Gabrielle Blais, 8, of Portland carries a baby Jesus doll to the manger during Thursday's Christmas Eve Mass at Saint Joseph's Rehabilitation and Residence in Portland.
Residents and guests of Saint Joseph's Rehabilitation and Residence gather Thursday for the Mass celebrated by Bishop Robert Deeley.
Bishop Robert Deeley, left, and Monsignor Andrew Dubois celebrate Christmas Eve Mass for a group at Saint Joseph's Rehabilitation and Residence.
William Beebe, 5, of Westport, Conn., looks festive Thursday evening in the arms of his grandfather, Robert Beebe of Portland, at Christmas Eve Mass at Portland's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The cathedral was packed for the Mass, with standing room only.
From left, altar boys Ethan McCullough, his brother Ambrose, Jean Daniel Liwanga and his brother Paul Alexander prepare to serve in Christmas Eve Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
The Rev. Edward Clifford blesses the Nativity scene at Christmas Eve Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
Carol and Peter Gartland of Casco sit next to a discarded pile of clothes and props after children finished the Christmas pageant Thursday at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The Gartlands' grandson Lauchlan Gartland, 8, played a wise man in the pageant.
Residents and guests grasp hands during Thursday's Mass at Saint Joseph's Rehabilitation and Residence.
Bishop Robert Deeley celebrates Christmas Eve Mass Thursday at Saint Joseph's Rehabilitation and Residence in Portland. Earlier Thursday, he held a Mass for a large group of inmates at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham.
Religion and Values 
