“Be strong and of good courage, all you who wait for the Lord.” Psalm, 31:24 Courage The promise of spring is in the air and all the brave little crocuses are popping up through the snow and bursting forth into the frigid air of an unyielding winter. They may not be very large, but they […]

SALT LAKE CITY Under a new law signed late Tuesday night by Utah Gov. Gary Herbert over objections from plural families, polygamists would face harsher punishments if they are convicted of other crimes such as domestic abuse or fraud. The measure passed by one vote in the final minutes of Utah’s legislative session following several […]

EDGECOMB Edgecomb Community Church, United Church of Christ, will be observing Holy Week with the following services. • Palm Sunday, April 9. Celebrate Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem with the distribution of Palms. Worship Service at 9:30 a.m. • Maundy Thursday, April 13. 7:30 p.m. service of worship will celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s […]

PORTLAND A special collection held Feb. 11-12 at Catholic churches throughout the Diocese of Portland raised $56,500 to support the long-term efforts of Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities USA to provide aid to victims of Hurricane Matthew. The hurricane first made landfall in Haiti on Oct. 4, 2016, eventually devastating areas in the Caribbean […]

A shriveled up section of Christmas cactus fell off my kitchen plant this past winter. It looked dead. Undaunted, my first grade son scooped up the broken section, stuck it in a jelly jar of water and set it in a window. There it sat — week after week after week — looking sad and […]

NEW YORK Think your home furnishings are a dust magnet? New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine just spent 16 years cleaning and conserving its rare, super-size wall hangings. Now the historic house of worship is inviting the public to enjoy the fruits of its labor — “The Barberini Tapestries, Scenes from the Life […]

“Let your light shine among men, that they will see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 Saints Once a little boy asked another, “What is a saint?” Thinking of stained glass windows, the boy answered, “A saint is someone that the light shines through.” History is replete with […]

VATICAN CITY Pope Francis on Monday begged forgiveness for the “sins and failings of the church and its members” during Rwanda’s 1994 genocide as the Holy See sought to open a new phase in relations nearly a quarter-century after the slaughter. In an extraordinary statement after Francis’ meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the Vatican […]

WISCASSET On April 1 at 5 p.m., the Fellowship Hall of First Congregational Church, UCC, in Wiscasset will host a potluck dinner and recipe auction event to raise funds for weekend packs of food for Wiscasset school children living in food insecure situations. While 15 percent of Wiscasset area’s population is identified as food insecure, […]

For the first time ever, my husband and I hired a tax accountant. Having sold both our house and my late mother’s — as well as being self- employed — I really hoped we didn’t owe money. Just as importantly, I wanted to avoid making a mistake that might later result in a letter from […]