About St. Jude (Parish of The Holy Eucharist) · Freeport, Maine
St. Jude Church is one of four worship sites that together make up the Parish of the Holy Eucharist, a Roman Catholic community in the Diocese of Portland in Maine serving the towns of Falmouth, Freeport, Gray, and Yarmouth along the southern Maine coast. Located at 134 Main Street in Freeport — the heart of the region's well-known shopping district — St. Jude offers a Sunday Mass at 9:30 AM with a piano and choir, a Monday weekday Mass at 12:15 PM, and Friday Eucharistic Adoration from 3:00 to 6:00 PM. Under the current pastor, Fr. Steven G. Cartwright, the Freeport community is known for its longstanding Fourth of July pancake breakfast and its tight-knit, volunteer-driven culture, which one parishioner describes as a 'community-based parish' where 'there is so much love.'
- Patron
- St. Jude (Thaddaeus)
- Rector
- Rev. Steven G. Cartwright
- Diocese
- Diocese of Portland in Maine
Why belong here
St. Jude offers an intimate, music-rich worship experience in the heart of Freeport, with a single Sunday Mass featuring piano and choir, a quiet Monday midday Mass, and a generous Friday block of Eucharistic Adoration. The Freeport community is famously hands-on — dozens of parishioners turn out each summer to run the well-known Fourth of July pancake breakfast that opens the town's Independence Day celebration, and the parish shares in the broader Parish of the Holy Eucharist ministries such as the Knights of Columbus (with a St. Jude council), food pantry support, RCIA, the St. Monica prayer group for wives and mothers, and an annual St. Patrick's Day potluck that raises money for diocesan seminarians. For a Catholic looking for a small, communal worship site within a larger collaborative parish, St. Jude is a warm, hands-on choice.
Mass times at St. Jude (Parish of The Holy Eucharist)
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- Friday 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM (St. Jude, Freeport)
Parish Overview
The Parish of the Holy Eucharist is a four-church collaborative Catholic community in the Diocese of Portland in Maine, stretching along the southern Maine coast. St. Jude Church in Freeport is one of its four worship sites and shares clergy, a unified Mass and Confession schedule, and combined ministries with Holy Martyrs of North America in Falmouth (the principal site and home of the administrative offices at 266 Foreside Road), Sacred Heart in Yarmouth, and St. Gregory the Great in Gray. The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and closed Fridays and on major holidays.
- Pastor: Rev. Steven G. Cartwright
- Parochial Vicars: Rev. Joseph Jum; Fr. Paul Marquis; Fr. Peter Kaseta, OFM Cap.
- Deacon: Dennis Popadak
- Parish Office: 266 Foreside Road (Rt. 88), Falmouth, ME 04105
- Phone: (207) 847-6890
- Email: [email protected]
St. Jude Church, Freeport
St. Jude sits at 134 Main Street in the heart of downtown Freeport, the Maine outlet-shopping town best known as the home of L.L. Bean. As one of four worship sites of the Parish of the Holy Eucharist, St. Jude offers a Sunday Mass at 9:30 AM (piano and choir), a Monday Mass at 12:15 PM, and Eucharistic Adoration each Friday from 3:00 to 6:00 PM. The parish's Fourth of July pancake breakfast, held in the St. Jude parish hall, has been a Freeport tradition for more than two decades and is widely regarded as one of the most visible expressions of this small, volunteer-driven Catholic community.
- Address: 134 Main Street, Freeport, ME 04032
- Sunday Mass: 9:30 AM (English) — piano and choir
- Monday Mass: 12:15 PM (English)
- Friday Adoration: 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Patron: St. Jude (Thaddaeus); feast day October 28
Worship & Sacraments
The Parish of the Holy Eucharist celebrates Mass across its four churches each week, with the full weekend schedule coordinated so that parishioners can attend any of the sites. Confession is offered Saturday afternoons at three of the four churches, and Eucharistic Adoration is held on weekdays and Friday afternoons at St. Jude. The parish also offers the Traditional Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form) — Rosary at 8:05 AM, a teaching 8:15–8:45 AM, Mass at 9:00 AM, Confession at 8:00 AM, and a light social afterward.
- Saturday Anticipatory: 4:00 PM at Holy Martyrs (Falmouth), Sacred Heart (Yarmouth), St. Gregory (Gray)
- Sunday: 8:00 AM Sacred Heart; 8:30 AM St. Gregory; 8:30 AM Holy Martyrs; 9:30 AM St. Jude (Freeport); 10:30 AM Holy Martyrs; 11:00 AM Sacred Heart; 5:30 PM Holy Martyrs (Quiet Mass)
- Weekday Masses at sister churches include Holy Martyrs Mon & Tue 5:30 PM, Wed & Fri 7:30 AM; Sacred Heart Mon, Tue, Thu 8:00 AM, Sat 8:15 AM; St. Gregory Fri 8:00 AM
- Confessions: Saturday 2:30 PM at Holy Martyrs, Sacred Heart, St. Gregory
- Adoration: Monday noon – 8:00 PM at Holy Martyrs; Friday 8:30 – 10:00 AM at St. Gregory; Friday 3:00 – 6:00 PM at St. Jude
Becoming Catholic & Faith Formation
The parish welcomes inquirers through its 'Becoming Catholic' process for adults exploring the faith, supported by RCIA. Faith Formation for children and families is offered across the Parish of the Holy Eucharist, and parishioners receive free access to FORMED — a digital library of Catholic video, audio, and e-book content — by registering through the parish website. Sacramental preparation for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage is arranged through the parish office.
- Becoming Catholic / RCIA
- Faith Formation / Religious Education
- Free FORMED digital content subscription for parishioners
- Sacramental preparation (Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage)
Music & Liturgy
Music is a distinctive part of worship across the Parish of the Holy Eucharist. Holy Martyrs in Falmouth features organ, cantor, and choir music; Sacred Heart in Yarmouth uses a pipe organ and men's schola; St. Gregory in Gray offers guitar and folk-music Masses; and St. Jude in Freeport is served by piano and choir at its 9:30 AM Sunday Mass. Livestreamed Masses from Holy Martyrs include the Saturday anticipatory 4:00 PM, Sunday 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, and 5:30 PM, plus daily Masses Monday through Wednesday and Friday at 7:30 AM. Music in streamed and recorded services is licensed under ONE LICENSE #A-719332.
- St. Jude Sunday Mass: piano and choir
- Holy Martyrs: organ and cantor (4 PM vigil & 8:30 AM), organ and choir (10:30 AM), Quiet Mass (5:30 PM)
- Sacred Heart: pipe organ with men's schola (8 AM), pipe organ and choir (11 AM)
- St. Gregory: guitar and folk choir (8:30 AM), piano and cantor (4 PM vigil)
Knights of Columbus
The Parish of the Holy Eucharist's Knights of Columbus council is broken into four district teams — one per worship site — that serve the parish community through faith, family, community, and pro-life initiatives. The St. Jude team is led by Brother Dan Hayes (who also serves as Family Director for the wider council). Other directors include Brother George Spino (Faith), Brother Matthew Martino (Community), and Brother John DeFusco (Pro-Life). Brother Dennis Carraway is the council's Deputy Grand Knight, with Jonathan Fuller as Financial Secretary and Treasurer.
- ABBA Center, Portland
- St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen, Portland
- Yarmouth Food Pantry
- Togus Veterans Homes visits and Masses
- Freeport Food Pantry
- Abbey Catholic Book and Gift Shop
- Knights of Columbus scholarship program
Social Justice & Outreach
The Parish of the Holy Eucharist's Social Justice Commission and parish ministries support a network of regional Catholic charities, including food pantries in Freeport and Yarmouth, the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen in Portland, the ABBA Center, and ongoing visits with veterans at the Togus VA Medical Center. The parish also operates a Maine Catholic Cemeteries pre-planning service for parishioners, supports the Catholic Foundation of Maine, and partners with the Maine Needs Fatima apostolate. A Lenten stewardship seminar helps parishioners explore planned giving and endowments in support of parish ministries.
- Freeport Food Pantry
- Yarmouth Food Pantry
- St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen, Portland
- ABBA Center, Portland
- Togus Veterans Homes
- Maine Catholic Cemeteries pre-planning
- Catholic Foundation of Maine (501c3)
- Maine Needs Fatima
Faith & Fellowship Events
The parish hosts regular faith and fellowship gatherings that bring all four worship sites together. These include the St. Monica Club (a monthly prayer group for wives and mothers praying for the conversion of their families), a parish-wide St. Patrick's Day potluck at Holy Martyrs that raises money for diocesan seminarians, and the long-running Fourth of July pancake breakfast at St. Jude Church in Freeport that opens Freeport's Independence Day celebration. The parish also partners with regional groups such as the Troops of Saint George, Una Voce Maine (supporting the Traditional Latin Mass), the Psalterium Institute, Opus Dei (offering mornings/evenings of recollection), and the Calix Society.
- St. Monica Club monthly prayer meeting
- St. Patrick's Day parish potluck benefitting seminarians (typically at Holy Martyrs, 5:30 PM)
- Fourth of July pancake breakfast at St. Jude (Freeport)
- Yarmouth Clam Festival food booth
- Sacred Heart summer hamburger/chips fundraiser
- Opus Dei Mornings/Evenings of Recollection
- Troops of Saint George, Una Voce Maine, Psalterium Institute, Calix Society
Stewardship & Giving
Parishioners support the Parish of the Holy Eucharist through WeShare online offertory giving and other donation channels linked from pothe.org. The parish publishes an Annual Donation Report on request and stewards periodic capital campaigns — including recent efforts supporting improvements at St. Jude and the Fr. Jim Morrison Memorial Narthex project at St. Gregory the Great. A Lenten 'Path to Discerning Stewardship' seminar guides parishioners through planned giving and endowments.
- WeShare Online Offertory Giving
- Annual Donation Report (request through parish office)
- Lenten 'Path to Discerning Stewardship' seminar
- Capital campaigns (e.g. Fr. Jim Morrison Memorial Narthex at St. Gregory the Great)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Philip A. TracyUntil January 18, 2022
South Portland native, ordained 1988; served Bangor, Brunswick, Limerick, Rockland, Rumford, Sanford, Skowhegan, Springvale, St. Francis, St. John, Waterville, and Winslow before leading the Parish of the Holy Eucharist. Reassigned to All Saints Parish in January 2022.
- Rev. Steven G. CartwrightJanuary 18, 2022 – present
Boothbay Harbor native, ordained 2015; previously parochial vicar of St. Anthony of Padua Parish (Windham/Westbrook/Sebago area) and ministered in Lewiston, Lisbon Falls, and Sabattus.