Our Lady of the Snows parish earns Matthew 25 award

 PORTLAND — Six Catholic parishes in Maine including Our Lady of the Snows have been named recipients of the 2015 Matthew 25 Awards.

 The awards are presented annually by the Catholic Charities Maine Parish Social Ministry program, honoring parishes who are directly serving people in need, regardless of their faith affiliation, and adhering to the principles of the Bible verse Matthew: 25 —  “I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink.”

 Along with a stained glass award, grants totaling $15,000 are given to the parishes to assist them in expanding their capacity to serve more people or to help develop a new social ministry.

 Our Lady of the Snows parish consists of St. Anne Church, Dexter; St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Dover-Foxcroft; and Saints Francis Xavier and Paul the Apostle Church, Milo.

 Our Lady of the Snows Parish will use the grant funds to improve their prison ministry program through the purchase of faith formation and evangelizing materials for inmates, and an enhanced training program for those working in the ministry.

 Other recipients are St. Michael Parish, Augusta; All Saints Parish, Brunswick; St. Rose of Lima Parish, Jay; Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Parish, Portland; and Parish of the Holy Eucharist, Falmouth.

 This is the fifth year that the Matthew 25 Awards have been given, but it is the first time that more than one parish has been honored.

 Previous recipients include Corpus Christi Parish in Waterville (2014), Resurrection of the Lord Parish in Old Town (2013), Christ the Divine Mercy Parish in Millinocket (2012), and Our Lady of the Snows (2011).