Experience as Oblates, Tertiaries, Associates, etc

[Cor_ad_Cor]

If you are an oblate, an associate of a religious congregation, belong to a third order or lay/secular order, etc. - would you mind sharing why you were drawn to your particular choice and how it has changed or impacted your life?

 

[BlueMaxx]

I wish I could answer.
I am right now (and have been for about a year) in the discernment phase for becoming an Oblate at St. Meinrad. I can only say God has put in my path a direction and affinity towards the Benedictines.
I am currently attending meetings, speaking with members, praying and reading the book Benedictine Spirituality for Oblates from Saint Meinrad Archabbey. It is located in Southern Indiana.
I can say that the discernment has drawn me closer to Christ and the church and urged me to attend mass daily as life allows. It has also vastly improved my prayer life and given me a sense of humbleness I did not have prior to searching.
I also am reading (slowly, very slowly) The Divine Office for Dodos and am always perusing The Rule Of St. Benedict. It has spurred me to subscribe to Give Us This Day: Daily Prayers For Todays Catholics, last year I used The Magnificat. Give Us This Day is more Benedictine ordered and I like it better. To me it is sort of baby steps to integrating a true daily prayer of the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours if you will…

I take the obligation seriously, which is why I have not firmly committed.
I also have plans in the future to move to another state keeping me away from my home of St. Meinrad which lies heavy in my decision making.

You can order several books on being an oblate of the Benedictine order directly from St. Meinrad.

Hope this helps,
Michael

Oh, to add…it also has me reading through the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church…which has been a real boon to my spiritual health and understanding…in other words, lots of reading and less time frittering away the day.

 

[Dorothy]

In 1975 a dear friend recommended I go with her to her Third Order Lay Carmelite meeting. I was thirty-seven at that time, and had eight children. (Always wanted a big family!). I had previously confided in my friend that my five older children were in various stages of teen-age hood and I felt out of control. My husband didn’t help much.

I went, and the atmosphere was so gentle and loving of the Lord, and one another, the priest was an awesome teacher, and I felt like a ton of gold bricks had fallen on my head!

And it helped that as a teen, and young married woman I was attracted to read “The Story of a Soul”, and biographies of St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila.

I felt perfectly at home and asked the Formation Director if I could come back and she gave me a hug.

I needed the discipline of the promises I made, and being with others in the order at the monthly meetings. Days of Reflection and yearly silent retreats given by Carmelite priests are very inspiring.

 

[ajfrab]

I have been an oblate at St. Meinrad for almost 12 years now. I was looking for more spiritually and was intrigued by the Benedictine order. I can say being an oblate is something I cherish and without a doubt played a significant role in my journey to the Diaconate.
FYI, St. Meinrad has more than a few oblate chapters in other states, including as far away as New York. And even in states without chapters, there are many oblates attached to the Archabbey living in them around the country. God bless you on your discernment!

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

@BlueMaxx @ajfrab
I have to confess my bias, living in the Archdiocese right here with St Meinrad and having made several visits, retreats, etc and firmly establishing my own connection there, you just can’t go wrong!

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

God bless you! Many things you shared resonante with me. I’ve long felt a pull toward the Carmelite spirituality. I’m fortunate that we have the Benedictines so close, as I mentioned, but there’s also a Carmelite monastery about an hour from me (as well as plenty of Dominicans, Franciscans, Jesuits, you name it!). That feeling of peace and holiness in the air… I felt that visiting the Trappists at Gethsemani, and the Sisters of Providence attribute that to their vocations successes as well. My wife described the same thing the first time I took her in the Blessed Sacrament chapel at our parish before I ever told her what it was (she wasn’t Catholic - then, but she said she knew Jesus must be in the room).