History:

Maine is the only New England state with a Catholic history rooted deep into the first days of European exploration and colonization. Her forests, seacoasts and rivers from the St. Croix to the Piscataqua are filled with memories of Franciscans, Capuchins, Jesuits, priests of the Foreign Missions and priests of the Diocese of Quebec, ministering to the spiritual needs of the Abenaki tribe and the French traders. The history of Maine is replete with reminders of the remarkable fidelity of these native Americans to the doctrines of Christianity taught them through the great patience and many sacrifices of these missionaries.

The four Colonial Wars between England and France began in 1690 and most of northern New England and Canada were embroiled in warfare that made any English settlement in Maine impossible. The Treaty of Paris which was signed in 1763 ceded Eastern Canada to England and opened Maine up to settlement by the English. For over seventy years the only Catholic presence in Maine was in the hearts of the Abenaki. The Penobscot and the Passamaquoddy never forgot the French missionaries and kept the Faith alive in their villages.