Saint Joseph’s College held a celebration on Wednesday to commemorate the dedication of its Standish campus in 1956.

The day began with an 11 a.m. Mass with Bishop Richard Malone as the principal celebrant. At 12:30 p.m., a barbecue features live music from the last five decades and the celebration continued at 2 p.m., with the premiere of a documentary film about Saint Joseph’s, called “Small Steps, Great Strides: 50 Years on the Lake.”

The film was produced, edited and directed by communications professor John Hufstader and co-written by communications professor William Yates and Sr. Mary George O’Toole, vice president for sponsorship and mission. It featured societal images and music from the last 50 years to provide a lively cultural context for the era, as well as interviews with alumni and administrators.

The college, founded in 1912, moved from Portland in order to expand its quarters and is now situated on 350 acres on Sebago Lake. Enrollment was 77 female students in 1956, the Sisters of Mercy wore long habits and comprised most of the faculty – and students could major in just eight subject areas, including Latin and Secretarial Science. The co-ed Catholic liberal arts college now boasts 1,000 students and 28 academic programs.