The rich history of the Franciscan Sisters in Hankinson is evident throughout our retreat center. In 1929, St. Francis Academy was opened here, which served young people from around the region for decades. After the academy closed, the Hankinson public school rented space from the Sisters for many years, before finally vacating the space in 2008.
At that time, the Community prayerfully discerned what God might want us to do with our building and grounds. Thus it was that the Sisters renovated the rooms and converted the former gymnasium into the beautiful Providence Auditorium. Former classrooms have been converted into conference rooms and other spaces for use by our retreat program.
