Portland's Sacred Heart Church Holds Final Mass on October 25 as 1896 Landmark Bids Farewell
Sacred Heart Church in Portland, Maine, held its final Mass on October 25, closing the book on the historic church built in 1896. The Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes announced the closure of Sacred Heart on October 9. Its English- and French-language Masses will move to St. Pius X Church, while Spanish-language Masses will move to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The diocese said a decision on the future of the church property on Mellen Street will be made in the coming months.
The closure continues the Diocese of Portland's 2023 parish consolidation plan: with the cost of maintaining aging buildings rising and facility use declining, the diocese has had to merge parishes to sustain daily operations. For parishioners who have worshipped at Sacred Heart for years, it was a bittersweet day — the familiar pews, the choir's voices and holiday gatherings will become memories, and weekly Mass will now mean a different church. The diocese said it hopes parishioners will settle into the new arrangements and continue taking part in church life at their new parishes.
The old church's closure also reflects a reality many older American cities share: century-old buildings can cost millions of dollars to maintain, and every community must answer how to balance preserving history with present-day realities.
Source: GSM·USA
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 缅因州波特兰圣心教堂（资料图）。图片来源：Kenneth C. Zirkel / Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0。Sacred Heart Church in Portland, Maine (file photo). Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
