A re-dedication Mass with Bishop Robert Deeley — scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Sunday, June 11 — aims to serve as the culmination of years of work, tireless effort, and faith by the community of Our Lady of Ransom Church on Elm Street in Mechanic Falls.

“The church was torn down about eight years ago due to mold in the building. Since then, the Catholic community has been gathering in the parish hall for Mass,” said Fr. Ed Clifford, pastor of St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish of which Our Lady of Ransom Church is a part, according to a news release from Dave Guthro, communications director, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.

“It was a modest space, and parishioners have been waiting for the day when the hall would be converted into a church,” Clifford added.

The original church that fronted Elm Street was a converted barn, and the parish center — built behind the church in 1990 — included religious education classrooms, a commercial kitchen, and the parish hall where Masses have been held for the past eight years.

Renovations began in 2018.

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