Seamus Dolan, who attends St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Scarborough, recently won a Christmas card contest in the grades three to five category. Courtesy photo

PORTLAND — Bishop Robert P. Deeley welcomed the winners of the Diocese of Portland’s Christmas Card Art Contest, conducted by the diocese’s Office of Development, to the diocesan offices in Portland on Monday, Dec. 16.

The winners, joined by their families, enjoyed an Italian dinner with the bishop provided by Maria’s Restaurant in Portland. All Catholic school and faith formation students throughout the diocese were invited to participate in the contest. Over 300 submissions were received for the contest, each featuring original creations by the artists reflecting a passage from Scripture.

This month, the winners’ creations are appearing on the Christmas cards that have been sent to 2019 Catholic Appeal donors. The contest winners are:

Kindergarten-Grade 2, Audrey Le, St. John’s Catholic School in Brunswick.

“I chose to draw this picture because I thought about Jesus Christ in my heart and started drawing this picture,” said Audrey.

Grades 3-5, Seamus Dolan, St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Scarborough.

“I drew a lighthouse because my dad is in the Coast Guard and I’ve always wanted to go to the top of a lighthouse and I got to do it a few weeks ago,” said Seamus. “It was pretty cool.”

Grades 6-8, Elizabeth Merrill, Holy Cross School, South Portland.

“My art teacher laid out a bunch of Christmas cards and I picked a couple and just kind of combined them,” said Elizabeth. “It’s some of the shepherds looking up at the star.”

Grades 9-12, Cezarie St. Jean, Saint Dominic Academy, Auburn.

Cezarie St. Jean, who attends Saint Dominic Academy, Auburn, recently won the grades nine through 12 category of a Christmas card contest. Courtesy photo

“There were so many Bible verses to choose from so I just chose two and combined them as well,” said Cezarie. “This is how it came out.”

To thank them for their efforts, the bishop gave each winner a framed display of their artwork, a book, rosary bracelets, and 50 Christmas cards featuring their artistic creations.

“These pictures capture the beauty of our faith. You did a wonderful job, and I’m very, very grateful for that,” said Deeley. “Thank you for the work you’ve done, and thanks to you, their families, for passing on the faith to the children.”