ORONO — Bishop Robert Deeley will make a Lenten visit to the students at the University of Maine in Orono on Sunday, March 26. The bishop will celebrate Mass in the Bangor Room of the university’s Memorial Union at 5 p.m. followed by dinner and fellowship. All are welcome to attend.
The Mass and dinner are being held on campus as the yearlong renovation of the Newman Center continues on College Avenue. The center is the spiritual home for active Catholics at UMaine and a place for non-Catholics to learn about the beauty of faith. Among the renovations at the center are a new multi-purpose space for meetings; a beautiful narthex where one can transition into the presence of God; separate entrances to the chapel and the main hall; a chapel featuring a new sacristy, tabernacle, altar, ambo, and main crucifix; a student lounge to encourage relaxation and community, including an outdoor deck extension; a Marian garden with a statue of Our Lady of Wisdom; and a steeple bell to ring out the joyful sound throughout the neighborhood that it is time for Mass, reminding all that the Lord is calling us to Him.
The improvements are part of the “Rebuild His Church” campaign at Parish of the Resurrection of the Lord, of which the Newman Center is a part. To learn more about the campaign, visit www.resurrectionofthelord.org/information.
Black Bear Catholic, the Catholic student organization at the university, continues to offer a full schedule of Masses and events despite the temporary relocation to other venues. Masses are held in the Bangor Room on Sundays (5 p.m.) and Tuesdays (noon). Confessions are heard Tuesday mornings at 11:15 a.m. and Sundays at 4:15 p.m. in the Davis Room (Room 237) of the Memorial Union, and adoration is offered on Tuesdays from 5 to 6 p.m. at Holy Family Church in Old Town. A free supper at 5 p.m. followed by men’s and women’s groups are held on Wednesday evenings in the Foster Center. A women’s Rosary walk outside the Collins Center is hosted each Monday at 7:30 a.m., and theology lunches for anyone interested in learning about a variety of faith topics are held in the Totman Lounge at the Memorial Union every Monday at 11:30 a.m. In addition, morning “coffee and catechism” events and retreats are held on and off campus.
For more information about Black Bear Catholic, visit its Facebook page (www.facebook.com/blackbearcatholic) or Instagram page (www.instagram.com/blackbearcatholic).
