PORTLAND — Bishop Robert P. Deeley has announced nine priest assignments and two retirements, all effective Aug.1, according to a news release from Dave Guthro, communications director, Roman Catholic Diocese of Maine.

ASSIGNMENTS

Fr. Benedict Olusegun Faneye, OP, has been appointed chaplain at Maine Medical Center in Portland. He serves as a chaplain at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, St. Mary’s d’Youville Pavilion, St. Mary’s Residence, and Central Maine Medical Center, all in Lewiston. Faneye is a member of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph the Worker of Nigeria. The ministry of the Dominicans, also known as the Order of Preachers, emphasizes charity, study and preaching.

Fr. Patrick Finn has been appointed parochial vicar at Prince of Peace Parish in Lewiston, Holy Trinity Parish in Lisbon Falls, and Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Sabattus. Finn is  parochial vicar of Corpus Christi Parish in Waterville.

Fr. Selvaraj Kasi, HGN, has been appointed parochial vicar at the Parish of the Precious Blood (Holy Rosary Church, Caribou; Sacred Heart Church, Caribou; Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Presque Isle; Our Lady of the Lake Church, Portage; St. Catherine Church, Washburn; St. Denis Church, Fort Fairfield; St. Joseph Church, Mars Hill; St. Louis Church, Limestone; St. Mark Church, Ashland; St. Theresa Church, Stockholm). Kasi serves as parochial vicar at Prince of Peace Parish in Lewiston, Holy Trinity Parish in Lisbon Falls, and Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Sabattus. Heralds of Good News is a missionary society of apostolic life in India that specializes in missionary work and the promotion of vocations to the priesthood.

Fr. M. Arockia Natha Prabu, HGN, has been appointed parochial vicar at the Parish of the Ascension of the Lord (St. Raphael Church, Kittery; Our Lady of the Angels Church, South Berwick; St. Christopher Church, York; Star of the Sea Church, York Beach). Prabu is parochial vicar at the Parish of the Precious Blood in Caribou.

Fr. Arokiasamy Santhiyagu, HGN, has been appointed chaplain at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, St. Mary’s d’Youville Pavilion, St. Mary’s Residence, and Central Maine Medical Center, all in Lewiston. Santhiyagu serves as half-time hospital chaplain at MaineGeneral Health in Augusta and half-time parochial vicar at St. Michael Parish in Augusta.

Fr. Nehru Stephen Savayaria, HGN, has been appointed parochial vicar at Corpus Christi Parish (Notre Dame Church, Waterville; St. John the Baptist Church, Winslow; St. Helena Church, Belgrade Lakes). Savayaria serves as parochial vicar at the Parish of the Precious Blood in Caribou.

Fr. Anthanasius Sangnyuy Wirsiy has been appointed parochial vicar at Stella Maris Parish (St. Vincent de Paul Church, Bucksport; Our Lady of Holy Hope Church, Castine; St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, Stonington), St. Joseph Parish (St. Joseph Church, Ellsworth; Blue Hill Mission, Blue Hill; Our Lady of the Lake Mission, Green Lake; St. Margaret Chapel, Winter Harbor), and Parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Holy Redeemer Church, Bar Harbor; St. Peter Church, Manset; and St. Ignatius Church, Northeast Harbor). He serves as a hospital chaplain at Maine Medical Center and Mercy Hospital, both in Portland, and parochial vicar for the Portland Peninsula and Island Parishes.

Fr. Peter Shaba, SMA, has been appointed parochial vicar at St. Bartholomew Parish in Cape Elizabeth, St. John & Holy Cross Parish in South Portland, and St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Scarborough. Shaba is parochial vicar at St. Joseph Parish in Bridgton and St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Norway. Shaba is a member of the Society of African Missions, an international community of missionaries founded in France in 1856.

Fr. Michael Sevigny, OFM Cap., will serve in the Diocese of Portland’s Hispanic Ministry, which provides worship opportunities, outreach services, faith formation, and social service education to Maine’s growing Hispanic community. Sevigny is a Franciscan with the St. Mary Province of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, White Plains, New York, who strive to live the Gospel with the same simplicity and fervor as their founder, St. Francis of Assisi.

NOTE: Even with these recent announcements by Deeley, some openings for parochial vicars remain. The diocese is working with the Heralds of Good News (India), the Society of African Missions (Nigeria), and the Diocese of Kumbo (Cameroon) to obtain religious worker visas for proposed candidates to fill these vacancies. Once approved by the Department of Homeland Security and their visas obtained to travel to the United States, additional assignments will be finalized and released.

RETIREMENTS

Fr. Joseph Cahill will retire from full-time active ministry. He intends to continue exercising his priestly ministry by providing coverage in parishes as needed. Cahill is parochial vicar of Stella Maris Parish (St. Vincent de Paul Church, Bucksport; Our Lady of Holy Hope Church, Castine; St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, Stonington), St. Joseph Parish (St. Joseph Church, Ellsworth; Blue Hill Mission, Blue Hill; Our Lady of the Lake Mission, Green Lake; St. Margaret Chapel, Winter Harbor), and Parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Holy Redeemer Church, Bar Harbor; St. Peter Church, Manset; St. Ignatius Church, Northeast Harbor).

A native of Lynn, Massachusetts, Cahill attended Lynn schools before graduation from Lynn English High School. He completed his clerical studies at Saint John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, and Saint Paul University in Ottawa, Ontario. Cahill was ordained to the priesthood on June 20, 1976, at St. Joseph Church in Lynn. His first parish assignment was as assistant pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Lewiston. In June 1978, he was appointed assistant pastor at St. Mary Parish in Houlton. In June 1981, he was named assistant pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Portland. He was appointed pastor of St. Denis Parish in Fort Fairfield in September 1986. In July 1990, he served as parochial vicar of St. Mary Parish in Presque Isle before being named pastor of Our Holy Redeemer Parish in Bar Harbor and St. Ignatius Parish in Northeast Harbor a month later.

In July 1997, Cahill was appointed pastor of St. Theresa Parish in Oakland. In June 2000, in addition to his duties at St. Theresa Parish, he was named pastor of St. Bridget Parish in North Vassalboro. In July 2006, he was appointed parochial vicar of St. Christopher Parish in York, St. Michael Parish in South Berwick, and Our Lady of Peace Parish in Berwick. In October 2006, in addition to his duties at the three parishes, he was also named parochial vicar of St. Raphael Parish in Kittery. In August 2012, Cahill was named parochial vicar of St. Joseph Parish in Bridgton, St. Anne Parish in Gorham, St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Westbrook, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Windham.

In July 2013, he was appointed pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Pittsfield and Our Lady of the Snows Parish in Dexter, where he served until receiving his current assignments in June 2015. In addition to his parish assignments, Cahill has served as a Knights of Columbus chaplain for councils in Lewiston, Bar Harbor, and Oakland.

Fr. Mark Nolette will retire from full-time active ministry effective July 1 for medical reasons. For the foreseeable future, he intends to continue celebrating Mass, on a limited basis, in his parishes where he will continue to reside. A native of Biddeford, Nolette attended grammar school at St. Joseph’s and St. Andre’s before graduating from Cheverus High School in Portland. He completed his clerical studies at Saint John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, and St. Paul University in Ottawa, Ontario.

Nolette was ordained to the priesthood on Aug. 1, 1987, at St. Joseph Church in Biddeford. His first assignment was as parochial vicar at St. Augustine Parish in Augusta. In 1989, Nolette studied canon law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. When he returned from canon law studies, he was assigned to full-time ministry in the Diocese of Portland’s Tribunal in June 1991. The Tribunal handles adjudication in cases involving canon law of the Catholic Church. Nolette served as temporary administrator at St. Gregory Parish in Gray from late September thorough the end of December 1991, in addition to Tribunal work. In January1993, he was named as administrator of Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Parish in Portland, where he served until June 1993 while continuing Tribunal work.

Nolette served in the Tribunal full time after June 1993 until he was named pastor of St. Mark Parish in Ashland in 1994. In July 1999, he was named vice chancellor of the Diocese of Portland, where he would serve until June 2001 when he was appointed pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Calais (2001-2005), which included St. Ann Parish in Pleasant Point from 2001 to 2003. In February 2004, he was also named pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Lubec and St. Timothy Parish in Campobello. In July 2005, Nolette became pastor of Holy Name Parish in Machias, which included Sacred Heart and St. Timothy in addition to St. Michael Mission in Cherryfield.

In October 2008, Nolette was appointed administrator of Our Lady of the Snows Parish in Dover-Foxcroft/Dexter and St. Agnes Parish in Pittsfield. From 2010 to 2013, he served as parochial vicar of St. Brendan the Navigator Parish in Camden while living at Transfiguration Hermitage in Windsor. In 2013, he celebrated weekend Masses and funerals at St. Michael Parish in Augusta. In November2014, he returned to serve at Our Lady of the Snows Parish and St. Agnes Parish, where he was named parochial vicar of both parishes in October2015.

In addition to his parish assignments, Nolette served in the Diocese of Portland’s Tribunal, which handles adjudication in cases involving canon law of the Catholic Church, as a judge, associated judge, procurator advocate, promoter of justice, and defender of the bond. He also served as a sacramental minister at the Augusta Mental Health Institute, a vicar forane, and as a member of the Diocese of Portland’s Presbyteral Council and College of Consultors. In addition, Nolette is a contributing writer to Harvest, the magazine of the Diocese of Portland.

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