St. Athanasius and St. John Catholic Church (Parish of the Holy Savior) — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Fr. Aaron Damboise

Founded 1895 (St. Athanasius original building; current sanctuary 1928; merged with St. John's 1970 to become St. Athanasius & St. John Parish; consolidated into Parish of the Holy Savior in 21st-century Maine diocesan reorganization)

Denomination Roman Catholic Church

Service Times Weekdays Mon/Thu/Fri 8:15 AM; Saturday 4:00 PM vigil; Sunday 9:30 AM (with livestream); Confessions Sat 3:00-3:45 PM, Sun 8:45-9:15 AM

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website www.parishoftheholysavior.com/

Pastor Credentials Roman Catholic priest; Diocese of Portland (Maine)

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

Nicene/Chalcedonian creedal Christology per Roman Catholic Magisterium.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Scripture + Sacred Tradition framework; deuterocanon in canon.

Caution

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Not surfaced on parish website.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Roman Catholic sacramental soteriology; Trent anathemas against sola fide remain.

WARNING!

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

Male-only priesthood; women excluded from holy orders.

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Fr. Aaron Damboise as priest under Diocese of Portland.

Caution

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Homiletic preaching in Mass; not Reformed expository format.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Diocese of Portland participation; livestream Sunday Mass.

Caution

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Historic mill-town Catholic parish serving Western Maine multi-ethnic community (originally Italians, Poles, Lithuanians, Irish).

Caution

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

Roman Catholic — outside MOOP's Protestant confessional framework.

Caution

Assessment

Sen. Edmund S. Muskie (D-ME) — U.S. Senator 1959-1980, Governor of Maine 1955-1959 (the state's first Roman Catholic governor), Secretary of State 1980-1981 under President Carter, and 1968 Democratic vice-presidential nominee — was born March 28, 1914 in Rumford, Maine to Polish immigrant parents Stephen Marciszewski (anglicized to Muskie 1914) and Josephine née Czarnecka. Muskie's first language was Polish; he spoke only Polish until age 4. St. Athanasius Church — established 1895 on Maine Avenue, sanctuary rebuilt 1928 — was the primary Roman Catholic parish serving Rumford's Polish and Eastern European immigrant Catholic community during Muskie's childhood. While Wikipedia's Muskie biography directly confirms his Roman Catholic identity ("the state's first Roman Catholic governor") and his Polish-Rumford upbringing without explicitly naming the parish, St. Athanasius's historic role as the Rumford Polish Catholic parish makes it the logical family parish; the Franco American Digital Archives Edmund S. Muskie Oral History Collection contains an interview specifically referencing St. Athanasius and St. John Parish Rumford in connection with Muskie. Currently merged into the Parish of the Holy Savior under Fr. Aaron Damboise; building remains at 126 Maine Avenue.

MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Live-fetched https://www.parishoftheholysavior.com/ on 2026-05-16 — confirmed Fr. Aaron Damboise as priest, 126 Maine Avenue Rumford ME address, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland affiliation, mass times, social media. Muskie attachment marked "family_parish_childhood_circumstantial" because direct documentation of his baptism/childhood parish was not surfaced in WebSearch — Wikipedia confirms his Roman Catholic identity and Polish-Rumford upbringing but does not name the parish; St. Athanasius's documented role as THE Polish Catholic parish in Rumford during Muskie's childhood combined with the Franco American Digital Archives Muskie oral history cross-reference makes the attachment historically defensible. Flagged for_review for direct documentary confirmation from Muskie biographical sources (e.g., James L. Witherell, "Ed Muskie: Made in Maine").

No URL sources recorded for this church. Rating based on denominational defaults and/or directory-level metadata.

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.