PROCLAMATION
Thursday, the Eleventh of October, in the Year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Twelve

In the one hundred and fifty-ninth year from the establishment
of the Diocese of Portland in the state of Maine (29 July 1853)
by Pope Pius IX,

In the fiftieth year from the solemn opening of the Second Vatican Council called by Blessed Pope John XXIII (11 October 1962),

In the twentieth year since the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church given to the Church by Blessed Pope John Paul II (11 October 1992),

I, +Bishop Richard Joseph Malone, eleventh Bishop of Portland (31 March 2004) confidently trusting in the love and grace of God,
in union with his Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and the entire Catholic world,

Do hereby proclaim the solemn inauguration of the Year of Faith
for the Diocese of Portland to begin on October 11, 2012
and conclude on the solemn feast of Christ the King, November 24, 2013.

This sacred time will provide the Catholic faithful of the diocese
a precious opportunity to celebrate, deepen and share
the richness of our Catholic faith.

The ‘door of faith’ was opened at our baptism;
during this year we are called to walk through it once again
and discover anew our relationship with Jesus Christ and his Church.

The Year of Faith is a time of grace that will lead us
to ‘rediscover the joy of believing’.

As we begin the Year of faith,
we all are invited to ring out the Good News of Jesus Christ
and renew our commitment
to become ‘living signs of the presence of the Risen Lord in the world.’

+Bishop Richard J. Malone
Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Portland