History of the Abbey
Monks in the City
Photo by R.E.J. Myzie
In 1846 the Abbey of Metten in Bavaria
established the first Benedictine monastery in the United States,
St. Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, Pa. in 1857 two Benedictine
priests were sent from St. Vincent to care for the many German
immigrants in Newark, N.J., founding St. Mary's Priory. These
monkas and those who followed them responded energetically to the
needs of the Church by staffing parishes and and by helping in
neighboring ones on weekends. In 1868, responding to another
urgent need, the Newark priory established a school for boys, St.
Benedict's College (later called St. Benedict's Prep). As the
city grew and prospered so did the monastery, becoming in 1884 an
independent house, St. Mary's Abbey, under the patronage of the
Immaculate Conception.
Two other monasteries were founded from Newark:
St. Anselm's in manchester, N.H. (1889) and St. Mary's in
Morristown (begun in 1928.) In 1956 the title "St. Mary's
Abbey" was transferred from Newark to Morristown, and in
1968, when these two became independent, the older house was
re-named "Newark Abbey," still under the patronage of
Mary's Immacualte Conception.
Today the Benedictines of Newark continue the
witness of work and prayer begun over 140 years ago. The
monastery church is also a parish church, and priests from the
monastery serve as chaplains to three convents, and help on
Sundays in parishes in neighboring communities. The primary focus
of the monks' common work is St. Benedict's Prep, which has
revitalized and renewed itself over the years to meet the
everchanging needs of the residents of Newark and its suburbs.
The monks of Newark Abbey cheerfully share with
their neighbors the noise, pollution, struggles, and fears; the
joys, victories, holiness, and heroism that make up life in the
city. Egyptian monks of old went into the desert to "do
battle against the devil" and to seek and find God there.
The Newark monks do the same in the desert of a modern city with
its own thirsts, mirages, and demons. The monastery becomes an
oasis of spirituality for all people. Life in the City is at
times bewildering. The Benedictine monk tries to be a sign of
stability. He is called to be a Christian witness of peace in a
society marked by racial tension and social unrest. Resisting the
headlong pursuit of material goods and pleasures, he serves as a
reminder of Christ's simplicity. You can read more about this
aspect of our life in Fr. Albert's recent book Downtown Monks
(Ave Maria Press)
Abba Matrona said,
"There are many in the mountains who behave as if
they were in the town, and they are wasting their time.
It is better to have many people around you and to live
the solitary life in your will than to be alone and
always longing to be with the crowd." (From The
Desert of the Heart: Daily Readings with the Desert
Fathers, edited by Benedicta Ward [London: Dartman,
Longman + Todd, 1988], p. 18)