Pope Pius XII raised the monastery church to the status of a Minor basilica via his decree Quasi fons lucis on 25 August 1955.

The monks also provide pastoral care for Catholics in the dioceses of Baltimore, Greensburg, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Altoona-Johnstown, and Richmond.

[2] The original abbey structures, including the present church, were designed by the German-American architect J. William Schickel and built between 1891 and 1905.

The archabbey church was dedicated by bishop Regis Canevin of Pittsburgh on August 24, 1905[3] and declared a minor basilica by Pius XII on the same date in 1955.

The current archabbot of St. Vincent Archabbey is Martin de Porres Bartel, who was elected by the monastic community on June 23, 2020.