Benedictine Oblates

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I am a married woman with 3 children ages 9,12 & 17. I have been searching for a vocation within my parish for quite a while now and I was speaking with our Priest about the possibility of become a Eucharistic Minister…then I went to a retreat at St. Andrew’s Abbey last week and everything shifted. I felt such a calling to the Abbey, and I wanted to become a part of it, whatever that would be. I have never felt such inner peace, joy and compassion as I did when I was there. And I feel that I have brought all of those qualities back home with me. I am changed…I see our Heavenly Father so much clearer now…it was truly my miracle.

In doing research, I came across Benedictine Oblates. I have been Catholic all of my life and never heard of them. It seems like a perfect fit for me. I have made inquiries and am waiting for word back on how to start the process. My question is…how the the Church as a whole feel about Oblates? And why haven’t I heard of them before? I would appreciate any (name removed by moderator)ut you can provide…👍
 
kellygirl said:
I am a married woman with 3 children ages 9,12 & 17. I have been searching for a vocation within my parish for quite a while now and I was speaking with our Priest about the possibility of become a Eucharistic Minister…then I went to a retreat at St. Andrew’s Abbey last week and everything shifted. I felt such a calling to the Abbey, and I wanted to become a part of it, whatever that would be. I have never felt such inner peace, joy and compassion as I did when I was there. And I feel that I have brought all of those qualities back home with me. I am changed…I see our Heavenly Father so much clearer now…it was truly my miracle.

In doing research, I came across Benedictine Oblates. I have been Catholic all of my life and never heard of them. It seems like a perfect fit for me. I have made inquiries and am waiting for word back on how to start the process. My question is…how the the Church as a whole feel about Oblates? And why haven’t I heard of them before? I would appreciate any (name removed by moderator)ut you can provide…👍
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Hi Kellygirl:

I’m currently an Oblate Novice. Most Benedictine Oblates are in full union with the Holy See. However , the are also Anglican and Lutheran Abbeys that may also have Oblates that are not in union with Rome. As far as I know, oblates have been around for hundreds of years and were originally children who lived at a Abbey. Later grew into lay persons who what to incorporate the Holy Rule of St. Benedict into their own lives as well as support the particular Abbey with which they are an Oblate.

If you are interested I would suggest you get a copy of the Rule and see if it is line with your own persona and spirituality.

Being an Oblate involves applying monasticism in your own life where it is practical. This may include things praying the morning and evening offices, attending daily Mass, and attending monthly Oblate meetings with the Abbott or Prior.

I love being an Oblate and it has made grow in my spiritual journey. I have found it to be much deeper than your typical men’s groups, prayer groups, and book studies. If you are ready to dig deep, I would recommend it.

God bless you on your spiritual journey.

P.S. you may want to move this to “Spirituality” 🙂
 
Kellygirl, there are several Oblates of St. Benedict who frequent these forums. I am not one of them, although I am considering making the commitment when my life settles down.

I belong to a Benedictine Oblate mail list, and one of the surprises is that many Oblates are not Catholic. So too are Lutherans, and Anglican/Episcopalians, and Methodists, and Presbyterians, and evangelicals and pentecostals… it is truly amazing to regard the appeal of St. Benedict. Part of the appeal is that the Rule dates from about 500 AD, well before all the unfortunate divisions in the Church which came later. The Rule allows us all to unite as one in Christ.

Oblates are attached to a specific monastery, so there is a fair amount of variation between oblate programs. Picking the right one for you may require some discernment, but on the other hand St. Andrew’s Abbey may be the perfect fit. Certainly it got your attention! 🙂
 
I’m sort of jealous 🙂

I wanted to book a retreat for a particular weekend at St Andrew’s Abbey (assuming you mean the one in Valyermo??) but the weekend was for Oblates only (even though the web site did not mention this). :confused:

I’m glad to hear it is a good place – maybe some day I can get in a retreat there.
 
Dale_M said:
Kellygirl, there are several Oblates of St. Benedict who frequent these forums. I am not one of them, although I am considering making the commitment when my life settles down.

I belong to a Benedictine Oblate mail list, and one of the surprises is that many Oblates are not Catholic. So too are Lutherans, and Anglican/Episcopalians, and Methodists, and Presbyterians, and evangelicals and pentecostals… it is truly amazing to regard the appeal of St. Benedict. Part of the appeal is that the Rule dates from about 500 AD, well before all the unfortunate divisions in the Church which came later. The Rule allows us all to unite as one in Christ.

Oblates are attached to a specific monastery, so there is a fair amount of variation between oblate programs. Picking the right one for you may require some discernment, but on the other hand St. Andrew’s Abbey may be the perfect fit. Certainly it got your attention! 🙂
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**I am an OSB oblate of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, IN (on the south side of Indianapolis) although I live in Michigan.
Whereas our monastery has approximately 50 oblates living near and far, St Meinrad’s Monastery in southern Indiana has nearly a thousand oblates living all over the country.
The basic Benedictine reference is
www.osb.org/obl/index.html.

Pax,
jblair
**
 
St. Andrew’s Abbey has local Oblate groups around the area. See valyermo.com/oblates1.html for information on the different groups. Many are led by one of the monks.

I recently joined a group and found it both educational and a good opportunity to meet other Oblates.
 
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