Newton Abbey

Newton Abbey

Location within New Jersey
Monastery information
Other names	St Paul's Abbey
Order	Congregation of Missionary Benedictines of Saint Ottilien, Order of Saint Benedict
Established	March 15, 1924
Mother house	St. Ottilien Archabbey
Dedicated to	St Paul
People
Founder(s)	Fr Michael Heinlein, OSB
Abbot	Joel Macul*
Prior	Simon Kim
Site
Location	Newton, New Jersey, United States
Coordinates	41°01′02″N 74°46′04″W / 41.01710°N 74.76788°W / 41.01710; -74.76788Coordinates: 41°01′02″N 74°46′04″W / 41.01710°N 74.76788°W / 41.01710; -74.76788

St Paul's Abbey, Newton, New Jersey, is a Benedictine simple priory of the Congregation of Missionary Benedictines of Saint Ottilien. Originally established as a mission procure following World War I, over time the size of the community drastically decreased. In 2002, monks from Waegwan Abbey, South Korea, took charge of the monastery (Newton II). On January 25, 2004, Newton II was elevated to the status of a simple priory. The community's superior is Fr Prior Samuel Kim.

The effects that World War I had on the Missionary Benedictines' missions in Asia and Africa contributed to the founding of houses outside of Germany. Monasteries in a variety of areas would ensure that the Congregation had a greater chance of continuing its work in spite of political and economic crises. Thus, by 1924, the Missionary Benedictines had begun foundations in Argentina, the Philippines, Switzerland, the United States, and Venezuela.

Fr Michael Heinlein, OSB, having been expelled by the British from what had been the colony of German East Africa, was entrusted with establishing a monastery in the United States. Heinlein was encouraged by Bishop Thomas Spreiter of Zululand, who happened to be in the United States raising funds for his diocese. Spreiter was confident that the United States could contribute both money and manpower to the Missionary Benedictine cause. Eventually, the two purchased a farm near Newton, New Jersey, approximately 100 km northwest of New York.