Catholic school run by monks acknowledges DECADES of sexual abuse after dozens of former students speak out
Thirteen Benedictine monks and one lay teacher have been accused of sexually abusing boys the Delbarton School, in Morristown, New Jersey
The abbey says it took disciplinary measures against the accused monks when allegations began emerging in the late 80s, and notified prosecutors
But the only monk ever charged was Rev. Timothy Brennan, a former teacher at Delbarton, convicted of abusing a teenage student in in 1987
He was sentenced to just one year of probation
Brennan reportedly later admitted sexually assaulting 50 boys
HANNAH PARRY
DAILYMAIL.COM
28 July 2018
A New Jersey Catholic school has acknowledged decades of abuse after former students spoke out.
Thirteen Benedictine monks and one lay teacher have been accused of sexually abusing boys the Delbarton School, in Morristown, which is run by monks from St. Mary’s Abbey.
The alleged assaults date from 1968 to as late as 1999, and victims began coming forward in the late eighties.
But, while the abbey says it took disciplinary measures against the accused monks and notified Morris County prosecutors, only one was ever charged.
The Rev. Timothy Brennan, a former teacher at Delbarton, was convicted of abusing a teenage student in in 1987 and sentenced to just one year of probation.
He has since admitted to abusing 50 boys, The Associated Press reports. He now lives in a treatment center for priests in Missouri.
The prosecutor’s office declined to comment on the investigations to several news outlets.
Last week, the head of St. Mary’s Abbey Abbot Richard Cronin and the Delbarton School headmaster Michael Tidd, wrote a joint letter written to the community, acknowledging the abuse. They said the order had settled eight lawsuits with alleged victims, while seven others were pending.
The majority of abuse allegedly took place at Delbarton School, which is managed by the Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey.
Other reports were made by a parishioner of St. James Church in Basking Ridge and former students of St. Elizabeth of Hungary School in Linden as well as by the sons of a former Delbarton School employee.
The office pressed charges in one of the cases against the Rev. Timothy Brennan. He was convicted of aggravated sexual contact with a 15-year-old Delbarton student three decades ago. According to court documents, Brennan admitted to abusing 50 boys.
They say settlement money has been paid through insurance, not donations, and that the settlements won’t prohibit victims from speaking publicly if they want to share their allegations of abuse.
Cronin and Tidd say Delbarton has implemented new safety standards including fingerprint and background checks on monastery candidates, gives abuse prevention training and is regularly audited by a third party that sets up protocols to prevent child abuse.
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