About St. Mary Star of the Sea (Stella Maris Parish) · Stonington, Maine
St. Mary Star of the Sea Church is one of three worship sites of Stella Maris Parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine, located on 8 Granite Street in the coastal fishing village of Stonington on Deer Isle. The parish — whose name 'Stella Maris' means 'Star of the Sea,' a traditional title of the Virgin Mary and a fitting patron for a seafaring Down East community — serves the small but devout Catholic population of Stonington and the surrounding islands. Weekly Sunday Mass is offered at 8:00 AM in English, with a Tuesday 8:30 AM weekday Mass and a Holy Day Mass at 8:00 AM. Stella Maris Parish is administered jointly with St. Vincent de Paul Church in Bucksport (the parish office location) and Our Lady of Holy Hope Church in Castine.
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title Star of the Sea (Stella Maris)
- Rector
- Rev. Emile Dubé
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine
Why belong here
Stella Maris Parish welcomes visitors and seasonal residents to its quiet coastal worship sites, where the rosary is prayed before Mass each Sunday and Tuesday morning. The parish brings together three small but active Catholic communities — Stonington, Castine, and Bucksport — under one pastoral team, so members can find fellowship at any of its churches while still feeling part of one family of faith. It is a place especially fitting for those who love the sea and the traditional Marian devotion of Stella Maris, the Star of the Sea.
Mass times at St. Mary Star of the Sea (Stella Maris Parish)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment
About St. Mary Star of the Sea & Stella Maris Parish
St. Mary Star of the Sea is the Stonington church of Stella Maris Parish, a multi-site Catholic community of the Diocese of Portland in Maine. Stella Maris — Latin for 'Star of the Sea,' an ancient title of the Blessed Virgin Mary — gathers three worship sites along the central Maine coast: St. Vincent de Paul in Bucksport (where the parish office is located at 64 Franklin Street), Our Lady of Holy Hope in Castine, and St. Mary Star of the Sea in Stonington. Together they serve the Catholics of these coastal villages under a single pastoral team.
Devotions
The most visible devotion at St. Mary Star of the Sea is the Rosary, prayed communally each Sunday and Tuesday morning before Mass. The parish's very name — Stella Maris — invokes the Blessed Virgin as patron of those who go down to the sea in ships, and the pre-Mass Rosary makes that Marian identity part of the weekly rhythm of the parish.
- Sunday Rosary — 7:30 AM (before 8:00 AM Mass)
- Tuesday Rosary — 8:00 AM (before 8:30 AM Mass)
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
Stella Maris Parish is led by a pastor who also shepherds neighboring Down East parishes. The current pastor is Rev. Emile Dubé, appointed by Bishop Robert P. Deeley effective July 5, 2023; a Lewiston native and former Salesian of Don Bosco, Fr. Dubé was ordained a priest in 2012 and now serves Stella Maris together with the Parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord and St. Joseph Parish. Parochial vicars and other priests have served the cluster over the years, including Fr. Benedict Olusegun Faneye, OP (2018–2019), Rev. Bruce Siket (2009), and Rev. Richard McLaughlin (temporarily in 2009).
- Rev. Emile Dubé — Pastor (2023–present)
- Fr. Benedict Olusegun Faneye, OP — Parochial Vicar (Nov 2018–2019)
- Rev. Bruce Siket — Parochial Vicar (2009)
- Rev. Richard McLaughlin — Temporary Parochial Vicar (pre-2009)
Sister Churches of Stella Maris Parish
Stella Maris Parish is a cluster of three Catholic churches serving the Bucksport–Castine–Stonington corridor along Penobscot Bay. Each has its own Mass schedule, and together they form one pastoral family under the Diocese of Portland.
- St. Vincent de Paul Church — 64 Franklin Street, Bucksport, ME 04416 (parish office). Saturday Vigil 6:00 PM; Sunday 11:00 AM; Weekday Masses Mon/Thu/Fri 8:30 AM.
- Our Lady of Holy Hope Church — Castine, ME
- St. Mary Star of the Sea Church — 8 Granite Street, Stonington, ME 04681. Sunday 8:00 AM; Tuesday 8:30 AM; Holy Day 8:00 AM.
Visiting & Contact
St. Mary Star of the Sea welcomes visitors and seasonal residents to its 8:00 AM Sunday Mass in Stonington. The parish office is staffed through St. Vincent de Paul Church in Bucksport.
- Address: 8 Granite Street, Stonington, ME 04681
- Phone: (207) 702-9217
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://stellamarisme.org
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine
Reaching Stonington
Stonington is the largest commercial fishing port in Maine by landings and is located at the southern tip of Deer Isle, accessed by ME-15 south from Ellsworth, across the Deer Isle–Sedgwick Bridge. The church is in the heart of the village, easily walked from the harbor.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Richard McLaughlinprior to 2009 (temporary)
Served as temporary parochial vicar of Stella Maris Parish; reassigned as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Auburn and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, Norway in June 2009.
- Rev. Bruce Siket2009
Assigned by the diocese as parochial vicar at Stella Maris Parish and St. Joseph Parish, Ellsworth, with primary residence in Bucksport.
- Fr. Benedict Olusegun Faneye, OPNovember 2018 – 2019
Dominican priest from Nigeria; served as parochial vicar of Stella Maris, St. Joseph, and Parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord; reassigned July 2019 as chaplain at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center, Lewiston.
- Rev. Emile Dubéeffective July 5, 2023
Pastor of Stella Maris Parish, St. Joseph Parish, and Parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord; ordained in 2012; previously served in Caribou, Brunswick, Dexter, Dover-Foxcroft, Milo, and Pittsfield.