Benedictine Oblate #2

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iloveangels said:
Very good, Luigi. I know it’s been hard to decide. It sounds like you are really happy with the Benedictines and that’s excellent. God bless you!
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Thank you. May He bless you abundantly, too.🙂

Now, if anyone knows of 3-4 young men who are interested in the monastic life, and would like to live with some truly holy men in San Luis Obispo, one of the most beautiful places on earth…🙂
 
Luigi_Daniele said:
Thank you. May He bless you abundantly, too.🙂

Now, if anyone knows of 3-4 young men who are interested in the monastic life, and would like to live with some truly holy men in San Luis Obispo, one of the most beautiful places on earth…🙂
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No kidding.

St. Gregory’s seems to have a few younger monks and currently has one postulant as well. but there a number of old timers as well. Hopefully more vocations are forthcoming. I’ve started adding a prayer for vocations to consecrated life and specifically St. Gregory’s Abbey after Compline.
 
Luigi_Daniele said:
Well, you guys sure are a lot of help.:mad:😃

Anyway, upon consulting with family, my friend above, and after praying for literally months, decision made (made for me, really-which is fine)🙂
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Congratulations on the Benedictine connection! 🙂 Based on your prior involvement, what stage are you at in terms of formation?
 
jwinch2 said:
No kidding.

St. Gregory’s seems to have a few younger monks and currently has one postulant as well. but there a number of old timers as well. Hopefully more vocations are forthcoming. I’ve started adding a prayer for vocations to consecrated life and specifically St. Gregory’s Abbey after Compline.
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Age - it seems like a problem common to monks and secular third orders. Have you ever looked at photo galleries posted at websites for third orders?
 
Jason,

No word from St. Leo Abbey despite my latest e-mail attempt several days ago. They’ve officially slipped to the bottom of my priority list. Opus Dei cast a fine impression from first contact through the present; Holy Family Fraternity (Franciscans) and Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OCDS) were equally attentive. Speaking objectively, I like the male fraternity of Opus Dei, the overall conservative bearing of the Prelature, and their focus on Church doctrine, Marian devotion, and the writings of St. Josemaria Escriva. I like the academic challenge of the Discalced Carmelites, as well as their focus on prayer, meditation, and the Blessed Virgin. I’ve already studied St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross somewhat and I’m quite impressed. As for the Franciscans, who doesn’t admire St. Francis or St. Clare of Assisi? Francis’ admonition to live the Gospel is so important in today’s secular society. As for all three communities, I admit to a preference for all-Catholic membership.

With Jason and Luigi on board with the Benedictines, I may have to select another Order (or Prelature) simply to balance the scales.
 
Tampa_Dave said:
Age - it seems like a problem common to monks and secular third orders. Have you ever looked at photo galleries posted at websites for third orders?
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Yes, third orders are full of old codgers (and codgeresses). 😃

Not sure what the average age of Carmelites is, but the average age of Franciscans is quite high. Here in the States, it has to do with the history of the order in the USA–time periods when lots of recruiting was done, methods they used to use, distribution of fraternities in parishes, and so on. This is why, by far, there are more Secular Franciscan fraternities than any other kind in this country.

There’s a long history of the Franciscan third order in the USA, but for most of the country, it’s a little less than 100 years old. That still, I believe, makes it the oldest third order in this country. Of course, it’s been around for much longer in Europe.
 
iloveangels said:
Yes, third orders are full of old codgers (and codgeresses). 😃

Not sure what the average age of Carmelites is, but the average age of Franciscans is quite high. Here in the States, it has to do with the history of the order in the USA–time periods when lots of recruiting was done, methods they used to use, distribution of fraternities in parishes, and so on. This is why, by far, there are more Secular Franciscan fraternities than any other kind in this country.

There’s a long history of the Franciscan third order in the USA, but for most of the country, it’s a little less than 100 years old. That still, I believe, makes it the oldest third order in this country. Of course, it’s been around for much longer in Europe.
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We’ll see how old Our Lady of Carmel Community is on July 15th. My contact said their members were of both genders with a wide span of ages. Sounds fine to me.
 
Tampa_Dave said:
Jason,

No word from St. Leo Abbey despite my latest e-mail attempt several days ago. They’ve officially slipped to the bottom of my priority list. Opus Dei cast a fine impression from first contact through the present; Holy Family Fraternity (Franciscans) and Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OCDS) were equally attentive. Speaking objectively, I like the male fraternity of Opus Dei, the overall conservative bearing of the Prelature, and their focus on Church doctrine, Marian devotion, and the writings of St. Josemaria Escriva. I like the academic challenge of the Discalced Carmelites, as well as their focus on prayer, meditation, and the Blessed Virgin. I’ve already studied St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross somewhat and I’m quite impressed. As for the Franciscans, who doesn’t admire St. Francis or St. Clare of Assisi? Francis’ admonition to live the Gospel is so important in today’s secular society. As for all three communities, I admit to a preference for all-Catholic membership.

With Jason and Luigi on board with the Benedictines, I may have to select another Order (or Prelature) simply to balance the scales.
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I know you were only joking about that last part. However, in all seriousness, I might remind you that St. Benedict states in the Rule that a monastery is not supposed to make it easy for anyone to join. Rather, they are to see if the person is persistent or not after not being answered for several days. If they persevere, they are allowed in. Obviously, St. Benedict was talking about monks in that passage but it can easily be applied to oblates as well. With that in mind, if you are still attracted to Benedictine spirituality but frustrated at the lack of response to your inquiries, I suggest contacting the Monks directly rather than going through the person you have been trying to contact. If that is the proper spiritual approach for you, then your persistence will have been worth it.

Of course, if you feel that you are called to another spiritual approach, then by all means pursue it.

Just my two cents.

Peace,
 
Jason,

I’ve heard that perseverance is a feature common to monastic orders. Assuming such a situation exists with St. Leo Abbey, I’ll issue another e-mail in early August. My Opus Dei interviewer, a numerary for 46 years, sent me a lengthy e-mail yesterday with contact information for three supernumeraries attending my evening of recollection. To this end, I’m reading “The Way” and John Allen’s book “Opus Dei”. While purchasing “The Way” at Barnes & Noble last night, I leafed through “The Practice of the Presence of God”, an account of Lawrence of the Resurrection, an icon among Discalced Carmelites. Regardless of which Order or Prelature I join, I’ll follow up on Brother Lawrence. ICS Publications sells an in-depth book on entitled “Br. Lawrence, Writings and Conversations On The Practice of the Presence of God” (ed. C. De Meester, trans. S. Sciurba) that looks promising.
 
On Wednesday, July 25th, our parish (St. Andrew of the Apostle, Clifton, VA) is holding an Exposition of Sacred Relics. Included: relics of St. Maria Goretti, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Faustina Kowalska. Also featured: a piece of a veil believed to have belonged to Our Lady and one of the largest remaining pieces of the True Cross in existence. St. Andrew’s scheduled the event through treasuresofthechurch.com.

Just thought I’d mention it for any CA fans in the DC metropolitan area.
 
OK Oblates, which is your preference?

St. Benedict Medal

St. Benedict Crucifix

St. Benedict Scapular

I am going back and forth on this a bit. I like some of the vintage medals per my post above, but I am having a hard time finding one to purchase. I also like the crucifix and would like to get a scapular, but I am having a hard time making my mind up. Many of the items I look at seem to be low quality, which bothers me in an item I would plan on getting blessed.

Peace,
 
jwinch2 said:
OK Oblates, which is your preference?

St. Benedict Medal

St. Benedict Crucifix

St. Benedict Scapular

I am going back and forth on this a bit. I like some of the vintage medals per my post above, but I am having a hard time finding one to purchase. I also like the crucifix and would like to get a scapular, but I am having a hard time making my mind up. Many of the items I look at seem to be low quality, which bothers me in an item I would plan on getting blessed.

Peace,
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I, on the other hand, have absolutely no problem making up my mind.:coffeeread::whacky::o:D

Although, a development today may have made my mind up for me. 😦

BTW, Crucifix for me (even though it isn’t very Benedictine, really)
 
While at home last week to celebrate my grandparent’s 70th Wedding Anniversary, my wife and I also celebrated our own. On Sunday, we were able to go to where, to date, is our favorite place to attend Mass, St. John’s Basilica in Des Moines, IA. St. John’s is shepherded by a Benedictine Monk, who is also the person responsible for my beginning to look into the Order and its spirituality. When my wife and I attended Mass there during the last Christmas season, we were blown away by the beauty of the liturgy, the Basilica, the music, and the directness and unapologetic orthodoxy of the homilies.

If you look closely in the beginning of the video, you can see me and my wife. I’m the tall guy at the bottom of the frame just left of the middle in a yellow shirt and my wife is the lady with the long brown hair next to me. Fr. Aquinas, OSB gave yet another monster homily which is well worth a listen.

Peace,

youtube.com/watch?v=bDdniNRBi6I&feature=g-u-u
 
Jason,

Congratulations on the double anniversary celebrations! Sounds like you enjoyed your Mass while commemorating your wedding vows. If only more people would stay married for 70 years, we would have a better society. I’m also happy to see you getting into the Benedictine spirit by selecting a visible symbol of the Order. You and Luigi sound like you’re well on your path to the secular monastic life. Your wife seems to share your deep Catholic faith as well. Is she involved with an Order or your parish? Mine taught catechism for at least two decades.

I just came home after my first evening of recollection with Opus Dei in my parish chapel. We enjoyed the Benediction and Exposition of the Holy Eucharist, several meditations, and three lectures by Opus Dei priests and a supernumerary. I was re-introduced to the Director and senior Opus Dei priest from the Reston Study Center I spoke with several Opus Dei cooperators and supernumeraries well past the conclusion of our services. Awesome experience, to say the least!
 
Tampa_Dave said:
Jason,

Congratulations on the double anniversary celebrations! Sounds like you enjoyed your Mass while commemorating your wedding vows. If only more people would stay married for 70 years, we would have a better society. I’m also happy to see you getting into the Benedictine spirit by selecting a visible symbol of the Order. You and Luigi sound like you’re well on your path to the secular monastic life. Your wife seems to share your deep Catholic faith as well. Is she involved with an Order or your parish? Mine taught catechism for at least two decades.
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My wife is very serious about the Faith, thankfully. It is wonderful to have a wife who is working towards the same things I am. She is involved at the parish and is taking a two year course on catechesis with me but has not really looked into the secular order thing. She has expressed interest in attending a retreat together and I am optimistic that such a thing would resonate with her and spark an interest. If not, that is fine as well, as it has to be a call and should not be forced or pushed.
I just came home after my first evening of recollection with Opus Dei in my parish chapel. We enjoyed the Benediction and Exposition of the Holy Eucharist, several meditations, and three lectures by Opus Dei priests and a supernumerary. I was re-introduced to the Director and senior Opus Dei priest from the Reston Study Center I spoke with several Opus Dei cooperators and supernumeraries well past the conclusion of our services. Awesome experience, to say the least!
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I am glad that it went so well. I admire much about Opus Dei and looked into them myself a while back. If they had a location closer to where I live, I might have ended up there. Hard to say I suppose.

Peace,
 
jwinch2 said:
While at home last week to celebrate my grandparent’s 70th Wedding Anniversary, my wife and I also celebrated our own. On Sunday, we were able to go to where, to date, is our favorite place to attend Mass, St. John’s Basilica in Des Moines, IA. St. John’s is shepherded by a Benedictine Monk, who is also the person responsible for my beginning to look into the Order and its spirituality. When my wife and I attended Mass there during the last Christmas season, we were blown away by the beauty of the liturgy, the Basilica, the music, and the directness and unapologetic orthodoxy of the homilies.

If you look closely in the beginning of the video, you can see me and my wife. I’m the tall guy at the bottom of the frame just left of the middle in a yellow shirt and my wife is the lady with the long brown hair next to me. Fr. Aquinas, OSB gave yet another monster homily which is well worth a listen.

Peace,

youtube.com/watch?v=bDdniNRBi6I&feature=g-u-u
Click to expand...
Congratulations to all 4 of you!
 
I’m still scheduled to attend the Sunday meeting with the Discalced Carmelites on July 15th. I’ll go with an open mind, but it will be hard to beat the attraction of Opus Dei. There is much to be said for Catholic male fraternity. I was involved in competitive baseball and hockey for years (midway through college), so I spent a lot of time with teammates. Same idea, but now we focus on spirituality instead of batting practice or hockey drills.
 
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