Completed in 1905, the St. Vincent Archabbey Basilica has stood as a symbol of our founder, Archabbot Boniface Wimmer's unshakable faith. Although he did not live to see its construction, the Archabbot always dreamed of building a magnificent Church for the early Catholic immigrants who struggled to keep their faith in a foreign land. On August 24, 1905 his dream would come true when Bishop John Francis Regis Canevin of the Diocese of Pittsburgh solemnly consecrated the Archabbey Church. Exactly fifty years later, August 24, 1955, His Holiness Pope Pius XII elevated the Archabbey Church to the ecclesiastical rank of Minor Basilica. Now today, 107 years after its consecration, St. Vincent Basilica still stands witness to the thousands of people who come to pray and worship the God in whom all things are possible.
For more information on the Archabbey Basilica, read this article written by our confrere, Fr. Brian Boosel:
