About

“The naked public square is the result of political doctrine and practice that would exclude religion and religiously grounded values from the conduct of public business.”
- Richard John Neuhaus

We are certainly living in a time and place where the “naked public square” has become the new norm. The unfortunate reality, however, is that any public debate where faith values are shelved is not true debate. It is actually censorship at its worst.

At CatholicMaine, we do not claim to speak for the Church. The Church speaks for itself.  We only hope to represent the teachings of the Church in an honest and forthright manner, and attempt to analyze the world in which we live through the lens of our Catholic faith. We do this without apologies to a secular society that has grown increasingly hostile to religious expression in the public square.

CatholicMaine scours the Internet and other sources for news and opinion that we find relevant to Maine Catholics.  We encourage our readers to send us suggestions, and we welcome compelling contributions from willing writers.  If you are interested in becoming a contributor, please send us an email.

Disclaimer: CatholicMaine is not associated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors.

Why Mission Country?

According to a 2009 study conducted by the Pew Research Center, 58 percent of Mainers surveyed claimed that religion was not very important in their lives. Less than 1 in 4 attend church services weekly, and only 2 in 5 pray daily. For many in Maine, faith has become at best a private affair, one that is exercised only within the confines of one's home or place of worship.  Maine is as it once was: mission country.

"As the family goes

so goes the nation

and so goes the whole world

in which we live."

- John Paul II