A new book by Father Warren Murrman, O.S.B., details the history of the Saint Vincent Cemetery and is entitled Saint Vincent Cemetery: Some Historical Notes and Respectful Reflections.

“At the highest point on the grounds of Saint Vincent in Unity Township, to the west of Basilica, the Monastery, and the buildings that comprise the College and its campus, is the Cemetery,” Father Warren writes. “It rarely is mentioned in the descriptions of Saint Vincent in contemporary publications and its past role is scarcely mentioned in the historical accounts.”

Perhaps its presence is taken for granted,” he continues, “at the edge of daily life, undeniable and understated. It appears often as part of the background in aerial photographs of the buildings and grounds of Saint Vincent, just as it lingers in the memory as a place of quiet, reflective walks and a place to enjoy a broader earth-bound perspective of the campus set in the suburban-rural landscape of low rolling hills and the somewhat higher profile of Chestnut Ridge.

“It may be argued, however, that the cemetery plays a stronger role in history than may first seem apparent. And it has occupied and still occupies a more important place in the consciousness of many people than some may realize.”

Father Warren notes that the work explores “some of the historical sources and reflects on what one may find in the cemetery as it now exists. The cemetery of course antedates the arrival of the Benedictine monks at Saint Vincent. Indeed, its early existence antedates its current name under the patronage of Saint Vincent de Paul. Its roots were set into the rich earth with the planting of the Catholic Church in Western Pennsylvania. And its growth is inextricably intertwined with the development of Saint Vincent, the life of the Catholic community of Westmoreland County, and the history of the Catholic Church in many dioceses in the United States.”

The book includes chapters on the early history of the Sportsman’s Hall Parish, now known as Saint Vincent, the arrival of the Benedictines, the formation of the Cemetery Corporation and the present-day cemetery. There is also a section devoted to the monk crosses that line the eastern edge of the cemetery. Historic and present-day photographs accompany the text, and an appendix contains maps of the cemetery sections in an effort to help family members and genealogists more easily document locations of their loved ones.

Father Warren, a Jeannette native, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Vincent College in 1961, and a Master of Arts degree from Saint Vincent Seminary in 1965. He has also received a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree from The Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, West Germany, in 1968, and a diploma in liturgical science from the Liturgical Institute in Trier, West Germany, in 1969. He entered the Benedictine Monastic community of Saint Vincent Archabbey in 1958. He made simple profession of vows on July 2, 1959, and solemn profession of vows on July 11, 1962. He was ordained a priest in Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica by the late Bishop William G. Connare of Greensburg on August 28, 1965.

Father Warren has primarily worked in the Archabbey’s educational apostolates. He began teaching on the Seminary faculty at Saint Vincent in 1969, and continued in that role until 2019, when he went to part-time status. He fully retired in 2023, although he is still active on the Archabbey’s Liturgy Committee and on the board of Wimmer Corporation. His past roles also include serving as academic dean and chaplain of the Seminary, member of the College Board of Directors, faculty member at the College, and member of the Archabbey’s Council of Seniors. He is also procurator of the Archabbey’s ridge property. Upon his retirement, he received the Seminary’s Nova et Vetera award for distinguished service to Saint Vincent Seminary for fifty-four years of faithful service.

Father Warren was a history editor of Saint Vincent Past to Present: A Visual Journey, published by Archabbey Publications in 2008. He was an editor and co-translator of the book Boniface Wimmer: Abbot of Saint Vincent in Pennsylvania, written by Father Oswald Moosmüller, O.S.B., and published in English in 2019 by Archabbey Publications. In 2022 Archabbey Publications privately published his history of the Archabbey’s endeavors on Chestnut Ridge, A History of ‘The Ridge’: The Saint Boniface Woodlands Property on Chestnut Ridge Owned by Saint Vincent Archabbey.

The cemetery book is available on the Archabbey Publications store, www.stvincentstore.com.