What is an oblate? « Journeying with the Saints

August 19, 2008...9:12 pm

What is an oblate?

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Last week I mentioned that I had visited Mount Saviour Monastery in Pine City, N.Y. to be received as an oblate candidate. In the comments to that post, David of Simply Ecclesia, to whose blog I contributed from time to time, asked me what an oblate is. So I thought I should write about what exactly an oblate is for those both inside and outside the Catholic community who might not know what the term means.

In its simplest terms, according to The Order of St. Benedict website,

An Oblate is a lay or clerical, single or married, person formally associated to a particular monastery. The Oblate seeks to live a life in harmony with the spirit of Saint Benedict as revealed in the Rule of Saint Benedict and its contemporary expression.

A little more complex understanding of what an oblate is can be found in the document Guidelines for Oblates of St. Benedict that were established and endorsed by a “considerable number of Directors of Oblates in North America.” While not copying the document which is several pages long, I will highlight the key points:

Oblates strive to be loyal and active members of Christ and His Church
Oblates strive for their own continued Christian renewal and improvement.
Oblates strive to be men and women of practical spirituality.
Oblates strive to be men and women of prayer.
Oblates strive to be men and women of Christian virtue.
Oblates foster a spirit of community.
Oblates are men and women of peace.

Among the specifics are:

fostering “the ecumenical spirit as called for by Vatican II.”
making “the study and reading of Holy Scripture an important part of their lives, concentrating especially on the Gospel teachings of Christ.”
striving “each day to pray some part of the Divine Office of the Liturgy of the Hours, as the circumstances of their lives permit.”
loving “the Benedictine community to which they are affiliated as Oblates,” and visiting it occasionally.

Already I hope I am doing some of these. Insofar as ecumenism, that I allow God to work through me with my interaction with others not of the Catholic faith (for example, at Simply Ecclesia). As it relates to the Liturgy of the Hours, I already have begun praying Morning and Evening Prayer, what are considered by many to be the hinges of the office and with Mount Saviour only a couple of hours from where we live, visiting it will not be difficult. As for loving it, I already do– because when I visit there, not that God can’t be experienced everywhere, but I especially feel His presence there on that mountain.

This will be the first in a series over the next few days here at Journeying with the Saints about what it means to be an oblate and the Benedictine way of life. Tomorrow, I will start by sharing my own experience as it relates to the subject. Then on Thursday, I will continue by discussing one of the items that I was given when I was received as an oblate candidate last week. Finally on Friday, I will conclude by discussing the final item I received upon my reception as a candidate: The Rule of St. Benedict itself.