Monks elect Bartel as new archabbot
Benedictine monks at Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe have elected one of their longtime members as their new leader.
The monks on Tuesday elected the Rev. Martin de Porres Bartel — a former president of Saint Vincent College and most recently a parish administrator in Beaver County — to be archabbot. The election was announced late Tuesday night.
Father Bartel, 64, succeeds longtime Archabbot Douglas Nowicki, who resigned in May after 29 years in the position upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. An installation Mass for the new archabbot is planned for August.
“There are some mighty big shoes to fill, but with the grace of God and support of the community, I look forward to carrying Saint Vincent even further and stronger into the future,” the new archabbot said in a statement. “I am very grateful for the trust and confidence that the monks have expressed in me and I look forward to earning their trust and confidence.”
Father Bartel was president of Saint Vincent College from 1995 to 2000. He previously worked as a pastor in the Diocese of Greensburg and, since 2013, has served in pastoral roles in Beaver County parishes of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Most recently he has been administrator of the parish grouping that includes St. John the Baptist in Monaca; St. Titus in Aliquippa; St. Frances Cabrini in Center; and Our Lady of Fatima in Hopewell.
As archabbot, he will be the administrator and spiritual leader of the monastery, and he will also hold the title of chancellor of the college and seminary at Saint Vincent.
He made his simple profession of vows as a monk in 1980 and his solemn vows in 1983, and he was ordained a priest in 1985.
In addition to his master of divinity degree from Saint Vincent Seminary, he has a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master of business administration degree from Bowling Green State University. He was an associate professor of business administration at Saint Vincent College.
The Saint Vincent monastic community consists of more than 150 monks, who are either priests or brothers, and who include those at priories in Savannah, Ga., and in Taiwan and Brazil. Many of the priests based at Saint Vincent serve parishes in dioceses throughout the region.
Archabbots serve a role in their monastic communities similar to that of bishops. Saint Vincent has the status of an “archabbey” in tribute to its historic role as the nation’s first Benedictine monastery.