1883 – 1951 (June 30)
Thomas Reed, the son of John Reed and Mary McCrossin, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 3, 1883. After laboring for a number of years as a coppersmith in the Philadelphia Navy Yard, he entered the Villanova Monastery from Annunciation Parish in South Philadelphia, as a lay brother in 1921 at the age of 38, taking the religious name Vincent. He remained in the oblature until 1933 when he entered the novitiate at New Hamburg, New York, on December 2, 1933. He professed simple vows on December 3, 1934 and returned to Villanova. He was solemnly professed on February 2, 1938.
With the exception of his novitiate year and a brief assignment to Saint Mary’s Parish in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Brother Vincent spent his entire 30 years of religious life in the Villanova Monastery. There he served well as sacristan and porter and was affectionately called “Curley” by members of the community.
Brother Vincent lived a very simple personal spirituality with great devotion to the Passion of Christ and devotion to the saints, whose relics were the simple adornments of his room. For most of his years at Villanova he was also infirmarian and gave devoted care to the sick friars. During the summer school sessions, when the campus overflowed with hundreds of religious sisters, Brother Vincent would round the campus after dark bringing them evening snacks. At his death during the summer session of 1951, his Requiem Mass was attended, in addition to friars and family, by a large group of religious sisters.
Brother Vincent was 68 when he died in Bryn Mawr Hospital on Saturday, June 30, 1951, the same day on which father Edward Merwarth died in Philadelphia’s Misericordia Hospital. A Solemn High Requiem Mass was offered on July 4, 1951 in Saint Thomas of Villanova Church at which Father James Donnellon, O.S.A., prior of the monastery community, was celebrant, and Father William Lunney, O.S.A. was homilist. Brother Vincent is buried at Villanova in the Community Cemetery.
