Newark Abbey - Benedictine Monks

05/17/2026

This weekend the Oblates of Newark Abbey traveled across the Hudson to the Cloisters. Fr. Max served as the tour guide, learning the group through an exploration of medieval piety and monastic spirituality.

Oblates are lay men and women who associate themselves with a monastery and make an “oblation” (offering) of their lives, making promises to God to live the Benedictine charism insofar as they can amidst the duties of their daily life.

To learn more about the Newark Abbey Oblates, dm this page or contact Oblate Director, Fr. Maximilian Buonocore, O.S.B.

05/16/2026

"To you have I lifted up my eyes, you who dwell in the heavens." - Psalm 123

During this month of May, Br. Bruno has been pioneering "Prayer & Pilgrimage," a new course at St. Benedict's Prep aimed at helping students grow in their relationship with God by learning how to pray and going on pilgrimage to various holy sites in NJ/NYC.

Please pray for all the teachers and students involved in this project, that this Spring Phase truly be an encounter with the Risen Lord!

05/02/2026

In case you forgot (or maybe never knew!), Fr. Albert--our in-house award-winning author--writes a weekly blog, offering his reflections on prayer and spirituality amidst the chaos of our present age. You can read his posts every Saturday at https://downtownmonks.blogspot.com or by clicking the thumbnail below.

Albert Holtz, OSB is a Benedictine monk of Newark Abbey, Newark, NJ. He teaches New Testament in the monastery's inner-city prep school. He has served as master of novices, retreat master for Benedictine communities around the US & is currently Oblate Director. He is the author of Downtown M...

04/03/2026

“Christ humbled himself for us, becoming obedient even to death, even to death on a Cross.”

In churches across the world, statues are covered, candles are extinguished, and altars stripped bare as we recall the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

04/01/2026

Newark Abbey is no stranger to the stunning nationwide rise in conversions to Catholicism. Over the past couple years, dozens of St. Benedict's Prep students have requested full initiation into the Catholic Church.

Click on the link to learn more about how monks and lay faculty are pioneering a program to help young people grow in faith: https://www.sbp.org/news/full-news-story/~board/latest-news/post/transmitting-the-faith

03/21/2026

Happy Solemnity of the Transitus of Our Holy Father Benedict!

Everyday, students pass beneath the watchful eye of this image of St. Benedict as they enter at exit the property through the lobby at 520 MLK Blvd. On this day when we celebrate the entrance of St. Benedict into Heaven, we pray for all students, staff, and alumni of the school which bears his name.

St. Benedict, pray for us!

03/20/2026

03/16/2026

Click on the link below to read Br. Bruno's reflection for Seton Hall Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology's Lenten reflection series:

Read today's reflection on our website: https://www.shu.edu/theology/lenten-reflections-welcoming-and-embracing-the-stranger.html

03/01/2026

Br. Thomas presented at NJIT MiniCon this morning, delivering a talk entitled, “Anime Lectio: A Response to The Decline of Critical Thinking in Anime Culture.”

His presentation proposed the model and method of Lectio Divina as a framework for a meditative and meaningful way of engaging with anime, manga, and other forms of narrative art. Attendees were edified and the Q&A rolled well past the schedule end time!

Thank you Br. Thomas for sharing your gifts and interests with the monastic community and the broader world-at-large!

02/28/2026

The word “monk” is derived from the Greek “monos” meaning “alone.”

But monks are never alone. Even as they seek God as individuals, they are always supported by their brother monks, by the broader monastery community, and by the prayers of the Body of Christ. That’s why Benedict calls cenobites (monks who live in community) “the strong kind”: strong because they are strengthened and encouraged by the help of others.