Staff Writer
Father David Raymond will celebrate his first Easter service at St. Mary’s of the Visitation Church on Military Street with his family and the parishioners of the church. Father Raymond arrived in Houlton with lots of fanfare. It was the 4th of July. Even before he had moved to Houlton he had heard about Houlton’s holiday celebration. But seeing it, was really believing it. Watching the community involvement and meeting the many people that came back home to be with family was very heartwarming and he knew this community would soon be home to him as well.
Since that day, his new parish has continued to bless him in many ways.
Father Raymond grew up in Frenchville. He was born to Maurice and Mary Louise Raymond, the third son that became a family of six. His dad is a retired railroad employee and his mother a retired secretary for the Superintendent of Schools.
He was educated in the public schools of Frenchville and St. Agatha. After high school he entered the University of Ft. Kent where he majored in education and history. During his college days he was active in the Can-Am Club, which promoted Canadian-American studies. Graduating magna cum laude from the university he was a co-recipient of the social science award and a recipient of the Presidential Award for academic excellence.
After graduating from college in 1975, he served with the Peace Corps in Pala, Chad as a teacher. Upon his return to Maine he secured a teaching position at the elementary school where he had been a student himself.
In the 1980s, he received his graduate degree in curriculum and school supervision from the University of Southern Maine. Using this degree he served as assistant principal and curriculum director in SAD 33 in the St. John Valley.
Even after receiving advanced degrees his love for learning continued. He began taking courses in French and bilingual education at the University of Maine, the University of Moncton, New Brunswick and at various universities in France. With his mastery of the language he earned an endorsement from the Department of Education in French and bilingual education.
Father Raymond remained in the public school system for 22 years, but in 1998 he began a new journey and entered the priesthood.
“As a middle school child I had thoughts of becoming a priest, but those thoughts waned as I entered my teenage years, so I pursued my degree in education,” he said. “Even though I was busy teaching I stayed very close to the church in St. Agatha. I was a religious education teacher and chairperson of the commission.
“I was accepted by the Catholic diocese to enter the Theological College, a Sulpician Seminary at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.,” Father Raymond said. “I studied philosophy and then theology at the university. I also participated in the program of priestly formation at Creighton University in Omaha in 2000,” he added.
While attending the seminary he volunteered at the St. Aloysius homeless shelter, as a catechist in Chinatown, assisted at the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the elderly and served for two yeas as catechist for adult formation as deacon at St. Joseph’s on Capitol Hill Parish.
Father Raymond was ordained as a deacon in 2002 at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. He then returned home to Maine.
On June 7, 2003, Father Raymond was ordained to the sacred Priesthood at St. Luce Parish in Frenchville, by the Most Reverend Joseph Gerry, O.S.B. Bishop of Portland. His first assignment included the three parishes referred to as a cluster, the Holy Rosary in Caribou, St. Denis in Fort Fairfield and St. Louis in Limestone. He remained there until the summer of 2008.
His new assignment would be as Parochial Vicar for a new cluster; St. Mary’s of Houlton, St. Agnes in Island Falls and St. Paul’s in Patten. With the help of his assistant Deacon Al Burleigh, they rotate their time in each of the parishes throughout the year. The parish is Patten closes for the winter months and the parishioners travel to Island Falls for their service on Saturdays.
Father Raymond said that his responsibility is to look after the spiritual wellbeing of the cluster and bring the gospel message and sacrament to everyone.
“I care for the temporal needs of the parishioners and foster the Catholic history and faith, maintain and care for the church property to assure that it is passed down to future generations,” he said.
“We need to leave it in better condition than we received it,” impressed Father Raymond.
He said he has noticed many new parishioners and several young families becoming active members of the church. He assumes this may be the influx of new families drawn by additional jobs with the United States Border Patrol and Immigration Services.
“It is encouraging and comforting to see these new families,” he said, “and it renews my faith in serving the Lord and bringing the message to the younger generation.”
Father Raymond said that every event or holiday that comes along has been exciting for him.
“It actually began when I arrived in July and was in the parade,” he exclaimed. “I was part of the Southern Aroostook Ministerial Association float. Then we had a retreat here every day for a week in August,” he said. “This was held by the Redemptist Fathers out of New York and the church was full for every mass,” he added.
“The church family here is very dedicated. One of the committees decorates the church for the holidays and turns the sanctuary into a wonderment of color with many decorations using common items from the fields and woods of the area,” he said. He also noted that the parishioners are very generous in giving monetarily and of their time for a variety of events.
The recent St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar was one of the largest in the history of the church, serving 400 or more for a public supper and included raffles and a variety of activities.
Father Raymond and a church committee are addressing the economic issues of the church. They are researching ways to utilize the building more efficiently, where to insulate and how to transform this modern church of the 1960s into the modern church of the 21st century.
Another project that he is very excited about is the recent refurbishment of the baptismal area. The senior high youth ministry group conducted several fund-raisers to purchase new plants for the inside garden. Under the direction of Russ and Karen Fitzpatrick they have replaced all of the soil and plants to make this a beautiful area for baptisms.
In closing, Father Raymond expressed his excitement “to share the experience of Jesus and together with faith we can weather the challenging economic crisis or any other crisis that you are touched by.”
He is happy where his journey has taken him and would not change anything in his life.
Happy Easter Father Raymond and welcome to Houlton.
(Editor’s note: Father Raymond is the brother of former Houlton resident John Raymond who worked at Houlton Regional Hospital several years ago. John was married to the late Joleen Fitzpatrick, a teacher at Houlton Elementary School who has several brothers and sisters still in the area.)
