Bishop Deeley announces priest assignments

PORTLAND, Maine — Bishop Robert P. Deeley announced several priest assignments April 16, including some with ties to Aroostook County. All assignments are effective June 29.

Fr. John R. Skehan has been appointed pastor of St. Michael Parish (St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Augusta; St. Augustine Church, Augusta; St. Joseph Church, Gardiner; Sacred Heart Church, Hallowell; St. Denis Church, Whitefield; St. Francis Xavier Church, Winthrop).

His first assignment was serving as parochial vicar at Notre Dame Parish in Waterville, including campus ministry at Colby College and Unity College. In July of 1989, he was appointed chaplain of Maine Medical Center in Portland, where he would serve until being named pastor of St. Mary of the Visitation Parish in Houlton in July of 1991. In July of 1996, he became the director of the Office of Parish Planning for the Diocese of Portland.

He currently serves as pastor of the Parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Holy Redeemer Church, Bar Harbor; St. Peter Church, Manset; St. Ignatius Church, Northeast Harbor; Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Little Cranberry Island), Stella Maris Parish (St. Vincent de Paul Church, Bucksport; Our Lady of Holy Hope Church, Castine; St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, Stonington), and St. Joseph Parish (St. Joseph Church, Ellsworth; Blue Hill Mission, Blue Hill; Our Lady of the Lake Church, Dedham; St. Margaret Church, Winter Harbor).

A native of Hampden, he attended Hampden Academy and received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Bowdoin College in Brunswick. Prior to entering seminary, he was the educational coordinator for “Up with People” (1978-1980) and a junior high science teacher in Oakland (1980-1982). He completed his clerical studies at the Theological College in Washington, D.C., and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Edward C. O’Leary on May 24, 1986, at St. Matthew Church in Hampden.

In August of 2004, he was named pastor of St. Michael Parish in South Berwick and Our Lady of Peace Parish in Berwick. In 2006, in addition to his duties in South Berwick and Berwick, Skehan was appointed pastor of St. Christopher Parish in York and St. Raphael Parish in Kittery. In August of 2014, he was named pastor of the Parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Stella Maris Parish, and St. Joseph Parish , where he serves today.

Fr. Emile H. Dubé has been appointed pastor of the Parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Holy Redeemer Church, Bar Harbor; St. Peter Church, Manset; St. Ignatius Church, Northeast Harbor; Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Little Cranberry Island), Stella Maris

Parish (St. Vincent de Paul Church, Bucksport; Our Lady of Holy Hope Church, Castine; St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, Stonington), and St. Joseph Parish (St. Joseph Church, Ellsworth; Blue Hill Mission, Blue Hill; Our Lady of the Lake Church, Dedham; St. Margaret Church, Winter Harbor).

From June of 2012 to July of 2014, he served as parochial vicar at the Parish of the Precious Blood in Caribou. In July of 2014, he was appointed temporary parochial vicar at All Saints Parish in Brunswick. In October of 2014, he was named parochial vicar at Parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Stella Maris Parish, and St. Joseph Parish where he served until 2015.

Since 2015 he has served as pastor of Our Lady of the Snows Parish (St. Anne Church, Dexter; St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Dover-Foxcroft; SS Francis Xavier & Paul the Apostle Church, Milo) and St. Agnes Parish in Pittsfield.

A native of Lewiston, he attended St. Dominic Regional High School and completed his clerical studies at Pope Saint John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass. He was ordained by Bishop Richard J. Malone on May 26, 2012, at Holy Family Church in Lewiston. Prior to his ordination, he served for 35 years as a brother in the Catholic religious order of the Salesians of St. John Bosco in New York.

Fr. Robert L. Lupo, a Caribou native, has been appointed pastor of Our Lady of the Snows Parish (St. Anne Church, Dexter; St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Dover-Foxcroft; SS Francis Xavier & Paul the Apostle Church, Milo) and St. Agnes Parish in Pittsfield.

Lupo attended Caribou High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Southern Maine. He completed his clerical studies at Pope Saint John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass., and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Richard J. Malone on May 16, 2008, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland.

His first assignment was as a chaplain at Maine Medical Center in Portland before being appointed parochial vicar at Good Shepherd Parish in Saco in November of 2008. In July of 2011, he was named parochial vicar at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Auburn and St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Norway.

In June of 2013, he was appointed pastor of St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Calais, where he served until July of 2015. Since then he has served as parochial vicar at All Saints Parish (St. Charles Borromeo Church, Brunswick; St. John the Baptist Church, Brunswick; St. Mary Church, Bath; Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Boothbay Harbor; St. Katharine Drexel Church, Harpswell; St. Ambrose Church, Richmond; and St. Patrick Church, Newcastle).

Fr. Michael J. Seavey has been appointed parochial vicar of St. Michael Parish (St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Augusta; St. Augustine Church, Augusta; St. Joseph Church, Gardiner; Sacred Heart Church, Hallowell; St. Denis Church, Whitefield; St. Francis Xavier Church, Winthrop).

He graduated from Portland High School in 1972 and received his bachelor’s degree in political science at what is now the University of Southern Maine. He went on to earn a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Minnesota. He completed his clerical studies at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass.

Seavey was ordained by Bishop Amedee W. Proulx on May 31, 1986, at Sacred Heart Church in Portland. His first assignment was as parochial vicar at Holy Cross Parish in South Portland. In July of 1989, he was named parochial vicar at St. Mary Parish in Bangor.

In August of 1992, he was appointed pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Wallagrass and Holy Family Parish in Daigle. In June of 1995, he became co-pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Biddeford. In July of 1998, he was named pastor of St. Andrew Parish in Augusta, where he would serve until July of 2003, when he was appointed pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Lewiston. From 2006 to 2008, in addition to his responsibilities at St. Joseph, Seavey served as administrator of St. Patrick Parish, also in Lewiston.

In February of 2009, Fr. Seavey was named parochial vicar of the Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes. In July of 2014, he was appointed administrator of Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Parish and pastor of the other Portland Peninsula and Island Parishes, where he served until August of 2016.

Since 2016 he has served as parochial vicar of St. Anne Parish, Gorham, which includes Our Lady of Sebago Church in Sebago; St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Westbrook; and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Windham.

Fr. Francis P. Morin will retire from active ministry.

A native of St. Albans, a community in Queens, N.Y., and the oldest child in a family of eight, he attended both public schools and St. John Grammar School in Winslow, Maine. He graduated from St. Joseph’s University High School in Memramcook, New Brunswick, and earned a bachelor’s degree in history from St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He completed his clerical studies at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Md., and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Edward C. O’Leary on May 27, 1973, at St. John the Baptist Church in Winslow.

In February of 1974, he was appointed as diocesan chaplain to the Boy Scouts of America. In September of 1975, he was named assistant pastor at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Brunswick. In July of 1976, he was appointed director of the Christian Life Center in Caribou and as assistant pastor at Holy Rosary Parish in Caribou.

In June of 1979, he was named associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Lewiston, where he also served as chaplain at Bates College. In June of 1983, Fr. Morin volunteered to engage in missionary work in Latin America as an affiliate of the Society of St. James the Apostle. For five years, he ministered to Catholics in Bolivia. In August of 1988, he returned to Maine and was named pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Lewiston. In July of 1993, he was appointed pastor of St. Dominic Parish and Sacred Heart Parish, both in Portland.

In 1998, Fr. Morin began ministry at St. Ann Church in Peter Dana Point and St. Ann Church in Pleasant Point on the Passamaquoddy reservations. He also served as a priest at St. James the Greater Church in Baileyville. In 2005, he was also named pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Calais. During this period, Fr. Morin also served at St. John the Evangelist Church in Pembroke and St. Joseph Church in Eastport. In July of 2008, in addition to his duties at these churches (which joined together to form St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish), Fr. Morin was also named administrator of St. Peter the Fisherman Parish in Machias until January of 2009, when he went to St. Michael Parish.

He is the current pastor of St. Michael Parish (St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Augusta; St. Augustine Church, Augusta; St. Joseph Church, Gardiner; Sacred Heart Church, Hallowell; St. Denis Church, Whitefield; St. Francis Xavier Church, Winthrop). His first assignment was as assistant pastor of Holy Cross Parish in South Portland.

He intends to continue exercising his priestly ministry by providing coverage in parishes as needed and through offering Masses and the sacraments in Spanish for the Hispanic community.

Other assignments included Fr. Steven G. Cartwright, parochial vicar of St. Anne Parish, Gorham; Fr. Matthew Gregory, parochial vicar of Prince of Peace Parish in the Lewiston area; and Fr. Patrick Efé-egiughwe Agbodi, SMA, parochial vicar at All Saints Parish, Brunswick area.