UNE, Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center host celebration of Biddeford’s Franciscan heritage

The Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center hosted a celebration at the University of New England on Saturday, Oct. 3, to honor St. Francis of Assisi, the famous saint for whom the college that preceded UNE was named after, and to celebrate Biddeford and UNE’s Franciscan heritage. 

In January, Pope Leo XIV proclaimed 2026 a special Jubilee Year of St. Francis to honor Francis’ legacy of peace, compassion, and service. Saturday’s event, titled “Maine Celebrates the Franciscan Jubilee Year,” was held on the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis and brought together historians, archivists, civic leaders, alumni of St. Francis College, and Franciscan representatives, including Brother Algirdas Malakajskis, OFM, of the Franciscan Monastery in Kennebunkport.

The Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center works to preserve, interpret, and share the history and diverse cultural heritage of Biddeford. And Saturday’s lectures were part of the center’s 2026 lecture series that celebrates the nation’s 250th birthday.

Given that UNE’s roots go back to St. Francis College, a school founded and led by Franciscan brothers more than 70 years ago, the Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center wanted to celebrate the Jubilee Year on the Biddeford coastal campus, said Bob Cyr, a member of the center’s board and the events chairman.

UNE President James Herbert agreed in his welcome remarks how UNE was a meaningful place to reflect on Biddeford’s Franciscan story since the foundations for the University's beginnings were laid by Monsignor Arthur Decary and Father Zenon Decary, who, together with the Franciscan Order in Quebec, founded St. Francis College in 1939.

Herbert thanked those gathered for helping to preserve and celebrate the Franciscan ideals that remain a part of UNE’s culture and for honoring the people whose vision and faith helped to make UNE and the Biddeford community what they are today.

Franciscan ideals of compassion, service, respect, and human dignity continue to inspire future generations.” — President James Herbert

“We are literally standing on the ground that reflects that history, a place where generations of students have learned, grown, and served their communities,” Herbert shared with those gathered. “While UNE has evolved significantly over the decades, values that inspired our founders continue to guide us. St. Francis taught humility, service to others, compassion for those in need, peacemaking, and respect for creation. Those values remain visible across UNE today.”

Herbert explained how educating future health professionals who care for individuals and communities and expanding access to education and opportunity, as well as caring for the health of the planet through environmental and marine research programs, all are part of UNE’s mission — and speak to the principles St. Francis lived by and inspired in others.

“The Franciscan tradition reminds us that institutions are strongest when they remain connected to communities they serve,” Herbert said. “Franciscan ideals of compassion, service, respect, and human dignity continue to inspire future generations.”

Held in the UNE Campus Center, the Jubilee also included a tour of a pop-up museum in the St. Francis Room of the Jack S. Ketchum Library and the grave sites of some of the Franciscan brothers who founded St. Francis College.

The event also included a presentation by Donna Foley, OFS, of the Franciscan School of Theology in California, who gave a talk titled, “Why You, Francis? A Conversation About Saint Francis of Assisi.”

Cyr, who also works in UNE’s Facilities Services and tends to the garden around the St. Francis statues in the St. Francis courtyard next to Ketchum Library, remembered growing up in Biddeford and attending football games at St. Francis College. Cyr reflected on how the teachings of St. Francis that were taught at the college are still so valuable today.

“He’s a world-renowned saint who came from a wealthy family but gave up everything to go to all these places across Italy and help people,” Cyr said. “We need to share this history of St. Francis’ life with the world. Because he talked about world peace. We could use more people like this gentleman who spoke of peace and about getting along 1,200 years ago.”

Read news coverage in the Biddeford Gazette.