Saint Joseph's Church (Biddeford, Maine)

Coordinates: 43°29′38″N 70°27′39″W / 43.493805°N 70.460770°W / 43.493805; -70.460770

Saint Joseph's Church is the head church of the Good Shepherd Parish located at 178 Elm Street in Biddeford, Maine.

History

The church was ordered from a decree from Bishop Bacon of the Diocese of Portland to be made on May 13, 1870.^[2] The church was to be made for the influx of French-Canadian Roman Catholic immigrants coming from Quebec. The church was dedicated in 1883. For over one hundred years, the church was the tallest building in Maine. The building is also known for its stain-glass windows, organ, art, and size. The church also had its own school, St. Joseph's School. The school was later merged, along with other schools, to the existing Saint James School, which is the only Catholic School under the Good Shepherd Parish.^[3]

Description

The very entrance from the church begins with the narthex. In here, to the right and left are staircases to the choir loft. Immediately past this, there is a hallway to the right and a hallway to the left leading to the restrooms. Then, there is a set of doors into the nave. There is then 29 rows of pews. with four columns of each row (except the farthest on the left and right has only 24 rows). The ceiling and the walls next to the ceiling is adorned with 8 large murals depicting Jesus' life. The arches between the columns also contain patterns. The green carpet then leads into the sanctuary.

Immediately before the sanctuary, to the left, another staircase leads to the a side entrance and also Sainte Anne's Chapel in the basement. Before the sanctuary, to the right, is the choir section. Here, there are a: piano, a pipe organ, and two rows of pews for choir members. The sanctuary, which is above the rest of the church, contains an altar, tabernacle, pulpit, lectern, and kneelers for lay readers and altar servers.

On the sides of the church are seven large stain-glass windows. Between each stain glass window is two large stone sculpture attached to the wall, with each depicting a Station of the Cross.

The choir loft, which is above the narthex, has the second organ console (the organ console on the main floor and the choir loft organ are connected to the same pipes), and also contains spare music, ladder to the belfry, and also all the pipes and reeds to the two organ consoles.

References