St.Francis Seraphic Seminary

St.Francis Seraphic Seminary Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from St.Francis Seraphic Seminary, Youth Organization, 459 River Road, Andover, MA.

The Seminary as seen from the driveway of the Monastery of St. Clare across the street.
05/24/2026

The Seminary as seen from the driveway of the Monastery of St. Clare across the street.

A photo of an often overlooked feature of the Grotto - the small Crucifix to the left of the statue of the Madonna. Take...
05/19/2026

A photo of an often overlooked feature of the Grotto - the small Crucifix to the left of the statue of the Madonna. Taken by Analda Anglin on July 11th, 2024 while on a side trip to the Seminary grounds when she was up from Alabama for a business trip in the area.
Photo courtesy of Analda Anglin

A photo of the Grotto and the path leading to it. Taken by Analda Anglin on July 11th, 2024 while on a side trip to the ...
05/18/2026

A photo of the Grotto and the path leading to it. Taken by Analda Anglin on July 11th, 2024 while on a side trip to the Seminary grounds when she was up from Alabama for a business trip in the area.

Photo courtesy of Analda Anglin

Today is the anniversary of the death of Franciscan bishop, Lawrence Graziano, who passed away in 1990.He is buried in t...
05/16/2026

Today is the anniversary of the death of Franciscan bishop, Lawrence Graziano, who passed away in 1990.He is buried in the cemetery on the grounds of the Seminary. These photos of the front and back of his gravestone were taken by Analda Anglin of Alabama on May 12 of this year when she was up in the area on a business trip. She makes a point of visiting the Seminary grounds whenever she's up here and has shared many photos with us which we will continue to post. Thank you once more, Analda.

Photo courtesy of Analda Anglin

The rear of the postcard with the words, " St. Francis Seraphic Seminary is conducted by the Franciscan Fathers of the ...
05/14/2026

The rear of the postcard with the words, " St. Francis Seraphic Seminary is conducted by the Franciscan Fathers of the Immaculate Conception Province of New York, Here aspirants to the priesthood in the Franciscan Order receive their preparatory classical education and moral training prior to being admitted to the Novitiate in Troy, New York."

A lithographed painting of the Seminary on a postcard. We wish we knew the artist who drew this beautiful rendition of t...
05/14/2026

A lithographed painting of the Seminary on a postcard. We wish we knew the artist who drew this beautiful rendition of the building and grounds. On the left, behind the Seminary, we can see the garage, whose upper floor served as a greenhouse. In the fall and early winter the seminarians used the upper level of the garage to paint the bulbs for the Christmas lights which were placed on the building. If one looks closely, the statue of St, Francis is visible on the right side of the card. The trees bordering the football field can be just beyond the statue. The foliage of the forest in the rear of the structures can be seen to the left of the garage ,Our understanding is that this postcard is from the 1940's. It was sold in the gift shop of the Seminary throughout the year and was an especially popular item to purchase when the Christmas lights were up.

A JEWEL IN THE DARKNESS OF NIGHTA view of the lit up Seminary entrance and statue of St. Francis at night.
04/28/2026

A JEWEL IN THE DARKNESS OF NIGHT

A view of the lit up Seminary entrance and statue of St. Francis at night.

The Monastery of St. Clare which was directly across the street from the Seminary where cloistered nuns lived a contempl...
04/20/2026

The Monastery of St. Clare which was directly across the street from the Seminary where cloistered nuns lived a contemplative life. The Order of St. Clare also known as The Poor Clares are members of the Second Order of St. Francis. They now have their monastery on what remains of the old Seminary grounds on a piece of property that was once part of the Seminary's football field. Priests from the Seminary celebrated Mass for them everyday and seminarians or Brothers served as attendants.

The Poor Clares were founded by Clare of Assisi in 1212. At the age of 17, inspired by the preaching of Francis of Assisi in Assisi Cathedral, Clare ran away from her wealthy family to join his community of friars at the Portiuncula, some distance outside the town. She was given the habit of a nun Though some doubted her ability to become a nun, Francis of Assisi encouraged her on her journey. St. Francis believed that women, as well as men, had the capacity to completely forgo ordinary pleasures and live in poverty and did not seek to limit them in this regard based on their gender. This shared belief of both Francis of Assisi and Clare of Assisi would lead them to form the Order of St. Clare. An order of women, dedicated to living an oath of poverty and service, just as the Order of Friars Minor, formed by St. Francis just three years prior. By 1216, Francis was able to offer Clare and her companions a monastery adjoining their chapel of San Damiano where she became abbess. Clare dedicated her order to the strict principles of Francis, setting a rule of extreme poverty.

The Seminary in the spring.
04/13/2026

The Seminary in the spring.

04/09/2026

Does anyone have memories of the Saturday night movies we used to see at the Seminary on the "big screen" in the study hall?

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459 River Road
Andover, MA
01810

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