PORTLAND — Bishop Robert P. Deeley has announced seven priest assignments and a retirement for the Diocese of Portland. All assignments are effective on June 29.
Assignments
Father 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; and St. Francis Xavier Church, Winthrop). Skehan currently serves as pastor of the Parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Stella Maris Parish and St. Joseph Parish.
A native of Hampden, Skehan 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). Skehan 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.
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, Skehan 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, Skehan was appointed as the director of the Office of Parish Planning for the Diocese of Portland. 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.
Father Emile H. Dube 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). Dube currently serves 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, Dube attended St. Dominic Regional High School and completed his clerical studies at Pope Saint John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts. He was ordained to the priesthood 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. From June of 2012 to July of 2014, Dube 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 before accepting his current assignment at Our Lady of the Snows and St. Agnes Parishes in June of 2015.
Father Robert L. Lupo 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. He currently serves 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).
A native of Caribou, 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, Massachusetts, 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, Lupo was appointed pastor of St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Calais, where he served until July of 2015, when he was named parochial vicar of All Saints Parish in Brunswick.
Father 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). Seavey currently serves 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.
Seavey 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, Massachusetts. Seavey was ordained to the priesthood 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, Seavey was appointed pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Wallagrass and Holy Family Parish in Daigle. In June of 1995, he was appointed co-pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Biddeford. In July of 1998, Seavey 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, 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 & Island Parishes, where he served until August of 2016, when he was appointed to his current assignment in Gorham, Westbrook and Windham.
Father Steven G. Cartwright has been appointed 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. He currently serves as parochial vicar of Prince of Peace Parish (Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Lewiston; Holy Cross Church, Lewiston; Holy Family Church, Lewiston), Holy Trinity Parish in Lisbon Falls, and Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Sabattus, which includes St. Francis Church in Greene.
Cartwright was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Robert P. Deeley on June 13, 2015, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland. A Boothbay Harbor native, he graduated from John Bapst Memorial High School before attending St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York (1997-1998) and St. Bonaventure University in Olean, New York (1998-1999), majoring in philosophy while minoring in theology.
In 1999, Cartwright entered the Basselin Scholars Program at Theological College at The Catholic University of America. He earned his BA in philosophy in 2001 but then decided to leave formation. After fire years as a swim coach, including at Georgetown University, Cartwright decided to resume priestly formation for the Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2010. He attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. In 2012, he transferred to the Diocese of Portland and continued his studies at Pope Saint John XXIII Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts.
Since his ordination, Cartwright has served at his current assignment as parochial vicar of Prince of Peace Parish and, in addition to his duties in Lewiston, was named parochial vicar at Holy Trinity Parish and Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in May of 2017.
Father Matthew Gregory has been appointed parochial vicar of Prince of Peace Parish (Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Lewiston; Holy Cross Church, Lewiston; Holy Family Church, Lewiston), Holy Trinity Parish in Lisbon Falls, and Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Sabattus, which includes St. Francis Church in Greene.
He currently serves as parochial vicar of Corpus Christi Parish (Notre Dame Church, Waterville; Sacred Heart Church, Waterville; St. John the Baptist Church, Winslow; St. Helena Church, Belgrade Lakes). A South Portland native, Gregory attended Cheverus High School in Portland and began formation at St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2010. A year later, he transferred to Pope Saint John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts, where he completed his clerical studies.
Gregory was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Robert P. Deeley on May 28, 2016, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland. His first assignment as a priest is also his current assignment at Corpus Christi Parish, where he has served since July of 2016.
Father Patrick Efe-egiughwe Agbodi, SMA, has been appointed 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). He is currently 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).
Born in Nigeria in 1968, Agbodi was accepted as a seminarian for the Society of African Missions (SMA) in 1990. Agbodi completed his philosophical studies at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Major Seminary in Ibadan, Nigeria, in 1995. After completing a spiritual formation year in the Republic of Benin and a pastoral year in Ivory Coast, he completed his theological studies at the Catholic Institute of West Africa, also in Ivory Coast, in 2000. He was ordained to the priesthood on July 1, 2000, at St. Patrick Church in Asaba, Nigeria.
Agbodi has served as an assistant parish priest in Liberia (2000-2002), Nigeria (2002-2003), and Tanzania (2003-2010). During his eight years in Tanzania, he also served as director of vocations for the SMA’s Tanzanian Region and as a vice regional superior. From 2010 to 2012, Agbodi was a formator and burser for the SMA House of Formation in Ibadan, Nigeria. He also served as an assistant parish priest at St. Joseph Church in Lagos (2012-2013), a parish priest at Sacred Heart Church in Lagos (2013-2015), and an assistant parish priest at St. Mary Church in Lagos (2016-2017). In July of 2017, he received his current assignment at St. Michael Parish.
Retirement
Father Francis P. Morin will retire from active ministry. Morin is currently the 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).
Morin is a native of St. Albans, a community in Queens, New York. The oldest child in a family of eight, he attended both public schools and St. John Grammar School in Winslow, Maine, as a child. He graduated high school 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, Maryland, and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Edward C. O’Leary on May 27, 1973, at St. John the Baptist Church in Winslow.
His first assignment was as assistant pastor of Holy Cross Parish in South Portland. In February of 1974, he was appointed as diocesan chaplain to the Boy Scouts of America. In September of 1975, Morin 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, Morin was named associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Lewiston, where he also served as chaplain at Bates College. In June of 1983, 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, Morin 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, 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, 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), Morin was also named administrator of St. Peter the Fisherman Parish in Machias.
In January of 2009, he was appointed to his current assignment at St. Michael Parish. 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.
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