This obituary is shared with Pittsburgh Union Progress readers by Vincent Scotti Eirene’s brother, David Scotti, and we share it here with only light editing for our style. Many people are commenting on social media. As some noted, Eirene was “a Pittsburgh staple,” “a thorn in my side” and “the real deal” — “an institution.”
“To share life with the poor is not some type of option. Although it’s often reserved for nuns or those running missions, we have to understand that, biblically, the responsibility of the poor is for every Christian. … I think a radical Christian lifestyle has to be rooted in a fundamental faith that will weather what comes when we open our hearts to the love of God and try to preserve the creation and care for the broken.”
— Byron’s Expression interview with Vincent Eirene (December 1989)
On Thursday, Sept. 11, a voice for the poor and nonviolence fell silent. Vincent Scotti Eirene died in his home in the Manchester neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Vincent is survived by his two daughters, Caitlin and Chenoa, who were his heart and soul. He loved to surprise them with an excursion to Colangelo’s Bakery in the Strip District or some art supplies. He was a fiercely dedicated father. He was preceded in death by his younger brother Victor Scotti and his parents, Vivian Delli Gatti Scotti and Adolph Scotti. He is survived by his daughters, Caitlin and Chenoa; his brother, David Scotti of Pittsburgh; and his sister, Genevieve Schroeder, of St. Petersburg, Florida.
Vincent Scotti Eirene was born on March 27, 1952, in the city’s Brookline neighborhood. He graduated from Upper Saint Clair High School in 1970 and attended Ohio State University. Vincent was always rebellious, but by his junior year at Upper St. Clair, he had become active in Young Life, a Christian fellowship organization, and had found a path of Christian faith, nonviolence and helping the poor that he would follow for the rest of his life.
A fervent opponent to war, when he married, he and his wife together took a new surname of “Eirene,” an ancient Greek word for “peace.” Inspired by his Catholic faith, Vincent spent his days and nights advocating for the poor, oppressed, homeless and disenfranchised. In 1977, Eirene founded Duncan and Porter House, a hospitality house that was part of the Catholic Worker movement. He opened his home to the homeless, a mission he pursued until his passing. He helped Sister Liguori when she was setting up the Jubilee Soup Kitchen in Pittsburgh’s Hill District.
To him, homelessness and militarism were inseparably connected. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, with Christian Peacemakers, Vincent protested against Rockwell International’s participation in the nuclear arms race with acts of nonviolent civil disobedience at the U.S. Steel Building in Downtown Pittsburgh, headquarters of Rockwell. Vincent began protesting Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute when it was founded in 1984, opposed to the university’s connection to the Department of Defense. He continued this protest throughout the 1990s and beyond. In 2004, Vincent traveled to Iraq to witness the atrocities of the war on terror, returning to the U.S. and sharing his experiences with activists in Pittsburgh and beyond. When Hurricane Katrina hit, Vince traveled to New Orleans to help with the recovery. He also traveled to West Virginia to help challenge mountaintop removal.
He was involved in the fight against nuclear arms, the environmental justice movement, the anti-globalization protests, and more. Vincent was arrested at least eight times in the ’70s and ’80s and spent lengthy time in jail for peaceful civil disobedience. Through all of this, he was the consummate peacemaker. With a heart as big as the world, and a phenomenal sense of humor, he was disarming. The humor was not just some fun aspect of Vince’s personality; it was an essential tool by which he creatively and effectively engaged people, especially opponents.
For example, in the 1990s Vince was falsely accused of assaulting a police officer. In fact, it was Vince who had been assaulted by the officer. The charges were serious, and he faced a jury trial. The crucial character witness testifying on his behalf was the retired head of security at the U.S. Steel Building. The two had developed such a mutually respectful and genuine relationship over the years that he was delighted to testify. One of his more notable supporters, actor Martin Sheen, also served as a character witness, as did Phil Berrigan, his dear friend and mentor. The jury rightly declared Vincent innocent of the trumped-up charges.
In addition to Berrigan and Sheen, writer Naomi Klein, musician Bruce Cockburn and so many others went with him in the search for peace and healing. Happy to be notorious, Vince also proudly boasted of the “archive” that CMU kept on him.
Vincent was the author of several books, including “Night Flight to Baghdad,” “The Day the Empire Fell,” “Good Friday Fish Fries” and “The Further Writings of Blast Furnace Radio.” He was the founder and host of Blast Furnace Radio, one of the first internet radio stations, built in the basement of Duncan and Porter House, as well as the founder of the onetime website NoToWar.com.
Vince was injured in two car accidents and in a fall that left him with mounting health problems. He could no longer travel and had to struggle to get into and out of his home. He took to growing tomatoes and strawberries in his backyard and keeping up communications over the internet with the many people he had come to know. Despite an unyielding spirit and a firm belief that there was still so much that needed to be done, his injuries and health issues finally got the better of him.
Vince’s life was materially poor but indescribably rich. There has been no one like him. He leaves behind a legacy of family and friends, of real-world peacemaking, of love and of creative witness to the truth and an ever-present sense of humor. He was greatly loved and admired and will be missed by many. There will be a private burial service, and a celebration of Vincent’s life is being planned that will be announced once arrangements are finalized with his family.
The PUP is the publication of the striking workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
