From the Archives

At this time of year when faux ghosts and goblins approach your doorstep longing for an addition to an already obscene amount of candy, it might be the moment to share a few ghost stories.

Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, now the Catholic Pastoral Center, was dedicated in May 1959, thanks to the hard work and tenacious will of Bishop Eugene McGuinness. The bishop died in 1957, before he could see the fruits of his labor completed. Serving as a high school and two-year college seminary, it closed in 1967, leaving a very large complex without a purpose. It went on to become the Center for Christian Renewal and was rented to various groups until 1984, when the archdiocesan offices were moved from a building on Classen Boulevard.

Since 1984, countless groups and numerous employees have traversed the hallways. More than once, couples attending overnight programs have inquired as to the possibility of the building being haunted. There was usually no initial cause for concern, just feeling a presence that was not of this world … and showers turning on by themselves.  

Several kitchen workers throughout the years have reported encounters with two “ghosts” in particular, that were shrouded, floating beings with faces that could not be seen. One worker described one of the alleged otherworldly guests as having thin fingers. Others spoke of shadows on the wall and an eerie feeling of not being alone when there was no one else in the building.

Doors inexplicably slamming and lights that were turned off suddenly coming back on also rose the hair on the neck, especially since there was not an electrical problem found upon examination of one of the phenomena.

A man responsible for locking the building at night, before today’s heightened security and technological advances, recalled bringing his son with him and regaling him with ghost stories, which he promptly rejected. Just then, the lights that had been turned off down the hallway suddenly turned on. Feeling the dad was playing a joke, he told him to stop and all at once the doors in the long hallway slammed shut. Not surprisingly, that was the last time he accompanied his father.

The convent behind the kitchen, which originally housed sisters who maintained the kitchen, has, in the last 10 years, been the home of a few remaining sisters. An incident with one sister was vivid in her memory. Awaking from her sleep, a person that appeared to be in a habit was standing by her bed. Not being of her order, she questioned the visitor as to why she was there, and she then disappeared. The sister said she felt no fear and that it was a benign presence.

As far as the classic “someone died here” theory goes, it does not appear that anyone has died while living in or visiting the building. However, that has not been proven beyond reproach.

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, there seems to be an irresistible urge to imagine the possibility in the human psyche. From hearing the first “who stole my golden arm” story by the campfire at age 10, to hearing the experiences of others in advancing years, there is still something fun about a well-told ghost story.