New St. Xavier Nature Preserve to host visitors, Sisters of Mercy, Catholic academy alumni for open house

For the first time since 1972, the St. Xavier property off Route 30 in Unity will open its doors once again — this time, as a nature preserve.

The 248 acres were home to the former St. Xavier Academy and Convent, which was the oldest institution of the Sisters of Mercy who immigrated to America from Ireland in 1843.

Both were destroyed by a fire on March 16, 1972, leaving the separate 1862-era guesthouse — “Bellbrook,” a 3,410-square-foot building with 8 bedrooms nearby that was used as a retreat by the Catholic nuns — still standing.

Now, Bellbrook is set to become the base of operations for the new St. Xavier Nature Preserve. The Sisters of Mercy will retain ownership and care of the adjacent St. Xavier Cemetery.

Westmoreland Land Trust’s open house for the new nature preserve will last from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday, featuring tours of Bellbrook and golf cart tours of the grounds, which include fields, forests, wetlands and more than a mile of Monastery Run, a tributary to Loyalhanna Creek.

Refreshments, Celtic harp music and children’s activities also will be offered during the open house, as well as a celebration of conservation of the land at 11 a.m.

Betsy Aiken, executive director of the Westmoreland Land Trust, said the trust worked with the Sisters of Mercy to acquire the property in August 2022 and started conservation work “right away.” However, discussion of the conservation of the property began four years earlier — in 2018.

Aiken said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program had two components for about 100 acres of the property: planting trees and shrubs, and planting meadows of indigenous grasses and wildflowers. Field preparation began last fall on the property, and planting began in late spring, she said.

Another aspect of the conservation work, according to Aiken, is “working to manage and control unwanted invasive plants, trees and shrubs” on the St. Xavier property. She said several of the trees along St. Xavier road had either died or lost branches, so work was needed to be done to rejuvenate the grove.

Aiken said the trust is expecting a good turnout at the open house, as there’s been “great interest.”

“It’s a very visible property,” Aiken said. “Many of the people … have connections with the property — either having attended this school, having a relative attending the academy or knowing one of the sisters who resided there.”

Several Sisters of Mercy and alumni of St. Xavier Academy are expected to attend, Aiken said, and it will be “a significant event.”

Following the open house, the nature preserve will be open to the public, with the Westmoreland Land Trust continuing conservation work on the property and outlining future improvements through a master plan.