A Message to the St. Mary’s Abbey and Delbarton School Community

[July 6, 2020] Last November, we wrote to you to share information about the enactment of changes to the civil statute of limitations for victims of sexual abuse. On December 1, 2019, a new state law increased the civil statute of limitations from two years to seven years from the time a victim learns of the abuse and then files a claim in court. It also created a one-time, two-year window – starting on December 1, 2019 and ending on November 30, 2021 – for individuals to file lawsuits based on claims of abuse that were previously barred by the statute of limitations.

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As of this writing, we have learned that six new claims of abuse against monks of St. Mary’s Abbey or employees of Delbarton School – all individuals who were accused in previous cases – will be filed on Tuesday, July 7, 2020. These claims regard events alleged from decades ago and state names that have been previously reported to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. More claims may be filed against St. Mary’s Abbey and Delbarton School before the statute of limitations window closes on November 30, 2021. If new claims are filed, we will notify you as we are doing now.

We recognize the pain and suffering inflicted on victims of sexual abuse. We continue to encourage anyone who believes that he or she has been a victim of abuse at St. Mary’s Abbey or Delbarton School to contact law enforcement and to file a claim.

Both St. Mary’s Abbey and Delbarton School are safe environments. The Abbey and School are each accredited by Praesidium, an independent risk management and compliance organization that ensures best practices in abuse prevention. We invite you to visit our Safe Environment platform here to review our abuse prevention policies, procedures and campus security protocols.

St. Mary’s Abbey and Delbarton School also employ a third-party reporting platform, Safe Schools Alert, and we urge anyone with a claim to use it. As always, we will cooperate fully with law enforcement regarding any claims that come forward. However, because the claims process requires a careful review of the facts by law enforcement and the courts, we will not comment on any new claim that emerges.

The purpose of this email is to remind you of this law, to inform you of these new claims, and to reassure you that St. Mary’s Abbey and Delbarton School are safe environments for your sons and all whom we serve. Protecting the safety and welfare of all who visit and worship at St. Mary’s Abbey or who study at Delbarton School is paramount to the monks of St. Mary’s Abbey and the faculty and staff of Delbarton School.

Sincerely,

Abbot Richard Cronin, O.S.B.
Abbot, St. Mary’s Abbey/President, Delbarton School

Fr. Michael Tidd, O.S.B.
Headmaster, Delbarton School

View this letter as a PDF… Here