“Pay no attention to the man behind that curtain!” – The Wizard Of Oz
My name is Father Mark Nolette. I was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Portland, Maine, in 1987. Since then, I have served as parochial vicar or pastor in a number of parishes across Maine. I received a J.C.L. in canon law in 1991 from the Catholic University of America. Accordingly, I have worked for the Tribunal of the Diocese of Portland since then.
By the early 2000’s, I began to sense a calling to a more contemplative and solitary way of living out my priesthood. I hesitated at first in speaking of this to my Bishop, knowing that there is a shortage of priests and believing that he would not understand or perceive the value of such a vocation. When I finally told him, he was quite supportive. In 2010, I began to live as a priest/hermit at Transfiguration Hermitage in Windsor, ME, while maintaining weekend parish ministry. In 2015, I moved to St Agnes Rectory in Pittsfield, ME. It was unused by the parish, and was much closer to my weekend ministry than the Hermitage was.
In the meantime, a comment from a friend led me to wonder if I might be autistic. I had never given that possibility any thought before. In 2014, I was formally diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (now usually referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD). That diagnosis, and the reading I did about autism, led me to rethink my entire life as it explained some facets of my life that nothing else had explained before. Parish ministry, while never easy for me, was becoming more and more exhausting. I was experiencing more frequent bouts with anxiety and depression. My psychologist eventually recommended that I do no more public ministry. This led, eventually, to my retirement from public ministry in July of 2020.
By this time, the Lord began to lead me in a new direction. I learned of Saint Thorlak, a 12th century Icelandic bishop who showed many personality traits common to autistic people. I became involved with the Autism Consecrated website as its spiritual director. Eventually, the Lord and Saint Thorlak led me to see that I was being called to move to the Rochester, NY area, an area I had never seen until 2019. I moved in late February of 2021. The Lord has confirmed my trust in Him in many ways since then!
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Watchman, how much longer the night? – Isaiah 21:11
A note about the lighthouse photo. This is located at West Quoddy Head State Park, Lubec, Maine. Despite its name, it is the easternmost point of land on the continental United States. For a good part of the year, this is the first spot in the USA that sees the sun rise. This lighthouse seems a good symbol for my sense of my vocation as a solitary watchman sent to bring the news of the dawn to a people too used to the night.