Over the past quarter century of educating young men from struggling neighborhoods in this city or difficult backgrounds elsewhere, we have found ourselves providing an array of support services well beyond traditional day schools’ programs. Cumulatively, these measures – such as afterschool study, longer school days in a longer school year, tutoring services, and special activities with adult presence - have made us resemble a boarding school.

The only thing lacking was a place for students to sleep, eat, and gather: in other words, a home. In 1982 we made a modest effort to create such a space within a renovated convent, at times accommodating up to 10 students boarding during the week. For several years we studied expanding our residence program to as many as 60 students. We have long believed that many students could benefit from the structure, stability, and supervision that living on our monastery grounds could offer them. We examined models beyond our own experience to see how this might best be done. And while it may seem unorthodox to offer a boarding school in a city, we knew such a program would meet what has become a pressing, often dire need – a need that shows no signs of diminishing in the years ahead. With full support from our Board and the Abbey, and temporary financing from MBNA, we built a new residence for 60 students, supervised by 4 adults, which opened in September 2000. Named Leahy House in honor of the Leahy family, the residence cost $5.1 million to erect. Permanent financing came through our EDA bond issue. The average annual cost for the first year for each student boarding – all but five of whom require full financial aid – was set at $4700. To endow such boarding program costs for 60 students would require a new endowment fund of $5 million. Since we borrowed the funds to meet this obvious need, we also need, $5 million to pay for the building.

Click here for information on how you can contribute to the continuing success of St. Benedict's Prep or contact Paul E. Thornton, VP for Development at (973) 792-5775 or pthornton@sbp.org.