Benedictine Oblate

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Petermn

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Hello
I am very interested in the possibility of becoming a Benedictine Oblate.
I have visited a Benedictine Monastry and was inspired by the life there.
I am a divorced man with responsibilty for my two lovely children and I want to live out the Christian Catholic ethos ‘in the world’ as fully as possible.
I have not yet contacted the guestmaster at the monastry about my interest but I am in occasional contact with him since my visit.
Could anyone throw any light on the requirements and expectations of a Benedictine Oblate.
Thankyou.
Peter
 
Petermn said:
Hello
I am very interested in the possibility of becoming a Benedictine Oblate.
I have visited a Benedictine Monastry and was inspired by the life there.
I am a divorced man with responsibilty for my two lovely children and I want to live out the Christian Catholic ethos ‘in the world’ as fully as possible.
I have not yet contacted the guestmaster at the monastry about my interest but I am in occasional contact with him since my visit.
Could anyone throw any light on the requirements and expectations of a Benedictine Oblate.
Thankyou.
Peter
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Here is an article.

I would also suggest you visit the Monastery and check out the orthodoxy of that particular
group.

I was interested in becoming an Oblate, but after attending several events there, I was disturbed by some of the things I observed.

osb.org/obl/intro.html

BTW these were nuns, not monks.
 
Thanks for the reply Indyann, I’m concerned that you were worried about things you observerd, I understand you cant reveal them here but I will look at the article.
Thanks again
 
I have been in inquiry to become an Oblate and will enter candidacy in April. What was required before I could be a candidate was to attend several Oblate meetings, show an interest to live the Rule of Benedict in everyday life, and speak to the Oblate director.

I have been attending meetings since September and this past Sunday the Oblate Director asked if I would like to be a candidate. Candidancy lasts a year and I was asked to learn to pray the Liturgy of the Hours (which I already do daily) and to read the Holy Rule daily (which again I also do). I also must go early to monthly meetings for formation, and get to know the sisters, who are a wonderful group of women. The monastery is over an hour from my house, with traffic over an hour and a half, but I enjoy going and the time in the car goes fast.

I am looking forward to this coming year.
 
Indyann said:
Here is an article.

I would also suggest you visit the Monastery and check out the orthodoxy of that particular
group.

I was interested in becoming an Oblate, but after attending several events there, I was disturbed by some of the things I observed.

osb.org/obl/intro.html

BTW these were nuns, not monks.
Click to expand...
This is a gross generalization, but in my experience, Benedictine Sisters tend to be far more liberal than Benedictine Brothers. In fact, the Abbey of St. Benedict (N.E. Kansas) is an extremely conservative and orthodox monastery that I would highly recommend looking into: kansasmonks.org/. It appears that they are in the process of redesigning their website, but there is a link to the old site at the above link.
 
jkarp said:
This is a gross generalization, but in my experience, Benedictine Sisters tend to be far more liberal than Benedictine Brothers. In fact, the Abbey of St. Benedict (N.E. Kansas) is an extremely conservative and orthodox monastery that I would highly recommend looking into: kansasmonks.org/. It appears that they are in the process of redesigning their website, but there is a link to the old site at the above link.
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There are still some great Benedictine orders for women available. One that is right of the top of my head is:

Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles
benedictinesofmary.org/
–Very traditional order, in full Communion with Rome. Worth a look if anyone is interested.

Then there are the:

Olivetan Benedictine Sisters
olivben.org/

Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict
missionarysisosb.org/
 
Petermn said:
Hello
I am very interested in the possibility of becoming a Benedictine Oblate.
I have visited a Benedictine Monastry and was inspired by the life there.
I am a divorced man with responsibilty for my two lovely children and I want to live out the Christian Catholic ethos ‘in the world’ as fully as possible.
I have not yet contacted the guestmaster at the monastry about my interest but I am in occasional contact with him since my visit.
Could anyone throw any light on the requirements and expectations of a Benedictine Oblate.
Thankyou.
Peter
Click to expand...
I found out about some possibilities of a claustral oblate program through this order:

Prince of Peace Benedictine Abbey (Monks)
princeofpeaceabbey.org/

And I did some searching for articles about Benedictine Oblates and found this:

osb.org/amcass/const/I03a5.html

saintmeinrad.edu/monastery_oblates.aspx

geocities.com/lincoln_oblates/

This one is the best:
benedictineoblates.com/what.php

Hope this helps!
 
CarmeliteGirl25 said:
There are still some great Benedictine orders for women available. One that is right of the top of my head is:

Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles
benedictinesofmary.org/
–Very traditional order, in full Communion with Rome. Worth a look if anyone is interested.

Then there are the:

Olivetan Benedictine Sisters
olivben.org/

Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict
missionarysisosb.org/
Click to expand...
Awesome, thanks for posting the links 🙂 I hope the OP is able to find a good monastery to affiliate with.
 
jkarp said:
Awesome, thanks for posting the links 🙂 I hope the OP is able to find a good monastery to affiliate with.
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You’re welcome. I hope anyone who is looking for the same thing sees this post, too. 🙂
 
Just as a note: The OP is in the UK. He might have a hard time with the commute to those abbeys. 😉

-CK
 
Petermn said:
Hello
I am very interested in the possibility of becoming a Benedictine Oblate.
I have visited a Benedictine Monastry and was inspired by the life there.
I am a divorced man with responsibilty for my two lovely children and I want to live out the Christian Catholic ethos ‘in the world’ as fully as possible.
I have not yet contacted the guestmaster at the monastry about my interest but I am in occasional contact with him since my visit.
Could anyone throw any light on the requirements and expectations of a Benedictine Oblate.
Thankyou.
Peter
Click to expand...
The Rule of Benedict is an excellent guide for living regardless of whether you find a suitable oblate group… I think it would also help you in the tough job of single-parenting. There is a book called “Listen, My Son” which explains the Rule of Benedict through a father’s eyes. I think you would enjoy it.
 
These are wonderful suggestions thank you all.
I will get the suggested book Cara Serrano and I have heard from the Abbey that they do have an Oblate group - however I have not heard any more - emails to and from these places of worship are understandibly slow…I will keep you posted on how it goes…
Thanks again
Peter
 
Petermn said:
These are wonderful suggestions thank you all.
I will get the suggested book Cara Serrano and I have heard from the Abbey that they do have an Oblate group - however I have not heard any more - emails to and from these places of worship are understandibly slow…I will keep you posted on how it goes…
Thanks again
Peter
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Do you have an abbey near you that you could go visit? If you do become an Oblate you affiliate yourself with a particular monastery. Ideally it would be one you could visit easily. (“Easily” being a relative term. The closest monastery to me and the one where I’m an Oblate is a two-hour drive. Fortunately there is a local Oblate group in my area and one of the monks comes out for our meetings.) Anyway, going to the abbey to pray with the monks or nuns would give you a good opportunity to talk with them about becoming an Oblate.
 
Just in case anyone is unsure, my nearest Abbey, Pluscarden, is a monastery (men only, right?) but their Oblates are of both genders. I mention that in case anyone saw the mention of monks/nuns and thought that one has to affiliate him/herself to a house of the same gender as they are. Father Martin has never mentioned gender reassignment when we have discussed my becoming an Oblate after I am Confirmed;) Sorry if that is blindingly obvious:blush: While I’m blushing, I also apologise if I put my name on this then my signature magically appears as well…I can’t see where to add it. O.k., so God loves me for my heart, not my intelligence!:yup:

Pax et bonum,
Beth
 
Thanks all and yes lossiebeth - that is worth mentioning.
I have a Convent where I often go to Mass just down the road but I have become associated with a Monestry quite a long way away…For some reason though I think I feel more comfortable in the Monastry and the drive has value as it gives me a feeling of retreat alhough I cant go so often…Thanks again for all the great info - - - - - keep it coming.
Every Bless
Peter (a man)
 
CarmeliteGirl25 said:
There are still some great Benedictine orders for women available. One that is right of the top of my head is:

Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles
benedictinesofmary.org/
–Very traditional order, in full Communion with Rome. Worth a look if anyone is interested.

Then there are the:

Olivetan Benedictine Sisters
olivben.org/

Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict
missionarysisosb.org/
Click to expand...
Hello, I have a kind of strange question. Don’t laugh, please. I was checking out the olivben.org site and noticed pictures of pets. Do convents allow pets? I never knew this. Honestly, before I was married, I might have pursued a vocation but didn’t even start to think about it becausem 1) I was over 35 and had heard that one must be under 35 (I now understand this was not correct) and 2) I have a small dog that I am responsible for and I have no one to leave her with and with all the dogs being euthanized nowadays, I feel responsible to care for her. So now that I understand the age constraints, do some orders allow small dogs?
 
I am a Benedictine Oblate novice. The life is lived in accordance with one’s circumstances. There are many excellent communities from which to choose. I am Canadian, but I am associated with an American abbey.
 
There are several posts on the forum referring to interest in the Oblates of St. Benedict. There is now a new on-line site sponsored by the Oblates at Belmont Abbey, North Carolina: oblates.gastonhobbit.org. The domain name is temporary as we measure the site’s use. It has been so successful, however, it will be moved to a new domain this summer.

Those in the North Carolina, South Carolina area looking into the Oblates are welcome to contact myself or are welcome to visit the site.

George Cobb
Oblate Coordinator
gkcobb0428@gmail.com
 
gkcobb said:
There are several posts on the forum referring to interest in the Oblates of St. Benedict. There is now a new on-line site sponsored by the Oblates at Belmont Abbey, North Carolina: oblates.gastonhobbit.org. The domain name is temporary as we measure the site’s use. It has been so successful, however, it will be moved to a new domain this summer.

Those in the North Carolina, South Carolina area looking into the Oblates are welcome to contact myself or are welcome to visit the site.

George Cobb
Oblate Coordinator
gkcobb0428@gmail.com
Click to expand...
I visit it daily. It is an awesome site!
 
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