What is a Benedictine Oblate?

Saint Benedict suggests a way on which we will be able to let go of our “ego” a bit at a time and become open to the fullness of life. What he recommends to the Abbot of the monastery, for instance, is helpful for us all: Sobriety not only of the stomach but as a basic attitude of mindfulness: To courageously letting go of thoughts, desires and emotions, in order to face our own truth, to accept the reality of ourselves and become merciful to others. Our Oblate Chapter is an invitation to discover what God has in store for each one of us every day.

Oblates are everyday people with jobs, families and other responsibilities. They can be clergy or laity and come from a variety of Christian faith traditions. Originally, St. Benedict used the term Oblate (from the Latin word oblatus - “one who is offered”) to refer to children who were offered to the monastery by their parents in order to be raised and educated there, presumably to become monastic when of age.

By their commitment to the Rule of Benedict, modern-day Oblates benefit from an ancient spiritual tradition that has led countless other monastics and Oblates to holiness. Just as candidates for the monastery are tested to see whether they "truly seek God" (RB 58), so are those who seek to become Oblates. They become committed above all else to seek God in Jesus Christ.

The Benedictine motto ora et labora [pray and work] cooperates with God’s plan to make all things new, to always be in conversation with God through prayer and to value the dignity of work and human activity.

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We believe that the divine presence is everywhere … We live by the labor of our own hands. 

St. Benedict