Obituaries

Father Richard Senghas

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Father Richard Senghas, a priest of the Diocese of Portland, who died on September 10, 2022, at the age of 92.

Father Senghas was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1928 to Erwin William and Lydia Senghas. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1950, married a medical school classmate in 1955, and then went to serve as a medical officer for the U.S. Navy in Yokosuka, Japan, and as a pediatrician on the Army base there. After returning, he and his wife completed their medical internships, and Richard then furthered his medical training in orthopedic surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Children’s Hospital in Boston, Mass.

He would serve as an orthopedic surgeon for 25 years, but after his wife passed away, he felt a call to the priesthood and entered the seminary. He was ordained in 1998 and went on to serve at St. John the Evangelist and Holy Cross parishes in South Portland and at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Jay. He was also director of the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the Diocese of Portland and served on the board of the Maine Council of Churches.

Please pray for the repose of his soul and the consolation of his family members and friends, including his seven children.

Funeral Services:

Reception of the Body at 3 p.m. on Thursday, September 15, at St. Maximilian Kolbe Church, 150 Black Point Road, Scarborough

Mass of Christian Burial – Friday, September 16, at 10 a.m. at St. Maximilian Kolbe Church, celebrated by Bishop Robert P. Deeley.

Father John Skehan

Father John R. Skehan, pastor of St. Michael Parish in Augusta, passed away unexpectedly on August 31, 2022. He was 66 years old.

Born in Bangor, on February 15, 1956, Father John was the son of the late John and Patricia (Theriault) Skehan.  He was raised in Bath and Hampden and graduated from Hampden Academy, before receiving a bachelor's degree in biology from Bowdoin College in Brunswick.

Prior to entering seminary, he was the educational coordinator for “Up with People” (1978-1980) and a junior high science teacher in Oakland, Maine (1980-1982).  He completed his clerical studies at the Theological College in Washington, D.C. and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Edward C. O’Leary on May 24, 1986, at St. Matthew Church in Hampden.

During his ministry, Father Skehan served at parishes in Waterville, Portland, Houlton, South Berwick, Berwick, York, Kittery, Bar Harbor, Bucksport, Ellsworth, and Augusta, where he had served as pastor since 2018.

He also served in campus ministry at Colby College and Union College, hospital ministry at Maine Medical Center, and as the director of the Office of Parish Planning for the Diocese of Portland.

Please pray for the repose of Father John's soul and all the souls of the faithful departed. Please also keep in your prayers Father John's family and friends, including his brother and sister, and the parishioners of St. Michael Parish.

Reception of the Body

Sunday, September 4, 4 p.m.
St. Augustine Church, 75 Northern Avenue, Augusta
Fr. Lou Phillips, Celebrant
Wake in the Church until 7 p.m.

Funeral Mass

Monday, September 5, 10 a.m.
St. Augustine Church, 75 Northern Avenue, Augusta
Bishop Robert Deeley, celebrant
Msgr. Paul Stefanko, homilist

Burial

Following the funeral Mass
New St. Mary’s Cemetery, Manchester
Bishop Robert Deeley, presider.

Following the burial, all are invited to a luncheon reception in the hall of St. Augustine Church.

Sister Barbara Brennan, RSM

Please join in praying for the repose of the soul of Sister Barbara Anne Brennan, R.S.M., a Sister of Mercy of the Americas, who died at the age of 83, following a short illness.

Sister Barbara was born in Portland to John Joseph Brennan and Catherine Josephine Mulkern, the youngest of eight children.

In 1956, she graduated from St. Joseph’s Academy in Portland and entered the Sisters of Mercy in the fall. She earned her B.S. in elementary education from St. Joseph’s College of Maine in Standish and obtained her M.S. in education from the University of Southern Maine in Portland.

For much of her religious life, Sister Barbara served in the ministry of education, as a principal and teacher. She served at St. Athanasius School in Rumford, Cathedral Elementary School in Portland, St. Mary’s School in Biddeford, St. Joseph’s School in Portland, St. Mary’s School in Bangor, St. Patrick’s School in Portland, and St. Mary’s School in Augusta..  

In addition to her years in education, Sister Barbara’s work also took her to the Bahamas where she was a pioneer in developing the mission in the South Andros area before they had water and electricity. She also spent some time as a unit coordinator at Mercy Hospital in Portland; a resident service coordinator at Deering Pavilion in Portland, and an assistant librarian at St. Joseph’s College, and she spent a summer ministering in Appalachia.

Sister Barbara served on the boards of Mercy Hospital and Catherine McAuley High School and on the Sisters of Mercy Sponsorship Council.

Sister Barbara cared deeply for people and gave of herself to those in need whom she encountered – always willing to go the extra mile. She was also known for her love and devotion to her family and enjoyed entertaining guests. 

Visiting hours: Thursday, August 18, 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Conroy-Tully Walker Funeral Home, 172 State Street in Portland.

Prayers: Friday, August 19, 9:15 a.m. at Conroy-Tully Walker Funeral Home, 172 State Street in Portland.

Mass of Christian Burial: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 307 Congress Street, Portland, with The Most Reverend Robert P. Deeley, J.C.D., as principal celebrant. Burial will follow at New Calvary Cemetery, South Portland.

To view the livestream of the Prayer Service and Mass, please visit https://www.facebook.com/ConroyTullyWalker

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to: Sisters of Mercy, 966 Riverside Street, Portland, ME 04103

Sister Marie Francesa Cloutier, OP

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Sister Maria Francesca (Marguerite) Cloutier who died on August 6, 2022, at the age of 81. Sister Francesca was born in 1939 to Laurent and Francoise (Bisson) Cloutier.

At the age of 17, she entered the Dominican Sisters of the Roman Congregation as a pre-postulant in Brookline, Mass., and became a postulant in February 1957. Shortly after, she left for Mortefontaine, France for her novitiate training and on April 25, 1959, Sr. Francesca made her temporary vows in 1959 and professed her final vows in 1962 in Lewiston.

Sister Francesca spent much of her life in teaching, including in Lewiston, Sabattus, Brookline, Mass., Rome, Italy, and Staten Island, N.Y., where she taught from 1969 to 1990.  She was an extraordinary first-grade teacher and,  before it became more commonplace, developed individualized lesson plans for her students,  Sister Francesca loved children and was known for the way she connected with them, saying "I enjoyed teaching because I think it was a part of me."

In 1990, Sister Francesca pursued a second career, becoming a grief and bereavement counselor at University Hospital on Staten Island, as well as the director of pastoral care there. In 2003, she retired due to illness and moved back to Lewiston.

In memory of Sr. Francesca, donations may be made to Loaves and Fishes, 61 Lisbon Rd. in Sabattus, ME 04280.

Sister Janice Perreault, PM

Please pray for the response of the soul of Sr. Janice Perreault, a member of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, who died on Monday, August 8, after a brief illness.  Sister was 80 years old and would have celebrated her 58th year of profession on August 15.

Sister Janice was born in Holyoke, Mass., in 1942 to Paul and Lena (Chapdelaine) Perreault. She professed vows as a Sister of the Presentation of Mary in 1964.

Sister earned a bachelor's degree from Rivier College in Nashua, NH, and a master's degree in theology from Providence College in Rhode Island.

She taught at St. Andre School in Biddeford, as well as at schools in Massachusetts. She also served at the Marie Joseph Spiritual Center in Biddeford and at St. Patrick Parish in Lawrence, Mass., and held many leadership roles in her community, including assistant provincial, a position she held until July 2022.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, 209 Lawrence Street, Methuen, MA 01844 with a memo for the Sisters Retirement Fund.

Father Stephen Concannon

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Father Stephen Concannon, a priest of the Diocese of Portland, who died on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, at the age of 83.

Born in Portland in 1939, he graduated from Boston College before beginning clerical studies at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore.

He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Daniel J. Feeney on May 16, 1964.

Father Concannon served as a parochial vicar at St. Bernard Parish in Rockland, Sacred Heart Parish in Portland, St. Joseph Parish in Gardiner, and St. Martha Parish in Kennebunkport and as a pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Bridgton, St. Joseph Parish in Lewiston, St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Scarborough and St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Brunswick. While serving at St. Charles, he was also appointed administrator of St. John the Baptist Parish in Brunswick and St. Ambrose Parish in Richmond and served as chaplain at Bowdoin College in Brunswick.

Father Concannon also served on the Diocesan Tribunal and as secretary to the bishop and vice-chancellor. He was also named the chairman of the Diocese of Portland's 125th anniversary committee.

May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.

Father Harold Moreshead

Please pray for the soul of Father Harold Dickson Moreshead who passed away on Monday, June 6, 2022, at the age of 92.

Father Moreshead was born in Meriden, Connecticut, in August 20, 1929, but grew up in the city of Portland. After attending St. Paul's Seminary in Ottawa, Ontario, he was ordained by Bishop Daniel J. Feeney, the seventh bishop of Portland, on June 4, 1955.

Father Moreshead's pastoral assignments included serving as a parochial vicar at St. John the Evangelist Parish in South Portland, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Fairfield, St. Joseph Parish in Portland, and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, where he spent eight years. He was then named temporary administrator of St. Matthew Parish in Limerick, after which he served as pastor of St. Christopher Parish on Peaks Island, St. Teresa Parish in Brewer, St. Joseph Parish in Bridgton, St. Catherine of Sienna Parish in Norway, St. Edmund Parish in Westbrook, and then at Our Lady of Ransom Parish in Mechanic Falls, from which he retired from active priestly ministry in 1999.

At the time of his retirement, Bishop Joseph Gerry, OSB, wrote, "You have always been the priest and the shepherd. Your piety and devotion to the Lord have served as a witness to me and to your brother priests and your parishioners."

In addition to his parish assignments, Father Moreshead served on the Diocesan Continuing Education for Clergy and as chaplain of Marian Council 11493 of the Knights of Columbus in Mechanic Falls.

​Sister Eileen Ward, SCIM

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Sr. Eileen Ward, a member of the Good Shepherd Sisters of Quebec, who died May 9, 2022, at the age of 87. Sister Eileen was born in 1934 to Martin Ward and Margaret Higgins Ward of Long Island, New York.

She entred the Congregation of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, also known as the Good Shepherd Sisters of Quebec, at Bay View in Saco in 1956, professing her perpetual vows in August 1963.

Known as Sister Martin Marie at the time, she taught at St. Joseph School and St. Lois High School in Biddeford and then in the Van Buren School District, but her real love was social work. After earning her MSW, she worked at St. André Home, Inc. for 39 years, overseeing the home in Bangor, where she lived until her retirement. She was a competent administrator, a sympathetic listener and a teacher for the women she serve.  Sr. Eileen spent her final years at St. Joseph Convent in Biddeford where she brought much joy to the sisters with whom she lived.

Please remember in your prayers her family, her religious family and the many friends she leaves behind May her soul and the soul of all the faithful departed rest in peace.

Sister Rina Brunetti, PM

Your prayers are requested for the repose of the soul of Sr. Rina Brunetti, also known as Sr. Frances Cabrini, who died at St. Joseph Convent in Biddeford on April 30, 2022, at the youthful age of 95.

The daughter of Eugene and Eliza Brunetti, she was born into a family of 10 in Blackstone, Mass., on December 2, 1926.

She professed vows as a Sister of the Presentation of Mary on February 2, 1950. She earned a bachelor's degree from Rivier College in Nashua, N.H., and a master's degree in religious studies from Providence College in Rhode Island.

Sister Rina taught at Notre Dame School in Saco when first professed. but most of her ministry was as a hospital chaplain and pastoral minister in Massachusetts, something at which she excelled. She served in parishes and hospitals in Chicopee, Gardner, Winchendon, Lowell, and Methuen, Mass.

Her funeral will be private at St. Joseph Convent in Biddeford on Thursday, May 6, with burial to follow at St. Joseph Cemetery.

Please remember in your prayers, those that mourn Sr. Rina’s death, her religious sisters, the community at St. Joseph Convent where she spent her last years, and her beloved family.

May her soul and the soul of all the faithful departed rest in peace.

Sister Theresa Labrecque, SCIM

Please join in praying for the soul of Sister Theresa Labrecque, SCIM, formerly known as Sister St. Robert of Milan, who died at St. Joseph Convent on April 11, at the age of 98. 

She was born to Eugene Labrecque and Ludivine Roy Labrecque on October 6, 1923, in Lawrence, MA, the second child in a family of eleven children.  She received her education at St. Anne School and St. Anne High School in Lawrence, MA.

On August 25, 1942, she entered the Congregation of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, also known as the Good Shepherd Sisters of Quebec, in Biddeford.  After her initial training, she spent one year at the motherhouse in Quebec, where she studied and readied herself for teaching.  She taught in the Van Buren schools from 1945 until 1954 when she began her missionary service in Lesotho, Africa. where she functioned as an educator until 1994.

Upon her return from southern Africa, Sister Theresa began her ministry as assistant director of Bay View Villa in Saco, welcoming visiting and vacationing guests. In 2008, upon the closure of Bay View Convent, she moved to St. Joseph Convent in Biddeford.

Sister Theresa is survived by two brothers. She also leaves two sisters who are members of different religious communities: Sister Lillian, an Oblate of Bethany in Quebec, and Sister Pauline, an auxiliary of the Blessed Sacrament in Wisconsin. She is predeceased by four brothers: Roger, a Marist priest who died in 1987, Robert, a Marist priest who died in 1992, Raymond, and Richard; and by two sisters: Sister Jeannette, SCIM. who died in 2000, and Sister Cecile, SCIM, who died in 2013.

Sister Mary Anastasia Skwara, RSM

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Sister Mary Anastasia Skwara, RSM, who died on April 4, 22, at the age of 93. 

Sister Anastasia was born in Niagara Falls, NY in 1928 to Anthony and Agnes (Filaroska) Skwara. She attended Farmington High School, before entering the Sisters of Mercy from St. Joseph Parish in Farmington. She began her religious formation at Our Lady of Mercy College, now Saint Joseph's College of Maine in Standish, and spent several years teaching before being assigned to Mercy Hospital in Portland to assist in EKG and the pharmacy. She continued her education at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in Boston, Mass., graduating first in her class. She went on to serve sa a pharmacist at Mercy hospital for nearly 40 years. She then served as coordinator of resident services at Deering Pavilion for more than 20 years before retiring from active ministry.

Sister Anastasia also worked to help those battling the disease of alcoholism. She served on the Maine Council on Alcohol and Drug Prevention Treatment, and received a degree with an emphasis on addition from Rutgers University School in New Jersey.