AUGUSTA — An Augusta priest will be the new pastor of two Catholic churches in Jackman and Greenville.

The Rev. Kevin Martin, parochial vicar of St. Michael Parish in Augusta, has been appointed as pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Jackman and Holy Family Parish in Greenville.

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The Rev. Kevin Martin, who serves St. Michael Parish in the Augusta area, has been appointed to serve as the Catholic Chaplain for a local chapter of COURAGE, a worldwide spiritual support group is being set up in Maine.

Martin has been a priest for about nine years, the last two in Augusta, where he has been active in Christian education and youth ministry and as the main contact for couples in marriage preparation, according to the Rev. Francis Morin, administrator of St. Michael Parish.

“He has been a very active worker, strong on Christian education; we’ve appreciated (his work and time in Augusta) quite a bit,” Morin said of Martin. “He’s worked out very well here. He’s well-liked by parishioners and very active.”

Martin, 41, is a native of Caribou.

Martin is in Rome — the Italian city, not the Maine town — where he is studying for his license in sacred theology, according to Morin. He is expected to return in early May.

He starts his new assignment Aug. 1, according to a news release from Bishop Richard J. Malone, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, announcing new priest assignments. It will be his first pastorate assignment.

The release said a new parochial vicar of St. Michael will be announced in the next few weeks. St. Michael Parish churches include St. Augustine and St. Mary of the Assumption, in Augusta; St. Denis, in Whitefield; St. Francis Xavier, in Winthrop, and St. Joseph in Gardiner.

Martin will continue his ministry as the chaplain to COURAGE, a spiritual support group for people with same-sex attractions, which he oversees from Augusta.

St. Anthony parishioners hold services in the American Legion Hall in Jackman. Their former 81-year-old stone church building was demolished in 2010 because of the high cost of needed repairs, and the cost of heating the building.

The Rev. Father Richard Malo, pastor of St. Anthony and Holy Family, has been appointed pastor of St. Brendan the Navigator Parish in Camden. He will succeed Father Mark Reinhardt, who requested a temporary leave of absence.

Keith Edwards — 621-5647

kedwards@centralmaine.com