The St. Denis Church in Fort Fairfield and St. Louis Church in Limestone are among more than 100 beneficiaries of investments from the Catholic Foundation of Maine this year.
The Catholic Foundation of Maine is distributing more than $800,000 this year to more than 100 endowments associated with parishes, schools and other ministries around Maine, said David Guthro, spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.
The two churches in Fort Fairfield and Limestone are among the parishes with newly-established funds this year, commemorating local parishioners and long-time Church supporters, Guthro said.
The St. Denis Church Endowment is in memory of Brien D. Lynch, a Fort Fairfield native and Marine Corps veteran who was paralyzed in a farming accident in 1976 and died at the age of 66 last year.
Lynch was a lifelong member of the parish and the local Knights of Columbus group, and following his injury took up watercolor painting at the Togus Veterans Medical Center, participating in the Maine Veterans Creative Arts Festival.
In Limestone, the Catholic Foundation of Maine is supporting the St. Louis Church Endowment in memory of Rainald A. Gervais, Sr.
Although he did not disclose the amount of funds offered, Guthro said the endowment will support building maintenance at the church and honors Gervais, a longtime potato farmer and entrepreneur involved in local civic and faith groups, including the Limestone Rotary Club and local Knights of Columbus.
A native of Caswell, Gervais once managed large tracts of cropland from Hamlin to Presque Isle, and was a lifelong member and supporter of the St. Louis Church, Guthro said.
