St Francis College - Motus Yearbook (Biddeford, ME)

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ghee? . 1- the Jordan Point twhich today is known as tithe Pointh The severe Maine winters proved to be too much for the residents of the Flood House and, as a result, Father Justinian took refuge in Stella Maris Boarding School while the others were housed in St. Andrek rectorv. Father Justinian died before any posi- tive measures were taken on the dream of a Franciscan school. In 1938 the Flood House was remodeled to serve as 3 mon- astery with a wooden chapel annex. In addition to such adjustments, a sturdy, four story, light tan brick structure was completed. Numerous construction delays put the Friars' perseverance to the test, but St. Francis High School welcomed its first class of fourteen students, in 1939. The Barbara House, immediately to the left of the Flood House, was purchased and served as a residence hall and furnished some classrooms and science laboratories. In 1943, this pioneering Class tamong whom was F ather Clarencei graduated, and Saint Francis High School expanded its Curriculum to include junior college courses. This expansion was especially intended for those who were candidates for the seminary. The students of the school showed their interest in the in- stitution and the grounds by constructing a kiosk at iithe point in this same year. Road, Saint Fra ncis This phutu, taken from the New Town shows School around 1941. High Conrad L'Ilemeux was the first stu- dent t0 retainer at Saint Francis in 1939. He was also in the first class to graduate from the high school in 1943 and the first class to graduate from the Junior college in 1945. The first faculty Iml xtluh-nl Imth ul lhr In' '1 -1 ' ' e - . . . , .k 1 H mul m IEMU. III III - 1; .x! mw t t- 1' r. Dunalld nu thk' fur lliil .uul MI. H'auuu' m 1hr u-ntt-r. h i I no In 13

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Miles to G0 . . . Promises to Keep . . . Rev. Justinian Mercier, 0.F.Mv, founded a Franciscan monastery on Pool Road in 1933. Early cm-npus; H-rj barn, Flood House tFathers' residencct, Dccary Hall Sorligggally called the Barkor HouseL and high school building constructed 1n . 12 But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. -Robert Frost Suppose we take a walk back in time. To be more precise, suppose we go back to 1933. Knowing what we do about St. Francis College, we would be astonished. We would see none of the buildings that stand today; we would hardly recognize the terrain. We could imagine the coldness in that year when three Franciscans ttwo priests and a brothert answered the call of Fathers Zenon and Arthur Decary of Saint Andrets Parish in Biddeford. Those Franciscan pioneers were sent to encour- age Catholic education in southern Maine by ministering to the spiritual needs of the nun-teachers, and helping Out in neighboring parishes on weekends. It was these dedicated men of God who started the chain of events Which led to the small, Catholic, liberal arts college that we know today. The Franciscans w Father Justinian, Father Dieudonne, and Brother Andre - established their residence in the Flood House, a small white structure purchased from the Huff family. This building, com- pletely lacking in modern conveniences, was located some two hundred feet from

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The main building, originally called Saint Francis Hall, was renamed in honor of the Decary Brothers two years ago. T1155 0W1: dorm area in the old iisoph wing A study hall in sessicm 0n the north side was unnverted to physics labs in 1965. of the second floor of Dccary Hall in 1951. Saint Francis College reuaived its State Charter in 1953; U-rl Harold D. Carroll, Apostolic Syndic; lter. Norllmn 'Ilhihodeau, high school principal; Rev. Frederick Belangur, first college president; tkwemnr Cress; Nupuleun Nudeuu, Biddefurd Rep- :csentative t0 the Maine Legislature. 14 The reputation of this fine high school spread throughout the area and applica- tions soon increased. Although applicants were welcomed, there was a space prob- lem created by World War II. The Franciscans showed their persistence and resourcefulness by purchasing neighbor- ing houses and building the athletic field. In 1949, ten years after the entrance of the first high school class, construction was started on a large addition to the already existing academic building. Ap- propriately called Saint Francis Hall, this addition furnished solutions to many proh- Iems: housing for two hundred students in open dormitories, and the Flood House was razed. Thus we see two milestones in the physical growth of the college. In 1953, the Maine Legislature em- powered Saint Francis High School Col- lege to grant Bachelor of Arts and Bache- lor of Science degrees. The following year saw the Hrst graduates of the newly formed college. The next step in the de- velopment of the institution of higher learning was full accreditation, which at this time seemed to be a vague dream. The next six years saw nothing extra- ordinary in our growth. It did, however, bear witness to the rising cost of main- taining both the high school and the col- lege. The Franciscan Fathers dedicated all their eHorts t0 the urgent cry for higher education and, therefore, Saint Francis High School had its last gradua- tion in 1960. In 1961, the college haught Berryis Store from Mrs. Alfred Berry. It had been used as a grocery store and filling station, but the college converted it into our stu- dent center. Ten acres of land were also bought at this time. The following year the F riars took another step in the fulfillment of their dream of an accredited college. This advancement included the purchase of Stella Maris Boarding School and an ad- ditional eighty acres of land from the Sisters of the Presentation. This added property brought the campus to its pres- ent size of one hundred and fifty acres. In June the boarding school was reno- vated to house the administrative offices,