Our Lady of Snows Parish receives grant to assist Charleston inmates

PORTLAND — Parish Social Ministry, a Catholic Charities Maine program, has announced that seven Maine parishes will receive Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) parish grants totaling over $27,000. Among the recipients is Our Lady of Snows Parish, of Dexter, Dover-Foxcroft and Milo.
The $6,800 grant will be used by Our Lady of Snows Parish to purchase faith formation materials, including Bibles, DVDs and prayer resources, for inmates at the Charleston Correctional Facility. The supplies will enable the parish to enhance the spiritual direction it offers inmates through its prison ministry program. The program also assists inmates with resources upon their release to help them achieve stability as they transition back into society.
The mission of Parish Social Ministry is to provide leadership, guidance, Catholic social teaching education and training to empower parishioners to compassionately serve people of all faiths living in their communities. The CCHD parish grants support initiatives that aim to solve community-wide problems, empowering those in need to make ongoing life changes and to become more self-sufficient while offering parishioners the opportunity to serve those less fortunate.
“This year’s applications display a commitment from parishes to provide not only for the immediate needs of people in their communities, but also through programs that will educate participants on how to lead healthier and more fulfilling lives,” said Michael Smith, the director of mission for Catholic Charities Maine.
The mission of CCHD is made possible by the generous support of Catholics in the U.S., especially through an annual collection taken up in parishes. From this collection, 25 percent of the proceeds remain in Maine to support local efforts with significant parish engagement. The remaining 75 percent is collected by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to distribute for larger national funding opportunities from which Maine agencies and organizations that address the systemic root of poverty can apply.