WILMINGTON – Oblate Father J. Christian Beretta, principal of Salesianum School since 2010, will depart the all-boys school in Wilmington after the upcoming academic year. Salesianum president Thomas Kardish made the announcement in a letter to families this week.
Father Beretta came to Salesianum in 2010 and has served as principal longer than any other Oblate priest other than the first principal, Oblate Father Charles Fromentin. A California native, he earned his bachelor’s degree from De Sales University, and he has several advanced degrees, including a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.
He was ordained to the priesthood in 1997 at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Wilmington. He has served in education since 1991, including three separate stints at Salesianum (1991-93, 1997-99, 2010-present), as a teacher, coach, campus minister and principal. From 1999-2010, he was the principal at Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers, Fla. He also was a coach there.
Father Beretta has served on the board of directors of the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association since 2023 and is the current chair. He is also a trustee at Nativity Prep and Saint Edmond’s Academy.
Kardish did not give a specific reason for Father Beretta’s departure but did write that it had been under discussion for some time. He added that a nationwide search for a successor has begun.
