The Rev. Lionel Chouinard Courtesy of Catholic Diocese of Portland

Parishioners and community members will gather in Lisbon Falls on Sunday, Sept. 12, to remember the Rev. Lionel Chouinard, the former pastor of Holy Trinity Church who passed away in 2019.

A memorial dedication and celebration will begin with a 10:30 a.m. Mass, celebrated by Bishop Robert Deeley, followed by a light meal and the dedication ceremony. Guests from throughout Fr. Chouinard’s time in Lisbon Falls are scheduled to participate in the event, which will be held at Holy Trinity, located on 67 Frost Hill Ave.

Born in Lewiston, Fr. Chouinard completed his clerical studies at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland, and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Daniel J. Feeney in 1965 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland.

In over 50 years of active ministry, Fr. Chouinard served in parishes in Augusta, Machias, Madawaska, Mexico, Lewiston, Peaks Island and Sabattus, as well as Lisbon Falls, where he spent over 17 years and oversaw the construction of a new parish center.

In addition to his work in parishes, Fr. Chouinard has served as president of the Diocesan Senate of Priests (now known as the Presbyteral Council), a member of the College of Consultors, Vicar Forane of the then Oxford-Franklin Deanery, chaplain for the Knights of Columbus and the Daughters of Isabella, a chaplain at Saint Dominic Academy, and an auxiliary chaplain for the U.S. Air Force Base in Bucks Harbor.

If you plan to attend the gathering on Sept. 12, please call Prince of Peace Parish, of which Holy Trinity is a part, at (207) 777-1200 so the parish can get an idea of the number of meals that will be required.