Former Saint Vincent College president elected archabbot of Benedictine community

The Rev. Martin de Porres Bartel, a former president of Saint Vincent College, was elected the 12th archabbot of Saint Vincent Archabbey, a community of Benedictine monks that founded the college in 1846.

Bartel, 64, succeeds Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, who resigned upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75 on May 8. An installation Mass for Bartel is planned for mid-August.

A monk of the archabbey for 40 years, Bartel served as 14th president of the Unity college from 1995 to 2000. An associate professor of business administration at the college, he taught accounting, statistics, business law, school law, legal research and business ethics from 1989 to 2001.

He also served the college as assistant treasurer, assistant controller, acting provost and acting academic dean.

With his election as archabbot, Bartel becomes chancellor of Saint Vincent College and of Saint Vincent Seminary. As archabbot, he is the spiritual head of Saint Vincent Archabbey, the first Benedictine monastery in America that includes more than 150 monks who are priests or brothers.

A native of Barberton, Ohio, Bartel followed his term as Saint Vincent president by serving as pastor of parishes in the Diocese of Greensburg. He was pastor of St. Martin Parish in New Derry from 2001 to 2009, pastor of St. Bruno Parish in South Greensburg and administrator of St. Benedict Parish in Marguerite from 2008 to 2013.

He most recently served as administrator of the MACH1 (Monaca, Aliquippa, Center and Hopewell) Parish Grouping in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, where he was appointed to the priest advisory council and to the board of directors of Serra Catholic High School.

A certified public accountant, he is a 1984 graduate of Saint Vincent Seminary and holds a master’s degree in business administration from Bowling Green State University and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.