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Oblates of St. Procopius Abbey
If you are interested in exploring the Oblate Program at St. Procopius Abbey or desire to become an Oblate of our Abbey, please contact the Oblate Director.
Fr. David Turner, O.S.B.
Director of Oblates
(630) 829-9213
fax: (630) 969-6426
e-mail: dturner@procopius.org
e-mail: st_procopius_oblates@yahoo.com
www.bcvdesigns.com/st_pro/oblate_home.htm
Who is an Oblate?
Oblates of St. Benedict are individuals who seek to enrich their Christian lives through a formal spiritual association with a Benedictine community. While their prayer and work will generally be in the world rather than within the walls of a monastery, they attempt to fulfill their proper vocation in a manner enlightened and guided by St. Benedict's Rule for Monasteries.
The term “oblate” derives from the Latin word for “offering.” At the time of St. Benedict, parents would sometimes "offer" their children to monasteries for religious training and education. “Oblate” later came to refer also to those who wished to join themselves to the work and prayer of a monastic community without leaving their homes, families, or occupations.
A Benedictine Oblate, then, is one who promises to regulate his or her life in accordance with the Rule of St. Benedict. Unlike the vowed members of a monastery, oblates have no set canonical obligations in regards to religious practices or prayers. What they do pledge is to apply the Rule's teachings as best they can to the circumstances of their daily life and work.
With the wise autonomy that characterizes the Benedictine spirit in all matters, each monastery has its own distinctive oblate program. A period of preparation under the guidance of the Oblate Director culminates in the act of oblation, by which the individual becomes formally affiliated with the community, sharing from that time forward in its spiritual journey.
At St. Procopius Abbey, the Oblate Director makes use of such means as letters of instruction, conferences, and opportunities for common prayer and discussion, to assist each oblate in recognizing how best to incorporate the wisdom of St. Benedict into his or her life.
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Duties of an Oblate
Perhaps the most frequently asked question regarding oblate life is what is expected of the oblate. The duties are not difficult or overwhelming. If these duties of prayer and work are faithfully carried out, the oblate will become a spiritual person whose life is truly caught up in Benedictine spirituality. The duties offer a wonderful opportunity for turning the ordinary Christian life into something more spiritually satisfying.
The following are duties expected of each oblate:
1. Oblates are committed to their monastery, its values and culture, and its prayer.
2. Oblates are expected to keep the spirit of St. Benedict alive by the way in which they live:
— Keep faithful to their promises made at oblation
— Annually renew their oblation
— Pray some part of the Liturgy of the Hours
— Do Lectio Divina regularly
— Attend retreats
— Maintain fidelity to one's Christian tradition
3. Oblates are persons whose lives are shaped by Benedictine spirituality. They follow the Rule of St. Benedict in their daily lives as far as their station in life permits.
4. Oblates are representatives of the monastery “in the world.”
The oblates pray for the members of their monastic community and for other oblates.
The purpose of the oblate program is to assist and support the oblate in living the Christian way of life. This is done in prayer and periodically gathering together as an oblate community.
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History of the Oblates of St. Benedict
In the early part of the sixth century when St. Benedict wrote his Rule and gathered disciples into small communities called monasteries, parents brought their sons as “oblates,” or gifts of God to the monks. The boy oblates lived the monastic life in much the same fashion as their elders, and many became full-fledged monks as adults. They received an exceptional education in the monastic school, which was one of the few ways one could get a formal education. Professor Patricia Quinn described this educational program in her book Better than the Sons of Kings.
In addition to the boy oblates, others also lived near the Benedictine monasteries. These were generally older men who did not wish to be monks, yet had a desire to be connected in some way with the community life. They were also called oblates.
In the course of time, men and women outside the monasteries wanted to be affiliated in some way with the work and prayer of the monks or nuns. But these individuals were married and had family obligations and employment. They lived in the secular world, but offered themselves to God, dedicating their lives to be lived following the guidance of the Rule of St. Benedict. True, the Rule and the teachings of Christ, as found in the Rule, were adapted to family, work, social and civil responsibilities. Still, the oblates tried to do what St. Benedict made so basic in his Rule: to seek God daily.
Over the years, as society continued to change and progress, one thing didn't change: the value and wisdom found in Benedict’s Rule. Thousands of oblates worldwide continue to find inspiration and spiritual fulfillment when they follow the treasure of and the guidance in the Rule of St. Benedict.
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