February 4-5, 2017
Young Catholics from around Maine will be cheering hard this weekend, not just for the Patriots in Super Bowl LI, but for another rooting interest: getting as many donations as possible to benefit the Souper Bowl of Caring. The annual event, to be held this year on February 4-5, is a weekend of giving and serving during which 100% of the monetary and food donations collected will be given to local charities to help tackle hunger in the community.
St. Michael Parish, Augusta
Youth ministry members at St. Michael Parish will hold soup pots and collect money and food items after all weekend Masses at each of the parish’s churches (St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Augusta; St. Augustine Church, Augusta; St. Joseph Church, Gardiner; Sacred Heart Church, Hallowell; St. Denis Church, Whitefield; St. Francis Xavier Church, Winthrop) with the proceeds going to local food banks and soup kitchens.
All Saints Parish, Brunswick
A collection will be held after all weekend Masses in each of the parish’s churches (St. Mary Church, Bath; Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Boothbay Harbor; St. Charles Borromeo Church, Brunswick; St. John the Baptist Church, Brunswick; St. Patrick Church, Newcastle; St. Ambrose Church, Richmond). All are asked to bring a can of soup and/or a dollar to help the cause. All proceeds will be donated to the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program in Brunswick.
Parish of the Ascension of the Lord, Kittery
Parish youth will stand at the exit doors after Masses with soup pots to collect donations for the local food pantries in Berwick, Kittery, and York. The collections are scheduled for all Masses at parish churches (St. Raphael Church, Kittery; Our Lady of the Angels Church, South Berwick; and St. Christopher Church, York).
Holy Savior Parish, Rumford
Parish youth ministry members will collect non-perishable food items and monetary donations at each door following weekend Masses at St. Athanasius and St. John Church in Rumford and Our Lady of the Snows Church in Bethel. The donations will go to several local food pantries.
Good Shepherd Parish, Saco
Parish youth will gather donations to benefit two causes: the backpack and food assistance programs at Kennedy Memorial School in Biddeford and the Headmaster’s Student Assistance Fund at Thornton Academy. The collections are set for all weekend Masses at four churches (Most Holy Trinity Church, Saco; St. Joseph Church, Biddeford; St. Margaret Church, Old Orchard Beach; and St. Philip Church, Lyman).
St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, Scarborough
Youth ministry will collect donations after the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, February 5. In 2016, a group of 23 teens at St. Maximilian Kolbe collected over $1,500 for the Scarborough Food Pantry and the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen in Portland.
Since its inception in 1990, churches across America have raised over $100 million for soup kitchens, food pantries, and other charities through the Souper Bowl of Caring. In 2016, over 5000 charities across the country benefited from the collection. Other parishes in the Diocese of Portland will also be participating in the event this weekend. Please contact your local parish for more information.