About St. Peter (Christ the King Parish) · Bingham, Maine
St. Peter Church is one of three worship sites that make up Christ the King Parish, a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Portland serving the upper Kennebec Valley of central Maine. Located on Owens Street in Bingham, the small-town mission church was dedicated in 1916 and elevated to parish status in 1920. Today it shares a pastor with Notre Dame de Lourdes Church in Skowhegan (the parish office) and St. Sebastian Church in Madison, offering a weekly Thursday afternoon and Sunday Mass schedule. Like the other two churches in the cluster, St. Peter's remains an intimate anchor of Catholic life in rural Somerset County.
- Established
- 1920
- Patron
- Saint Peter (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Rev. James L. Nadeau
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland
Why belong here
St. Peter offers a small, traditional Catholic community in the heart of rural Somerset County, with a weekly Sunday Mass, weekday Mass on Thursdays, and the rhythms of a parish that has served Bingham's Catholic families for more than a century. As one of three linked worship sites (with Notre Dame de Lourdes in Skowhegan and St. Sebastian in Madison), it gives parishioners easy access to daily Mass, Saturday Vigil and Sunday Mass across the cluster, plus Reconciliation on Saturday afternoons in Skowhegan. The parish is also known for its practical outreach — under the previous pastor, local volunteers opened a thrift store and food pantry in Bingham — making it a visible point of Catholic charity and fellowship in the upper Kennebec Valley.
Mass times at St. Peter (Christ the King Parish)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment (contact Fr. Jim Nadeau, 207-474-2039)
- Saturday 3:00–3:30 PM at Notre Dame de Lourdes Church, Skowhegan (cluster-wide)
Christ the King Parish — Cluster Overview
St. Peter Church is one of three worship sites that together form Christ the King Parish, a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Portland serving Bingham, Madison, and Skowhegan in Somerset County, Maine. The cluster brings together historic small-town Catholic communities that individually could not easily sustain full-time pastoral ministry on their own. The parish office is located at Notre Dame de Lourdes Church, 291 Water Street, Skowhegan (mailing address PO Box 369, Skowhegan, ME 04976), and shares one administrator/pastor across all three churches. Online giving for the cluster is handled through WeShare at ctkmaine.weshareonline.org.
- St. Peter Church — 26 Owens Street, Bingham (MASS: Thursday 2:30 PM; Sunday 2:30 PM)
- St. Sebastian Church — 175 Main Street, Madison (MASS: Monday & Friday 8:00 AM; Sunday 10:30 AM)
- Notre Dame de Lourdes Church — 283 Water Street, Skowhegan (MASS: Tuesday & Wednesday 8:00 AM; Saturday 4:00 PM; Sunday 8:30 AM)
- Parish Office: 291 Water Street, Skowhegan, ME 04976 — 207-474-2039
- Email: [email protected]
- Online giving: ctkmaine.weshareonline.org
History of St. Peter Church, Bingham
Before 1916 there was no Catholic church in Bingham. Visiting priests from Skowhegan's Notre Dame de Lourdes Church would coordinate Masses through John Hughes on Murray Street; a house would be chosen and word spread to the scattered Catholic families of the upper Kennebec Valley. In 1915–1916 Tom Owens, Sr. donated land on what became Owens Street, John Cassidy hand-dug the foundation (sleeping in a neighbor's stable because his home was more than four miles away), and carpenter Walter Fentiman erected the building. Bishop Louis S. Walsh dedicated the new mission church on August 27, 1916, with a sermon by Father James A. Carey tracing the Church's lineage from St. Peter, the Chief of the Apostles.
- 1916 — Construction completed; dedicated August 27 by Bishop Louis S. Walsh
- Pre-1920 — Operated as a mission of St. Sebastian Church, Madison (Father Matthew E. Curran)
- 1920 — Erected as an independent parish; Rev. John L. Holohan named first resident pastor
- 1921 — Rectory house across the street purchased from the Does for $4,000
- 1937 — Allen Quimby Veneer Company brings growth; parish outgrows original building
- 1950 — Major enlargement and renovation under Father Napoleon Madore; seating to 275
- 1950 — Blessing by Coadjutor Bishop Daniel J. Feeney; 57 confirmations
- 1953 — Basement finished into the Parish Hall
- 1954 — First Parish Hall event: wedding reception for Geraldine Begin and S/Sgt. William O. Farley
- 1995 — Parish publishes 75th Anniversary booklet; history written by William Farley
Leadership
Christ the King Parish is led by Rev. James L. Nadeau, currently listed by the Diocese of Portland as Administrator of the parish. Father Nadeau was appointed July 1, 2017, succeeding Rev. John Mazzei, OFM (Franciscan Friars of the Atonement), who had served the cluster since November 2008 and retired July 1, 2017. Father Nadeau, a Caribou native and Dartmouth (1983) / Gregorian University graduate, was ordained in 1988 and has previously served as rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland and as pastor of the St. John Vianney Parish cluster in northern Maine. He is a Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
- Current Pastor/Administrator: Rev. James L. Nadeau (since July 1, 2017)
- Previous Pastor: Rev. John Mazzei, OFM (Nov 2008 – July 1, 2017)
- First Resident Pastor: Rev. John L. Holohan (from 1920)
- 1950 Renovation Pastor: Rev. Napoleon Madore
Mass & Sacrament Schedule
Within the Christ the King Parish cluster, St. Peter Church in Bingham offers a Thursday afternoon Mass at 2:30 PM and a Sunday Mass at 2:30 PM, with a Saturday evening Mass at 6:00 PM during the warmer months (May–October). When the Saturday evening Mass is in effect, the Sunday 2:30 PM Mass is suspended. The full cluster schedule provides daily Masses at the sister churches (Notre Dame de Lourdes in Skowhegan and St. Sebastian in Madison). Reconciliation for the whole cluster is heard on Saturdays from 3:00–3:30 PM at Notre Dame de Lourdes Church in Skowhegan, and by appointment with Father Nadeau at any time.
- Sunday — 2:30 PM at St. Peter (Nov–Apr)
- Saturday — 6:00 PM at St. Peter (May–Oct)
- Thursday — 2:30 PM at St. Peter
- Confession — Saturday 3:00–3:30 PM at Notre Dame de Lourdes, Skowhegan
- Confession — by appointment with Fr. Jim Nadeau, 207-474-2039
Ministries & Outreach
While the parish website concentrates on schedules and bulletins, the most visible parish ministry to emerge in recent years has been the Christ the King Thrift Store and Food Pantry in Bingham. Under Father John Mazzei's leadership, parishioners helped convert the former Jimmy's Market in Bingham into a combined thrift store and food pantry that opened in January 2017, serving neighbors in need across the upper Kennebec Valley. The parish also sustains WeShare online giving, a published weekly bulletin, the Parish Hall for fellowship and rentals, and cluster-wide sacramental preparation in cooperation with the Madison and Skowhegan worship sites.
- Christ the King Thrift Store & Food Pantry (Bingham)
- Online giving via WeShare — ctkmaine.weshareonline.org
- Parish Bulletin (weekly; covers schedule changes and announcements)
- Parish Hall fellowship and rentals
- Cluster-wide Sacramental preparation
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the sacraments across its three churches and welcomes parishioners and visitors to the appropriate worship site for each rite. Reconciliation is offered at Notre Dame de Lourdes in Skowhegan on Saturday afternoons and by appointment with Father Nadeau at any of the cluster churches. Baptisms, Marriages, Anointing of the Sick, First Communion, and Confirmation preparation are arranged through the parish office.
- Reconciliation (Penance): Saturday 3:00–3:30 PM at Notre Dame de Lourdes, Skowhegan; by appointment with Fr. Jim Nadeau
- Eucharist / Mass: per published cluster schedule
- Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, First Communion, Confirmation: contact the parish office
Visit & Contact
St. Peter Church is located at 26 (or 27) Owens Street, Bingham, Maine 04920. The mailing and administrative address for the parish is PO Box 369, Skowhegan, ME 04976. Telephone (parish office): 207-474-2039. Email: [email protected]. The parish's official website is ctkparishonline.com; the Facebook page is facebook.com/ctkp.maine.07012007. As with any small rural parish, visitors are encouraged to confirm the latest schedule — especially during winter or holiday weekends — by phone or via the weekly bulletin.
- Address: 26 Owens St., Bingham, ME 04920
- Parish Office Mailing: PO Box 369, Skowhegan, ME 04976
- Phone: 207-474-2039
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: ctkparishonline.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/ctkp.maine.07012007
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Matthew E. Curranmission period (pre-1920)
Pastor of St. Sebastian Church in Madison; celebrated Mass in Bingham once or twice a month while St. Peter's was a mission.
- Rev. John L. Holohan1920–
First resident pastor of St. Peter's Parish (1920). Also responsible for missions of Solon, North Anson, Caratunk, and The Forks. Catholic population at the time: about 35 families. Purchased the rectory across the street in 1921.
- Rev. Napoleon Madore1950
Directed the major 1950 enlargement and renovation of the church — new sanctuary, sacristy, altar, and pews; capacity raised to 275. Remodeled church blessed by Bishop Daniel J. Feeney in October 1950.
- Rev. John Mazzei (Franciscan Friars of the Atonement)Nov 2008–July 1, 2017
Came to Christ the King Parish as parochial vicar in November 2008; served as pastor until retirement July 1, 2017. Native of Lincoln, NH; ordained May 9, 1992, in Brazil. Helped launch the Bingham thrift store and food pantry in the former Jimmy's Market.
- Rev. James L. NadeauJuly 1, 2017–present
Current pastor (listed as 'Administrator' on the diocesan parish page). Born in Caribou; Dartmouth 1983; S.T.B./S.T.L. Gregorian University; ordained July 9, 1988. Previously rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Portland, and pastor in the St. John Vianney Parish cluster. Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.