How I became an oblate candidate

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This is the second part in a series here at Journeying with the Saints about what it means to be an oblate and the Benedictine way of life. Today, I will share my own experience, specifically how I got to the point of becoming an oblate candidate. Tomorrow, I will discuss one of the items I was given when I was received as an oblate candidate and on Friday, I will conclude with a discussion on The Rule of St. Benedict itself.

So how did I get to this point where on Wednesday, Aug. 6, The Feast of the Transfiguration, The Year of Our Lord 2008, I was received as an oblate candidate at Mount Saviour Monastery in Pine City, N.Y.?

It all began back in July 1995 when as a new Catholic, I had the opportunity to live with the monks there for six weeks. I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but I believe I saw the item in our church bulletin and thought it would be…well…interesting. In the back of mind, I was considering the priesthood, but that wasn’t my primary motivation and I’m not sure what my primary motivation was. It’s a little bit like when I decided to “do” the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola last September. I saw an item in the bulletin and thought, “Why not?”

Of course, looking back at both incidents, it was more than that, and I believe was the Holy Spirit guiding me, whether I recognized His power or not. While after the experience I knew that I didn’t want to become a monk (not with getting up at 4:30 every morning, which as Brother James– now Father James, the prior there– can tell you I was not good at, at all), I knew that I could feel the Holy Spirit more powerfully on that mountain than in other places and it was somewhere to which I definitely wanted to return. I even talked with Brother James about becoming an oblate, but he told me to wait.

It was something Fr. Martin, who was then prior — and who now is director of oblates, switching roles with Fr. James– also told me both my wife and me when we later visited the monastery and both expressed interest. Of course, I didn’t think it would be 13 years later or that it might be without my wife (honest, hon).

Over the last six months, I’ve been considering joining a third order– which I’m not sure, but I don’t think an oblate is. I visited with a local Franciscan group a couple of times, but something didn’t feel right. So on Monday, Aug. 4, I called Mount Saviour and ended up talking to Fr. Martin. He asked me when would be a good time to visit. I told him anytime would be fine. “How about Wednesday?” he asked. “That’s our titular feast day.” I said, “Sure.” He said I could come up for lunch and then he said something that I hadn’t expected. It was something to the effect that he could show me the materials that afternoon and then I could be accepted in as an oblate that day. Before I knew it, I said, “Sure.”

So on Wednesday, I arrived at noon for midday prayer and stayed for lunch– of course, helping out the monks afterward with cleaning the dishes. (When I asked Fr. Martin after lunch, if we were going to meet, he told me, “Why don’t you help the monks with the dishes first?” That’s the Benedictine way.) Eventually I talked with Fr. Martin and he gave me the materials I would need for the ceremony (that I assumed would take place with just him) that would be after None, which normally is at 3 p.m. However, what Fr. Martin had forgotten was that it was the Feast of Transfiguration and the monastery’s titular feast day so they were on a holiday schedule. Being around 2, None already had passed at 1:15.

So he asked me if I could stay until after Vespers. I asked him what time that would be. He said Vespers was at 6 and then the ceremony would follow, about 6:25. Well, I thought, I’ve already waited 13 years. What’s another few hours? Plus what better place to wait than Mount Saviour?

For the next few hours, I wandered the grounds, read a little in the men’s retreat house library (took a nap too, to be honest) and talked with a few of the guests there, including a Protestant (Charismatic) minister from Ohio who gave me a copy of his book (a story for another time). Then Vespers came…and Fr. Martin announced to the monks that we’d all be meeting downstairs in the crypt for me– and he said my name– to be received as an oblate candidate.

Wait. I was going to be “received” with all the monks there? Again, the unexpected. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow of the Spirit and so I went down the stairs to the crypt.

Tomorrow: the story continues in the crypt, where I am received as an oblate candidate and given two items, the first of which I’ll discuss tomorrow and the second of which I’ll discuss Friday. Until then, may the peace of Christ be with you.

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Tags: God, Holy Spirit, Christianity, Benedictine, oblate, Rule of St. Benedict