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.
A New Jersey Catholic school has acknowledged decades of abuse after former students spoke out. Pictured is the Rev. Timothy Brennan, a former teacher at Delbarton,and the only monk in the order to have ever have been convicted of sexual abuse
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
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.
Last week, the head of St. Mary’s Abbey Abbot Richard Cronin (left) and the Delbarton School headmaster Michael Tidd (right), wrote a joint letter written to the community, acknowledging the abuse
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.
The abbey (pictured) says it took disciplinary measures against the accused monks and notified Morris County prosecutors, only one was ever charged
Brothers Bill Crane, center, and Tom Crane stand next to Steve Badt during a news conference outside of the Morris County Courthouse, in 2012, in Morristown, after they filed a lawsuit against the Catholic school claiming they were sexually abused
‘Above all, we want you to understand that protecting the well-being of the students of Delbarton and all those to whom we minister is our highest and most important priority,’ Cronin and Tidd wrote.
They also said that no restrictions had been placed on victims’ ability to talk about their experiences, although Bill Wolfe, whose testimony resulted in Brennan’s conviction, says otherwise.
He says the school forced him into a nondisclosure agreement for decades and was only able to speak freely in 2014, after he won a court battle over the confidentiality agreement’s terms.
He told NJ Advance Media that the school’s attempts to silence him made the abuse he suffered even worse.
‘They fought me every step of the way. They attacked my family. They attacked my parents and they attacked me. They sued my attorney for representing me,’ Wolfe said.
‘So the idea they’ve been open and honest and compassionate, that’s not been my experience.’