PORTLAND, Maine — Bishop Robert P. Deeley has announced priest assignments and retirements within the Diocese of Portland, all effective Aug. 1, several with ties to Aroostook County.
Fr. Selvaraj Kasi
(Contributed photo)
Fr. Selvaraj Kasi, HGN, (“Fr. Selvaraj”) has been appointed parochial vicar at the Parish of the Precious Blood (Holy Rosary Church, Caribou; Sacred Heart Church, Caribou; Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Presque Isle; Our Lady of the Lake Church, Portage; St. Catherine Church, Washburn; St. Denis Church, Fort Fairfield; St. Joseph Church, Mars Hill; St. Louis Church, Limestone; St. Mark Church, Ashland; St. Theresa Church, Stockholm).
Fr. Kasi currently serves as parochial vicar at Prince of Peace Parish in Lewiston, Holy Trinity Parish in Lisbon Falls, and Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Sabattus. Heralds of Good News (HGN) is a missionary society of apostolic life in India that specializes in missionary work and the promotion of vocations to the priesthood.
Fr. M. Arockia Natha Prabu
(Courtesy of Diocese of Portland)
Fr. M. Arockia Natha Prabu, HGN, (“Fr. Prabu”) has been appointed parochial vicar at the Parish of the Ascension of the Lord (St. Raphael Church, Kittery; Our Lady of the Angels Church, South Berwick; St. Christopher Church, York; Star of the Sea Church, York Beach). Fr. Prabu is currently parochial vicar at the Parish of the Precious Blood in Caribou.
Fr. Nehru Stephen Savayaria
(Contributed photo)
Fr. Nehru Stephen Savayaria, HGN, (“Fr. Nehru Stephen”) has been appointed parochial vicar at Corpus Christi Parish (Notre Dame Church, Waterville; St. John the Baptist Church, Winslow; St. Helena Church, Belgrade Lakes). Fr. Nehru Stephen currently serves as parochial vicar at the Parish of the Precious Blood in Caribou.
Fr. Joseph Cahill
(Courtesy of Diocese of Portland)
Fr. Joseph Cahill will retire from full-time active ministry but will provide coverage in parishes as needed. He is currently parochial vicar of Stella Maris Parish (St. Vincent de Paul Church, Bucksport; Our Lady of Holy Hope Church, Castine; St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, Stonington), St. Joseph Parish (St. Joseph Church, Ellsworth; Blue Hill Mission, Blue Hill; Our Lady of the Lake Mission, Green Lake; St. Margaret Chapel, Winter Harbor), and Parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Holy Redeemer Church, Bar Harbor; St. Peter Church, Manset; St. Ignatius Church, Northeast Harbor).
A native of Lynn, Massachusetts, Fr. Cahill was ordained to the priesthood on June 20, 1976, at St. Joseph Church in Lynn. His first parish assignment was as assistant pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Lewiston. In June of 1978, he was appointed assistant pastor at St. Mary Parish in Houlton. In June of 1981, he was named assistant pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Portland. He was appointed pastor of St. Denis Parish in Fort Fairfield in September of 1986. In July of 1990, he served as parochial vicar of St. Mary Parish in Presque Isle before being named pastor of Our Holy Redeemer Parish in Bar Harbor and St. Ignatius Parish in Northeast Harbor a month later.
He served at various parishes elsewhere in Maine and also as a Knights of Columbus chaplain.
Fr. Mark Nolette
(Courtesy of Diocese of Portland)
Fr. Mark Nolette will retire from full-time active ministry effective July 1, 2020, for medical reasons. For the foreseeable future, he intends to continue celebrating Mass, on a limited basis, in his current parishes where he will continue to reside.
A native of Biddeford, he was ordained to the priesthood on August 1, 1987, at St. Joseph Church in Biddeford.
His first assignment was as parochial vicar at St. Augustine Parish in Augusta. He studied canon law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and was assigned to full-time ministry in the Diocese of Portland’s Tribunal in June of 1991.
Fr. Nolette served in the Tribunal full time after June of 1993 until he was named pastor of St. Mark Parish in Ashland in 1994. In July of 1999, he was named vice chancellor of the Diocese of Portland, where he served until 2001. In addition to various parish assignments, he served in the Tribunal as a judge, associated judge, procurator advocate, promoter of justice, and defender of the bond. He is a contributing writer to Harvest, the magazine of the Diocese of Portland.
Some openings for parochial vicars remain. The diocese is working with the Heralds of Good News (India), the Society of African Missions (Nigeria), and the Diocese of Kumbo (Cameroon) to obtain religious worker visas for proposed candidates to fill these vacancies.
