Daughters of Wisdom Award $10,000 Grant to Christian Life Center

The Daughters of Wisdom have awarded a $10,000 grant to the Christian Life Center in Frenchville, Maine. The Christian Life Center is a place of Spiritual Nourishment for people of all ages. It provides an enriching environment that allows the Holy Spirit to touch the hearts of all who enter its doors. The Center feeds the minds and hearts of people with the Word of God, offering the tools they need for ministry in the Church, inspired by the life of Christ. The Wisdom Fund Grant will be utilized for materials ($7,000) and staffing ($3,000). The grant supports equipment and materials for new programs, expanding and enhancing current ministry programs, and wages for new staff.  

The grant from the Daughters of Wisdom will support 28 weekly, monthly, and daily opportunities to enrich, educate, and counsel individuals to live in the likeness of God. This grant was endorsed by Sister Jacqueline Ayotte, D.W., who wrote in her letter of recommendation, "The people attending the programs at CLC are really seeking to live a deeper spiritual life. This is being accomplished by having Fr. Alex Antony, a missionary from India, to minister at the Center. Fr. Alex served in our parish cluster. He is a missionary dedicated, creative, and compassionate, committed to serving God's people with love and devotion, and inspires a new understanding of Jesus and His mother, Mary." 

This grant comes at a crucial time for the Center, as it just reopened after two years of being closed due to the COVID pandemic. Father Antony Alexander Maria Doss, Director of the Christian Life Center, wrote in the grant application, "The Christian Life Center has served hundreds of people each year with many different spiritual, social, and cultural activities, like Cursillo Retreats, Men's ACTS Retreats, Women's ACTS Retreats, Teens ACTS Retreats, K of C Retreats, Marriage Preparation Retreats, Weekend Retreats, Family Retreats, Altar Server Retreats and more..." He added, "Even though CLC was closed over two years, we did not stop reaching out to the community to support them in their spiritual needs. The Christian Life Center started reaching out to people through Facebook and YouTube to support their spiritual needs by providing online Masses, daily Gospel reflections and Lenten Reflections, etc." 

This grant continues the Daughters of Wisdom mission in northern Maine while also serving people in the broader community of Aroostook County in the Portland Diocese. The Daughters of Wisdom first came to the United States in St. Agatha in 1904 as missionaries serving in northern Maine. Their service has continued in different forms, and ministering to people has always remained the focus. The Center's building was established in 1936 as a Convent. The Sisters worked at area schools, instructing youth and sharing the Word of God. In 1973, the building became home to the Christian Life Center, and for more than 50 years, it has served as a place where people experience conversion and spiritual enlightenment. 

The Center offers the following opportunities for individuals to receive spiritual nourishment that includes weekly Mass, a Book Reading Club, Adult Faith Formation, Bible Study, Knitting and Blanket-making Prayer Shawls Ministry, Young Adult Catechism, Reflections on YouTube, Facebook, and the Center's website; monthly Faith Movie Night, Bereavement Group, ACTS Reunions for Men, Women, and Teens, Pray and Paint program, and Cultural Food Tasting and Sharing, and Time for Adoration and Reconciliation. There are also many Retreats, including those for Advent, Lent, Marriage, Divorce Care, Altar Servers, Women's Spirituality, Eucharistic Ministers, and College and High School students. Each event provides an opportunity for fifty participants and two to ten facilitators or spiritual leaders. The Center's staff includes clergy, religious, lay ministers, professionals, counselors, office support staff, and volunteers. 

Now that the Center has reopened, a focus is to continue reaching out to homebound people. The materials supported by the Wisdom Grant include brochures, leaflets, subscriptions to the Formed, a Catholic faith formation video streaming service, prayer cards, religious books, teaching instructional guides, copier supplies, and folders, as well as funds to pay new staff. Father Alex Antony expressed deep gratitude to the Daughters of Wisdom for supporting their efforts.

"We sincerely thank you for supporting this Spiritual Center in providing us with the technical equipment which would support our ministry to better serve our community," he wrote, adding. "We as a Christian Life Center team are incredibly grateful to you...

Yours Sincerely in Christ Jesus, Fr. Antony Alexander Maria Doss."

For more information on The Christian Life Center, please visit: https://clc4me.org/