St. Joseph's College

History of Saint Joseph's College

Saint Joseph's College traces its origins to 1912, when the Sisters of Mercy founded a women's college on the convent grounds on Stevens Avenue in Portland. Students at the Sisters' Saint Joseph's Academy high school sought further education to become teachers, prompting the Mother Superior to launch a two-year degree program that quickly grew into a four-year education program; a 1916 transcript names the school the Saint Joseph's Normal School for Girls. Initially called St. Joseph's College & Academy and briefly the College of Our Lady of Mercy, the institution has kept the name Saint Joseph's since 1956. In that year the college relocated from Portland to its present 379-acre campus on Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine — site of the former Verrill family estate, whose stained glass windows of St. Edward the Confessor and St. John the Evangelist inspired Sisters Mary Edwina and Mary Evangelist to choose it. The college became coeducational in 1970 and, in 1976, began a distance education program for working adults.

Mission, Vision, and Catholic Identity

Sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy and animated by the vision of Catherine McAuley, Saint Joseph's College is a Catholic college in the liberal arts tradition distinguished by its welcoming community. The Mission Statement calls the institution to foster 'an ongoing dialogue between faith and reason so as to prepare our learners to live meaningful lives that improve the world around them.' Its Vision Statement commits the college to forming individuals 'who practice humility, justice, and compassion, as Jesus did, in solidarity with the marginalized.' The College's motto, 'Fortitudo et Spes' ('Courage and Hope'), reflects the Sisters of Mercy's enduring commitment to identifying and serving the needs of surrounding communities and beyond. The college welcomes students of all ages and all faiths and seeks and embraces truth and wisdom wherever it may be found, while honoring each person's spiritual journey.

• Mission Statement — Catholic liberal arts education in the Mercy tradition
• Vision Statement — A diverse, inclusive, collaborative community
• Motto: 'Fortitudo et Spes' (Courage and Hope)
• Core values rooted in the Sisters of Mercy charism

The Sisters of Mercy in Maine

The Sisters of Mercy first arrived in Bangor, Maine, in 1865 under the leadership of Sister Mary Gonzaga O'Brien. Over the subsequent century-plus, they expanded across the state in education, healthcare, homes for the elderly, orphanages, home visits to the sick, babysitting, and growing and harvesting produce. Governor Joseph Brennan summarized the impact in 1981: 'Maine is a better place to live because the Sisters have lived among us.' Today, only two of the Sisters' Maine ministries remain: Saint Joseph's College and Mercy Hospital in Portland, making the College an inheritor of the Mercy legacy in the state. Catherine McAuley herself began her work as a lay person in 1827, serving the marginalized in Dublin, Ireland — and with the decline in vowed Sisters, the College embraces that lay Mercy vocation more fully today.

• Sisters arrived in Maine in 1865 under Sister Mary Gonzaga O'Brien
• Two remaining Mercy-sponsored ministries in Maine: Saint Joseph's College and Mercy Hospital in Portland
• Inspired by founder Catherine McAuley's vision, begun in 1827 in Dublin

Mercy Center and Campus Ministry

The Mercy Center is the gathering place for prayer, learning, and service at the College, providing inter-departmental connections to create co-curricular models of the intellectual, spiritual, and socially responsible life that the College nurtures. Located on the second floor of the Heffernan Center, with Healy Chapel on the first floor, the Center links faculty and students with community partners in mutually supportive relationships that enhance the distinctive Mercy character of a Saint Joseph's education. Campus Ministry invites students to integrate religious and moral principles into their studies and non-academic activities — fusing faith with daily life through the opportunities offered by the Mercy Center.

• Mercy Center: prayer, learning, and service hub on the 2nd floor of the Heffernan Center
• Healy Chapel: ground floor of the Heffernan Center
• Multi-Faith Room available for daily prayer and meditation

Prayer and Worship Schedule

All Masses are celebrated in the Healy Chapel on the ground floor of the Margaret H. Heffernan Center. Visitors from off campus are welcome to join Masses or to pray in the chapel; visitor parking is available in the Xavier Hall or Alfond Center parking lots. Holy Day schedules and additional information are posted on the College's Google Calendar.

• Mass Sunday 8:00 PM (when college is in session)
• Mass Monday 4:45 PM
• Mass Tuesday 12:00 PM (noon)
• Mass Wednesday 4:45 PM
• Mass Thursday 12:00 PM (noon)
• Eucharistic Adoration / Holy Hour — Thursday 7:00 PM
• Sacrament of Reconciliation — upon request (call Fr. Patrick)

Visiting Campus

Visitors are warmly welcomed to attend Mass, pray in the chapel, or simply explore the campus. The College sits on the shore of Sebago Lake with views of Mount Washington and the White Mountains. Off-campus visitors can park in the Xavier Hall or Alfond Center lots, with walking directions provided from each lot to the chapel. The campus is about 30 minutes from Portland and approximately two hours north of Boston.

• Address: 278 Whites Bridge Road, Standish, ME 04084-5263
• Main telephone: (207) 892-6766
• Chaplain: (207) 893-7791
• Visitor parking: Xavier Hall or Alfond Center lots

Quick Facts

The College's Quick Facts page describes it as a private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts college founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy. It welcomes students of all ages and all faiths, holds the Carnegie Foundation's Community Engagement Classification, and offers more than 40 majors, minors, and partnership programs on campus. The campus spans 382 acres along the shore of Sebago Lake, situated about fifteen miles northwest of Portland, Maine.

• Founded 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy
• Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts college
• 382-acre campus on Sebago Lake, Standish, Maine
• Average enrollment of nearly 2,000 students
• Carnegie Community Engagement Classification
• Fifteen miles northwest of Portland, Maine

Athletics and Campus Life

Students at Saint Joseph's compete as the Monks in NCAA Division III, with athletics in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC). Beyond athletics, the College offers clubs of all kinds, outdoor adventures, and many service opportunities. The combination of a close-knit community, championship athletics, and the natural beauty of the lakeside campus defines the student experience.

• Nickname: the Monks
• Colors: Royal Blue and White
• NCAA Division III, GNAC (and NAC affiliations)
• Outdoor recreation on Sebago Lake