Newark Abbey
 Location within New Jersey
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| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Order | Benedictine |
| Established | 1868 |
| Abbot | Melvin J. Valvano |
| Site | |
| Coordinates | 40°44′08″N 74°10′48″W / 40.735509°N 74.180007°WCoordinates: 40°44′08″N 74°10′48″W / 40.735509°N 74.180007°W |
Newark Abbey, formally known as "The Benedictine Abbey of Newark", is a Benedictine monastery located in Newark, New Jersey. It is one of only several urban Catholic monasteries in the country. The monks serve the community through Saint Benedict's Preparatory School and St. Mary's Abbey Church, which are situated on the abbey's grounds.
As of April 2016, the community has twelve members in solemn vows, one in temporary vows, and two novices. Melvin J. Valvano, O.S.B., has been Abbot since 1973.
The abbey was the subject of a documentary, The Rule, released in 2014.
The monastery has its roots in a parish, St. Mary’s, that was founded in 1842 to serve the immigrant German Catholics. By 1857, monks were sent from Saint Vincent Archabbey (one of two Archabbeys in the United States) in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to staff the parish and establish a monastic community. The newly-established community was known as Saint Mary’s Priory. In 1868, responding to the request of the local Bishop for a school for the children of the workers who would find it difficult to allow their sons to go to a boarding school, the monks founded St, Benedict’s College (later St. Benedict’s Prep). In 1884, the monastery became independent of Saint Vincent and became known as St. Mary’s Abbey. In 1924, land was bought in Morris County, and a daughter-house was established. The title “St. Mary’s Abbey” would be transferred to the daughter house in 1956, with the Newark community becoming known once again as St. Mary’s Priory. In 1968, the Newark community was granted independence from St. Mary’s Abbey, and took the legal name, the Benedictine Abbey of Newark, being known popularly as Newark Abbey.
In the 1980s, the abbey faced declining enrollment, and took out advertisements to appeal to potential monks. The abbey has been the subject of coverage praising its efforts to maintain the on-campus school.
Monks of the school have a relationship with Nigerian bishop Francis Arinze, who has been a visitor to local churches. There was speculation in the past that Arinze could be considered for the papacy.
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Wikipedia