The Divine Word Missionaries, after opening a minor seminary in Girard, PA in 1912, were eager to expand their presence on the East Coast. They were especially interested in the area around Boston because of its large Catholic population. Cardinal William Henry O'Connell, Boston’s Archbishop, was already familiar with the SVDs and their work establishing a Black seminary in the south, so when the SVD provincial superior Rev. Peter Janser met with O’Connell in 1922 to request permission to open a mission house and minor seminary, the archbishop not only approved, but suggested Miramar, his summer residence in nearby Duxbury, as the site. After approval from Rome, the property was purchased by the Society in June of that year.

The first high school classes began in October 1922, and an existing barn was converted into academic facilities. The first staff included Divine Word Revs. Anthony Hullin as rector, Joseph Murphy and William Ross as academic staff, and Divine Word Brothers Patrick Dunnigan and Bernard Husmann in charge of kitchen, maintenance, and vehicles. The seminary was dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, but most of the SVDs simply called it Miramar.

Between 1931 and 1934 a three-story school building was erected between the main house and the old barn. Financial difficulties plagued the community of Miramar at this time as the Great Depression was in full swing. They were having difficulty making their loan payments to the bishop for the property while financing the new construction project. 

The problem of locating funds to support the continuation and expansion of the new foundation was not the only problem facing the young community, as the interconnected challenges of recruiting and retaining students presented worries about the continued viability of the school. Staff shortages were also a recurring issue.

Miramar’s community was grateful, then, that the completion of the new school building in 1934 brought with it an increase in enrollments. In 1935 there were 100 students at Miramar, the largest student population to date. The first Miramar Summer Camp was held in 1940 and served hundreds of area boys each summer until it closed permanently in 1968.

In an effort to increase vocations and create SVD mission awareness among East Coast Catholics, a residential building at 184 Beacon Street in Boston was purchased on December 31, 1953. The house on Beacon Street served as a hub for SVDs as they traveled up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Rev. Daniel Driscoll SVD became best-known for such work, spending 43 years of his priesthood generating both manpower and funding for the missions. While the Boston House was sold in 2006, Revs. Donald Skerry SVD and Kenneth Feehan SVD continued their apostolate of creating mission awareness and collecting funds until 2010.

In 1957 Miramar closed its doors as a high school, reopening as a two-year junior college for those aspiring to the Divine Word missionary priesthood. It served this role for seven years until Divine Word College in Epworth, IA became the new site of the junior college in 1965.

After 1965 the academic buildings were leased to various educational institutions and service groups before being sold. The remaining community members relocated to the retreat house, which was renovated and rededicated in 1986. An active community still resides at Miramar where they continue their work with the retreat apostolate.