“Anytime you can do something outside, in the open air, in the environment, looking at what surrounds us with the snow and the mountains, it’s inspiring spiritually,” says Terry Theriault of Fort Kent.

“It’s just the open air where God is. Jesus is with us. Plus, with all the surrounding hills and valleys, it’s a pretty area,” says Judy Saucier of Fort Kent.

In late February, the faithful of St. John Vianney Parish gathered at the Crosswinds Residential Care facility in Fort Kent for the second annual Snow Mass. While faith formation students and heartier parishioners bundled up to celebrate the outdoor Mass, the elderly residents watched, listened, and participated from the warmer community room inside.

“The residents of Crosswinds so miss the Mass. They only get it once a month, so to have an extra one where there are kids here, they get to see hope,” says Barb Pelletier, the parish’s faith formation director.

Originally, the parish sponsored a kids’ activity day once a year outside the facility, but then Pelletier and Father Antony Alexander Maria Doss, HGN, parochial vicar of the parish, came up with the idea of adding the Mass.

“It was something I bounced off of Father because I didn’t realize we could do Mass outside, but he said, ‘Oh yes, we can,’ so I said, ‘Let’s do it outside in front of the big windows,’” says Pelletier. “Including the Mass is so important for the elderly, and then the children get to enjoy it as well, so there are two different aspects to it. They love interacting with the elders, and it’s always fun to see them together as a community.”

“I always wondered why people are living in this snow area, this snow country, but really, it is busier in the winter here than in the summer. People find so many outdoor activities to make life beautiful, and this Snow Mass is one good example. Even though it’s cold, people still come out. We make a snow altar, and then we celebrate the Snow Mass for the children, as well as for the elderly people in the nursing home,” says Father Maria Doss.        

When thinking about having a Snow Mass, Father Maria Doss says he drew his inspiration from the Old Testament.

“Abraham collected the stones and built an altar for God and offered the sacrifice. We don’t have stones here; all we have is snow, so we build an altar with snow, and then we offer a sacrifice to the Lord in nature. People look forward to this,” he says.

That includes both parishioners and residents.

“I attended Mass all the time, until I reached 90,” says Emery Labbe, age 93, a Crosswinds resident. “Today, I pray for my relatives who are very sick.”

“It’s to reach out to everybody, and it puts you in touch with nature,” says Lucy Morin, a parishioner from Fort Kent. “I came out here because I love Father Alex. He is an amazing priest, and doing this for the elderly is a nice community event.”

“Our mother was here. She passed away in December, so we’re coming here for her and for all the residents and because of Father Alex,” says Anna Raymond of New Canada. “He wants to support families and the kids, and this is why he is doing this.”

Before the Mass could begin, a worship space needed to be dug out. Parishioners joined Father Alex in creating a saintly sanctuary as well as an altar made of snow.

“I’m just doing what I’m doing because I grew up with nine boys, and I can do it. I can shovel. I can use a hammer,” says Saucier. “It’s just Father’s way. He gets us involved. We smile and say, ‘Yes, we’ll do it, Father.’”

“He just has these ideas of wanting to get the community involved and wanting to do something out of the box, something different for our area, our parish. He has been instrumental in bringing that to us,” says Theriault. “He is just dynamic at everything he does. His mind is brilliant. He has the most amazing ideas.”

Just as it would have been if the Mass were held indoors, the snow altar was dressed with a cloth. A cross and candles were then placed on top with ice disks serving as candleholders. Hay bales, which 9-year-old Mason Desjardins carted in on his snowmobile, were used in place of pews.

“I like riding a snowmobile, and I like to help out the Church, because I would like to learn more about God and stuff,” Mason explains.

Temperatures for the outdoor Mass were in the low 20s, with a windchill in the mid-teens, but parishioners didn’t seem to mind.  

“This is like the Bahamas compared to last year,” says Morin.

Father Alex who admits he was quite chilled by the end of last year’s snow Mass came more prepared this time.

“I’ve got two thermals, one black clergy shirt, a sweater, an alb, and then my chasuble. I have five layers. Last year, I had two layers,” he says.

Another lesson learned from last year: leave the water and wine inside until it’s time for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Last year, they froze.

Following the conclusion of the Mass, folks headed inside to enjoy some hot chocolate with the residents. There was also face painting, balloon hats, and then sledding.

While the Mass and activity day are already a success, Theriault says she shared with Father Maria Doss an idea for possibly creating something even grander next year.

“I sent him a picture the other day of an outdoor Mass like they do in Quebec. They do the most amazing sculptures. The whole church was pretty much built other than the altar,” she says. “We’re going to go for big. We’ve got to go for big.”