Thirty years ago, the monks of Newark Abbey reopened St. Benedict’s Prep in a city that bore the fresh scars of the 1967 riots. We faced tremendous challenges. A lot of people - even among our friends – were skeptical. The city had changed too much, they said. We wouldn’t attract enough students, they said. Yes, we recognized the risks were real, but the potential rewards were far greater. When I became headmaster in 1972, I was entrusted with a school that had a reputation for producing outstanding alumni, men who had risen from modest backgrounds to achieve success in many walks of life. St. Benedict’s had begun as a school offering immigrants – first Germans, then Irish, Italians, and Eastern Europeans – a chance to gain a leg up toward a successful life in America. My confreres and I have taken great satisfaction in renewing our historic commitment by once again welcoming the sons of local working people, now primarily African, African-American, and immigrants from Latin America and the Caribbean.

A continual leap of faith, our mission is simple: to provide the finest possible education to young men who have the motivation and ability, but who often lack the means for most private schools. We call upon that simple faith every day as we face challenging realities. Many of our students have suffered from the educational ills all too characteristic of urban America – overcrowded classes, unchallenging schoolwork, low expectations. Many, if not most, lack viable alternatives to local public schools for the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual development demanded by the 21st century. They might not realize it during the Overnight – five days of creating new bonds among incoming Freshmen at the start of the school year - but every new student comes to St. Benedict's with the same desire that has motivated our students from the beginning: to participate in a life-changing educational experience. That desire is fulfilled in a community whose motto is “Whatever hurts my brother, hurts me.” We’ve never aimed simply to produce well-qualified graduates – any number of schools can provide an excellent education – but to encourage the development of the whole man.

Over the past quarter century and more, with the help of many friends, St. Benedict’s has been able to rebuild and revitalize itself for this purpose. We can now count fifteen buildings on twelve acres near a revitalized downtown Newark. Growing financial support has allowed us to strengthen our academic, athletic, and extracurricular programs. We have an 11 month school calendar, and a range of electives and exchange opportunities. Our soccer program, ranked number one in the nation four times in the past decade, garners a lot of attention, but we also compete at a high level in other sports – water polo, fencing, lacrosse – rarely found in urban schools. Our spring program of experiential education has become an important mainstay of the curriculum. Our graduates are as much in demand from colleges as ever; typically between 90% and 95% have good college choices, and top-ranked students gain admission to the most prestigious colleges in the country, including Bates, Boston College, Bowdoin, Brown, Columbia, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Holy Cross, Notre Dame, NYU, Rutgers, Swarthmore, and Yale.

None of this comes easily. We ask a lot from our students, faculty, and staff. By accepting an applicant, we make a commitment to him as a whole person, not just as a student. We recognize that our young men have a range of needs within and beyond the classroom. The group system and the Honor Code encourage students to live up to our motto. During this decade, we intend to improve and expand our academic programs, strengthen our counseling and special support services and significantly enhance faculty compensation. We have recently restored and renewed our aging buildings for many more years of service, and we have begun to equip ourselves with the computer technology essential for our students' futures. We have constructed a new home for St. Mary’s grammar school, which had shared space with us since our reopening in 1973. This move has allowed us greater flexibility around the Hive. We have made a strong commitment to strengthen and extend our vision by expanding our boarding program for needy local students and others with the construction of a 60 student residence hall opened in the fall of 2000.

Now that the dust has settled and the last of the construction workers have left, our physical plant has never been in such sound condition. We have never been able to offer so much to our students. The work is not yet done, though. Our renovation was undertaken on faith: faith in God’s providence, faith in human generosity. The bulk of the work was financed by a construction loan and obtained through bonds, with repayment due in thirty years. Major priorities are as yet unfunded; endowments for scholarships and for teacher salaries need to grow substantially. Our new $50 million capital campaign offers many opportunities for those who wish to give. Two of our classroom buildings remain unnamed. Other individual spaces within the school, notably the science labs and main entrance, may be dedicated as memorials. With continued generous help and the support of much prayer, we believe we will build on faith to complete this most ambitious capital campaign.

Edwin D. Leahy, O.S.B. ‘63

Click here for information on how you can contribute to the continuing success of St. Benedict's Prep or contact Paul E. Thornton, VP for Development at (973) 792-5775 or pthornton@sbp.org.