Our Leadership

No one has impacted the lives of young people in Newark quite like Fr. Edwin, the longest serving Headmaster in St. Benedict’s Prep history.

Elected Headmaster in 1972, he led the resurrection of St. Benedict’s, from its re-opening in 1973 with 89 young men to the robust K-12 Catholic serving 1,000+ students today. The 2022-23 academic year marks Fr. Edwin’s 50th year as Headmaster. He holds a B.A. in philosophy from Seton Hall University, and a master’s in divinity from Woodstock College at Union Theological Seminary. Fr. Edwin received the first Robert F. Kennedy Award for Urban School Leadership from the National Schools that Can organization in 2014. He was named a New Jersey Icon by NJBIZ in 2020.

Get to know Father Ed

6 Test and Tried Insights to Raise Responsible and Resilient Young Adults, used by Headmaster Fr. Edwin Leahy, O.S.B. '63 and the faculty of St. Benedict's Prep for more than 40 years. In this guide you will learn:

• "If your teenagers are coming to school mad at you 75% of the time, you are doing something right."
• Why the adolescent brain is not fully developed until the age of 25.
• "Never do for students what they can do for themselves," and more!

Download Guide