Welcome to Saint Vincent Archabbey

From The Sportsman's Hall Parish Later Named Saint Vincent 1790-1846, By Omer U. Kline, O.S.B., Published by Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, 15650-1690, U.S.A. © 1990, 1998 by Omer U. Kline. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
Father Helbron was a native of Germany (born circa 1750) - from the neighborhood of Trier - and was a member of the Capuchin Order. Little else is known of his early life, except the fact that he had seen service in the Prussian army and had become an expert horseman. His ability to ride would be put to a genuine test during his extensive missionary travels throughout western Pennsylvania. The qualities that characterized this priest-friar have been captured by a contemporary who spoke of Father Helbron as "a man of culture and refinement, punctiliously neat and precise in his priestly attire and duties, with a dignity and commanding presence."

Click to Enlarge
Helbron Memorial Plaque
One of the remarkable facts about Father Helbron's pastorate of the Sportsman's Hall Parish is that he received no salary from his congregation - he asked none and expected none. What was presumed was that the farm would yield for him a comfortable living, but Father Helbron exercised poor judgment as a farmer. He kept too much livestock on the parish lands, and would not sell when prices were fair, and was not punctual in paying those workmen who did the farming. And as he grew older and more feeble, his lack of finances became more acute. In fact he was ultimately compelled to appeal to his congregation for assistance. Father Vincent Huber tell us: "A subscription was taken up for him and a handsome sum realized."
Father Helbron died on April 24, 1816 in Carlisle, on the way home to his beloved Sportsman's Hall Parish following surgery in Philadelphia. He is buried in a little plot of ground that adjoined the Saint Patrick's Church in Carlisle.