The Founding and Early Growth of Delbarton School (1930s–1950s)

The financial strains of maintaining both the Newark monastery and the Morristown estate during the Great Depression led the monks of St. Mary’s Abbey to explore new sources of income. Father Vincent Amberg’s committee proposed opening a “country day school with some residents” at Delbarton in 1930. Although the Chapter approved it, Bishop Thomas J. Walsh of Newark halted the plan upon learning of it through the press, feeling his authority had been bypassed. This delay lasted seven years, but support for the idea remained strong.
Abbot Ernest Helmstetter opposed selling Delbarton, seeing its future potential. When he died in 1937, Fr. Patrick M. O’Brien was elected the fourth abbot. A native of Manchester, New Hampshire, and a graduate of St. Anselm, he had battled poor health throughout his youth and priesthood. Despite his frailty, he had served with distinction at St. Benedict’s Prep and as pastor of St. Joseph’s in Maplewood.
Abbot Patrick vigorously defended the Delbarton property, calling it essential to the abbey’s mission: a rural location for novitiate and formation, a place of spiritual refreshment, and a site for future expansion. He issued a firm manifesto urging against its sale and asserting its eventual role in education, especially if urban schools like St. Benedict’s ever declined.

In 1938, Prior Vincent proposed building a 30-room monastery at Delbarton—later known as Vincent House—to house monks in formation. Construction relied on reclaimed materials and lay brother labor. Its approval foreshadowed the next chapter: in May 1939, at the invitation of Bishop McLaughlin, the Chapter voted 23–9 to establish a residential high school on the estate. Fr. Augustine Wirth was named headmaster, joined by Fr. Claude Micik in readying the facilities and recruiting students.
The new monastery at Delbarton Delbarton School opened on September 15, 1939 with twelve boarders in grades 7 and 8. In June 1940, its first graduating class of eight boys was celebrated in the New York Times. The onset of World War II reshaped monastic life. Several monks served as military chaplains, while others, including European Benedictines fleeing war, joined the monastic schools. The abbey offered refuge and employment to monks from Austria, Scotland, Belgium, and the Beuronese Congregation of Germany, including Frs. Damasus Winzen and Leo Rudloff.
Delbarton thrived through wartime cooperation and hospitality. The abbey welcomed diocesan priests and religious who taught in both Newark and Morristown. Fr. Cletus Donaghy taught at Delbarton for decades before becoming a monk. Other long-serving educators included the Foley brothers and Fr. Genadius Díaz from Manila.
An early group photoThe abbey’s scholarly output continued as well. Fr. Matthew Hoehn, Newark prior and librarian, compiled Catholic Authors, a landmark biographical directory published in 1948 and again in 1958. His heavy workload reflected the dedication of the era’s monks, many of whom labored intensely at personal cost. Another project, My Everyday Missal and Heritage, was spearheaded by Fr. Benedict Bradley and supported by Abbot Patrick.

By the early 1950s, Delbarton was a flourishing Benedictine school born from perseverance during economic hardship, wartime disruption, and visionary leadership. Abbot Patrick’s unwavering commitment to Delbarton and the tireless efforts of monks and lay collaborators helped establish a legacy of faith, learning, and service that continues today.