1854 tarring and feathering of Fr. John Bapst in Ellsworth. Today the parish operates as a worshipping community for Ellsworth and the surrounding Lakes and Schoodic Peninsula region.
- Established 1862
- Patron: St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Feast Day: March 19
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine
- Connected to local history via the 1854 mob violence against Fr. John Bapst in Ellsworth
Clergy & Pastoral Staff
St. Joseph Parish is led by Rev. Philip J. Clement, who serves as Pastor of St. Joseph and of the Parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and as Rector of St. Ignatius Chapel in Northeast Harbor. He is assisted by a Parochial Vicar. Lay staff at the St. Joseph Pastoral Center handle parish administration, music, and faith formation coordination.
- Pastor: Rev. Philip J. Clement
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Joseph Lukong
- Office Manager: Marti Dayton
- Director of Music: Dan Conte
- Pastorate shared with Parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Bar Harbor cluster)
Sacramental & Devotional Life
Beyond Mass, St. Joseph Parish offers the regular sacraments and traditional Catholic devotions. Confessions are heard Saturday afternoons before the Vigil Mass. Eucharistic Adoration takes place on Thursdays following the morning Mass and on First Fridays. The rosary is prayed before each Mass, and a Holy Hour with Benediction follows the Thursday morning Mass — providing a steady rhythm of Eucharistic devotion through the week.
- Confession: Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
- Eucharistic Adoration: Thursday (following Mass) and First Friday 9:45 AM – 4:45 PM
- Rosary before each Mass
- Holy Hour and Benediction following Thursday morning Mass
- Devotions coordinated at the parish and Hancock County cluster level
Faith Formation & Sacramental Preparation
Faith formation for parish families is offered through the cluster's Catholic Churches of Hancock County programming. Children's Faith Formation meets Sunday at 11:00 AM. Sacramental Preparation (for First Reconciliation, First Communion, Confirmation) is held Sunday at 9:15 AM in the church basement.
- Children's Faith Formation: Sundays at 11:00 AM
- Sacramental Preparation: Sundays at 9:15 AM (church basement)
Music & Liturgical Ministries
Music at St. Joseph is coordinated by Director of Music Dan Conte, with the parish choir rehearsing in the Choir Loft. Music ministry supports the parish's weekend and seasonal liturgies, including the summer addition of a Saturday vigil Mass July through Labor Day.
- Director of Music: Dan Conte
- Choir rehearsal: Saturday at 10:00 AM, Choir Loft
- Music provided for all weekend and weekday Masses
Catholic Churches of Hancock County — Cluster
St. Joseph Parish operates as part of the Catholic Churches of Hancock County, a pastoral cluster uniting three parishes — Parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Bar Harbor), Stella Maris (Bucksport), and St. Joseph (Ellsworth) — and 11 worship sites across the county. St. Joseph serves as the main church and houses the Cluster Office. The cluster shares clergy (notably Pastor Rev. Philip J. Clement) and coordinates sacramental preparation, faith formation, and certain devotions across sites.
- Three parishes, eleven church locations
- Cluster office located at the St. Joseph Pastoral Center, 231 Main Street, Ellsworth
- Pastor Rev. Philip J. Clement oversees Transfiguration and St. Joseph
- Cluster email: [email protected]; cluster website: https://hc-catholics.org
Seasonal Chapel Locations & Mission Sites
In addition to its main church at 231 Main Street in Ellsworth, St. Joseph Parish maintains two seasonal worship sites, extending Mass coverage to the Lakes Region and the Schoodic Peninsula. These chapels serve year-round and seasonal residents and visitors in more rural parts of the parish's coverage area.
- Our Lady of the Lake — seasonal, Green Lake
- St. Margaret Chapel — seasonal, Winter Harbor
- Both listed under St. Joseph Parish in the Diocese of Portland's official records
Parish Offices & Contact
The St. Joseph Pastoral Center serves as the parish and cluster office. Inquiries about sacramental records, faith formation, the parish office, and emergency sacramental needs are routed through the Ellsworth rectory and office staff during business hours, with emergency contact handled through the local parish rectory.
- Address: 231 Main Street, Ellsworth, ME 04605
- Phone: (207) 667-2342
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Manager: Marti Dayton
- Cluster website: https://hc-catholics.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Thomas Butler1881–1894
Pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Ellsworth; thereafter served as pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Lewiston, 1894–1917, in a tenure noted in the Diocese of Portland's 'History of Our Presbyterate.'