francis of assisi in maine

There were many surprises on this trip, one was finding Francis of Assisi in Maine. The first find was at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art. In the garden was a copper statue of Francis. The statue is a fountain of Francis and the birds that come to him for sustenance. Francis is one of my favorite historical figures and finding this quintessential Italian and Catholic icon in Maine seemed OK.

The second finding was outside of Kennebunk. This time we found him in a Franciscan Monastery now converted to a retreat center. But that's only the beginning of the incongruity. Yes, at one time the property was the home of some wealthy family who left it to the Franciscans. And yes there were vestiges of 1960's Catholic artifacts - the sculpture from the Vatican Pavilion at the 1965 World Fair, the once monastery dorms, the chapel with its modern Catholic architecture and statues. But all these paled when we walked the grounds and found the Lithuanian shrines, Stations of the Cross and memorials to the silent church in Eastern Europe. What the hell was Francis of Assisi and memorials to the silent catholic majority in Lithuania doing in Republican Kennebunk?
(The thumbnail points to the large image.)