We have been going to Maine for over five years now and every year we make a special trip and visit St.Anthony's Franciscan Monastery. The grounds are very nice and it is very pretty. They have a nice giftshop with a wide variety of religious items.

We drove across half the country from Illinois and all States in between towards our primary destination of Cape Cod. Cape Cod was a dream I had since I was a child of 5 after hearing the song on an old juke box in our basement which I listened to while washing clothes and hanging them. It sounded so peaceful to girl in a large family with noise infiltrating every pore of my body, day after day. In 2003, my husband surprised me. Instead of returning to our little mobile home in Florida, he planned a 6 week trip to the east coast. We stopped in Dearborn MI, Erie, PA, Buffalo NY and into Canada to see the Falls from both angles, onto Cooperstown NY (his dream) and into New Hampshire to visit some very dear friends. We then travelled into Maine where I experienced my first Maine lobster (what a treat) on Bayley's Island. We travelled down the coast stopping in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport driving along the ocean front and witnessing all the spectacular views so many Easterners have know for year. On the way south, we stopped for a brief visit at the monastery, so we thought. It turned into an entire day (and another night's stay) in the area. We went into the lower level of the church and met a wonderful monk who talked to us for hours about his calling, our religion and who answered all the questions we posed to him. We bought many articles from his store to present to our various family members for Christmas which was looming. The grounds were impeccable, serene and a place of inner peace. We hope so many more people take the time to visit and experience it like we did and bring back fantastic memories. Thanks Maine for all you offer and thanks to the monks for offering it to Maine.

As a child, I grew up in Kennebunkport. Some of my fondest memories are of the Franciscan Monestary. My girlfriend and I would ride our bikes into the main entrance and the first thing we would see is the reproduction of the grotto where the
Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to 3 small children in Fatima. It is a site to behold. Beyond that is the main builiding which houses the church and masses are still held there by the Franciscan Monks, to this day. To the back and below the main building of the church is a beautiful gift shop with all kinds of wonderful things to purchase. Not only religious articles, but also postcards of the monestary and other trinkets. Even today when I go home to visit, that is one of my favorite places to visit and to walk along the beautiful tranquil paths which are beyond the main buildings of the monestary. At one point the path meanders above and along the kennebunk river. It is a different view of Kennebunkport. Along the path u will see many shrines and statues and it is a beautiful time to reflect and sit along one of the many benches and just commune with God. I would highly recommend the monestary if u are looking for a little peace and solitude on your trip to Kennebunkport, Maine.

We stayed in August of 2005 and experienced the most peaceful vacation time we had ever had. The Lithuanian food was delicious and the staff was outstanding! The salt water pool was very refreshing.
We will return again every summer!