波特兰圣心教堂10月25日举行最后一场弥撒，1896年老教堂告别教区
缅因州波特兰市的圣心教堂10月25日举行了最后一场弥撒，为这座建于1896年的历史教堂画上句号。波特兰半岛与岛屿堂区于10月9日宣布关闭圣心教堂，英语与法语弥撒将转移到圣庇护十世教堂，西班牙语弥撒则转移到圣母无原罪主教座堂；位于梅伦街的教堂旧址未来如何处置，教区表示将在未来几个月内决定。
这一关闭是波特兰教区2023年堂区合并计划的延续：随着维护老建筑的成本不断上升、设施使用率下降，教区不得不通过整合堂区来维持日常运作。对多年来在圣心教堂望弥撒的教友来说，这是一个充满不舍的日子：熟悉的长椅、唱诗班的声音和节日的聚会都将成为回忆，今后每周要去不同的教堂参加弥撒。教区方面表示，希望教友们尽快适应新的安排，到新的堂区继续参与教会生活。
老教堂的关闭也折射出美国不少老城市共同面对的现实：百年建筑的维护费用动辄数百万美元，如何在保护历史与维持现实之间找到平衡，是每个社区都要回答的问题。
来源：GSM·美国
Portland's Sacred Heart Church Holds Final Mass on October 25 as 1896 Landmark Bids Farewell
Sacred Heart Church in Portland, Maine, held its final Mass on October 25, closing the book on the historic church built in 1896. The Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes announced the closure of Sacred Heart on October 9. Its English- and French-language Masses will move to St. Pius X Church, while Spanish-language Masses will move to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The diocese said a decision on the future of the church property on Mellen Street will be made in the coming months.
The closure continues the Diocese of Portland's 2023 parish consolidation plan: with the cost of maintaining aging buildings rising and facility use declining, the diocese has had to merge parishes to sustain daily operations. For parishioners who have worshipped at Sacred Heart for years, it was a bittersweet day — the familiar pews, the choir's voices and holiday gatherings will become memories, and weekly Mass will now mean a different church. The diocese said it hopes parishioners will settle into the new arrangements and continue taking part in church life at their new parishes.
The old church's closure also reflects a reality many older American cities share: century-old buildings can cost millions of dollars to maintain, and every community must answer how to balance preserving history with present-day realities.
Source: GSM·USA
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：缅因州波特兰圣心教堂（资料图）。图片来源：Kenneth C. Zirkel / Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0。Sacred Heart Church in Portland, Maine (file photo). Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
