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Five students from Glenstal Abbey School are currently taking part in an exchange programme at Delbarton, a Benedictine school located at Saint Mary’s Abbey in Morristown, New Jersey, USA.

Each year a number of Glenstal’s Transition Year students travel to Delbarton to take part in a cultural exchange. During their three weeks visit, students attend classes, participate in sports activities, attend cultural events, visit places of interest and spend time living with host families. They are presently accompanied by Mr Kieran Sparling, a member of Glenstal Abbey School’s Board of Management.

This year’s visit to New Jersey is the latest in a two-decades old programme for students of Glenstal and Delbarton. Over the years strong links have been fostered between the two schools and monastic communities, particularly as several monks of both houses have accompanied students back and forth between Ireland and the United States to build links between our educational institutions and monasteries.

The exchange is organised annually by Fr Denis Hooper OSB at Glenstal and Fr Edward Seton Fittin OSB at Delbarton, a school founded by the Benedictine monks of Saint Mary’s Abbey in 1939. The community there enjoys strong and fraternal links with Glenstal, not least as our confrère Fr Alan Crawford OSB entered the monastic life at Saint Mary’s before returning to Ireland to join the monastic community at Glenstal some years ago.

Earlier this week, students attended Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception celebrated by Abbot Jonathan Licari OSB and had the chance to meet the abbot and members of the monastic community after the Mass. The school and monastery at Glenstal look forward to welcoming Delbarton students to Ireland as they make a reciprocal visit in 2024.