St. Mary’s Administrative History
Current Leadership:
Abbot: Giles Hayes (Since 2006)
Prior: Bruno Ugliano (2009)
Sub-Prior: Jerome Borski (2011)
Novice Master: Hilary O’Leary (2007)
Administrative History
ABBOTS
I James Zilliox – 1885 – 1886
II Hilary Pfraengle – 1886 – 1909
III Ernest Helmstetter – 1910 – 1937
IV Patrick O’Brien – 1937 – 1967
V Martin Burne – 1966 (coadjutor) – 1971
VI Leonard Cassell – 1971 – 1975
VII Brian Clarke – 1975 – 1995
VIII Gerard Lair – 1995 – 1998
IX Thomas Confroy – 1998 – 2006
X Giles Hayes – 2006 –
PRIORS OF ST. MARY’S ABBEY
St. Mary’s Priory, Newark, Dependent on St. Vincent
Valentine Felder – 1857
Rupert Seidenbusch – 1857 – 1862
Utho Huber – 1862 – 1863
Oswald Moosmueller – 1863 – 1866
Roman Hell [Heil] – 1866 – 1871
Bernardine Dolweck – 1871 – 1871
Leonard Mayer – 1871 = 1875
Bernard Manser – 1875 – 1880
William Walter – 1880 – 1882
Gerard Pilz – 1882 – 1884
After Elevation of Priory to Independent Abbey
Cornelius Eckel – 1885 – 1886
Ambrose Huebner – 1886 – 1888
Augustine Wirth – 1888 – 1889
Ernest Helmstetter – 1889 – 1910
Polycarp Scherer – 1910 – 1924
Anselm Kienle – 1924 – 1937 (Procurator)
Boniface Reger – 1940 – 1944
Charles Carroll – 1944 – 1946 (Headmaster of St. Benedict’s – 1944 – 1946)
Matthew Hoehn – 1946 – 1956 (N) – (Continued as Prior of St. Mary’s Priory,
1956-1958, after transfer of abbatial title to Morristown)
PRIORS (SUPERIORS) AT DELBARTON BEFORE 1956
(TRANSFER OF ABBATIAL TITLE TO MORRISTOWN)
Edward Bill – 1926
Henry Becker – 1927 – 1931
Vincent Amberg – 1931 – 1945
Hugh Duffy – 1945 – 1952
Bede Babo – 1952 – 1956
After Title of St. Mary’s Abbey Transferred to Morristown in 1956
Michael Collins – 1956 – 1967
James O’Donnell – 1968 – 1972
Brian Clarke – 1972 – 1975
Beatus Lucey – 1975 – 1980
Cornelius Sweeney – 1980- 1993
Richard Cronin – 1993 – 1995
Elias Lorenzo – 1995 – 2002
Patrick Hurley – 2002 – 2004
Paul Diveny – 2004 – 2006
Richard Cronin – 2006 – 2009
Bruno Ugliano – 2009 –
PRIORS OF ST. MARY’S PRIORY IN NEWARK 1956 – 1968
(Between transfer of title and independence)
Matthew Hoehn – 1956 – 1958
Martin Burne – 1958 – 1960
George Sherry – 1960
PRIORS (SUPERIORS) AT DELBARTON BEFORE 1956
(TRANSFER OF ABBATIAL TITLE TO MORRISTOWN)
Edward Bill – 1926
Vincent Amberg
Hugh Duffy – 1952
Bede Babo – 1956
Michael Collins – 1956 – 1967
PRIORS IN NEWARK 1956 – 1968
(Between transfer of title and independence)
Matthew Hoehn – 1956 – 1958
Martin Burne – 1958 – 1960
George Sherry – 1960
SUBPRIORS OF ST. MARY’S ABBEY
Ephrem Hetzinger (N) – 1910
Boniface Reger – (N) – 1924 – 1937 (Headmaster of St. Benedict’s – 1926 – 1945)
Benedict Bradley – (N) – 1941 – 1945
Gregory Schramm – (N) – 1946 – 1949
Michael Collins – (N) – 1949 – 1956
Stephen Findlay – (Mo) – 1952 – 1970 (Headmaster of Delbarton School – 1942 – 1967)
Simon Gallagher – (Mo) – 1970 – 1972
Germain Fritz – (Mo) – 1972 – 1973
Alfred Meister – (Mo) – 1973 – 1974
Beatus Lucey – (Mo) – 1974 – 1975
Cornelius Sweeney – (Mo) – 1975 – 1980
Andrew Smith – (Mo) – 1980 – 1981
Mark Confroy – (Mo) – 1981 – 1989
Hilary O’Leary – (Mo) – 1989 – 1992
Paul Diveny – (Mo) – 1995 – 1998
James O’Donnell – (Mo) – 1998 – 2000
Patrick Hurley – (Mo) – 2000 – 2002
Rembert Reilly – (Mo) – 2002 – 2009
Eamon Drew – (Mo) – 2009
Luke Travers – (Mo) – 2009-2011
Jerome Borski — (Mo) – 2011-
MASTERS OF NOVICES
Claude Micik – 1938 – 1939 (First Novice Master in history of SMA)
Martin Burne – 1965 – 1966
Brian Clarke – 1966 – 1972
Hilary O’Leary – 1972 – 1982
James O’Donnell – 1982 – 1992
Giles Hayes – 1992 – 1995
Paul Diveny – 1995 – 2007
Hilary O’Leary – 2007 –
PROCURATORS OF ST. MARY’S ABBEY
Anselm Kienle – 1910
Michael Collins – 1967 – 1979 (Assistant Procurator – 1979 – 1994)
James O’Donnell
HEADMASTERS
- Rev. Augustine F. Wirth, O.S.B. (1939–1942)
- Rev. Stephen W. Findlay, O.S.B. (1942–1967)
- Rev. Francis D. O’Connell, O.S.B. (1967–1971)
- Rev. James A. O’Donnel, O.S.B. (1971–1975)
- Rev. Gerard P. Lair, O.S.B. (1975–1980)
- Rt. Rev. Giles P. Hayes, O.S.B. (1980–1985)
- Rev. Bruno A. Ugliano, O.S.B. (1985–1990)
- Rev. Beatus T. Lucey, O.S.B. (1990–1995)
- Rev. John Hesketh, O.S.B. (1995)
- Rt. Rev. Giles P. Hayes, O.S.B. (1996–1999)
- Rev. Luke L. Travers, O.S.B. (1999–2007)
- Very Ven. Paul Diveny, O.S.B. (2007–present)
