PREFACE

In recent years many Oblates have expressed a desire to have some sort of new "manual" similar to the 1962 Manual for Benedictine Oblates (hereafter referred to as MBO) that would include concrete norms, practices, and expectations for Oblates. This booklet is a small attempt to incorporate what is best in MBO, which is no longer in print and has become outdated in many respects, and to complement it with some of the many recent expressions of Benedictine values that speak to the daily lives of today's lay Christians. It was written at the request of Archabbot Douglas Nowicki, O.S.B., and with his encouragement. It is not meant to be a new "manual"; rather, it is expected that the Oblate will supplement this booklet with a choice of prayer book for the Divine Office (see options listed in the appendix) and with the three pamphlets printed by The Liturgical Press: "Oblates of St. Benedict: An Introduction," "Guidelines for Oblates of St. Benedict," and "Ceremonies for Oblates of St. Benedict." This booklet also attempts to introduce new, meaningful requirements for those seeking novice Oblation or full Oblation (see II below) in order to help friends of St. Benedict to understand and experience more profoundly their commitment to the Gospel of Christ and the Rule of St. Benedict. These norms become effective in January of 1996 and are not retroactive.

The monks of St. Vincent Archabbey hope and pray that this small offering may become a useful contribution to each Oblate's reservoir of spiritual riches. May all Oblates, Oblate novices, and other friends of St. Benedict welcome the challenge to receive God's radiant light, the wisdom of Christ's Cross, so that more and more of God's children may live this mystery of God's love and anticipate with greater hope "what God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Cor 2:9).

The sources to which the text of this booklet most often refers and from which it derives its ideas are as follows, along with abbreviations that will be used for convenience:

RB --- RB 1980: The Rule of St. Benedict in English, ed. by Timothy Fry, O.S.B. (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1982)

RB+ --- RB 1980: The Rule of St. Benedict in Latin and English with Notes, ed. by Timothy Fry, O.S.B. (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1981)

AP --- The Rule of St. Benedict, trans. by Abbot David Parry, O.S.B. (Leominster, Herefordshire, England: Fowler Wright Books, 1990)

CE ---"Ceremonies for Oblates of St. Benedict" (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press)

GU --- "Guidelines for Oblates of St. Benedict," a pamphlet compiled by the Directors of Oblates of North America, 1972

HG ---Parry, O.S.B., Abbot David, Households of God: The Rule of St. Benedict with Explanations for Monks and Lay-people Today (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1980)

MBO --- Manual for Benedictine Oblates, 4th edition, ed. by the Monks of St. Vincent Archabbey (Latrobe, PA: Saint Vincent Archabbey Press, 1962)

PC ---Vest, Norvene, Preferring Christ: A Devotional Commentary and Workbook on the Rule of St. Benedict (Trabuco Canyon, CA: Source Books CA, 1990)

RC --- Renew & Create: A Statement on the American-Cassinese Benedictine Monastic Life, issued by the Thirty-Sixth General Chapter, Second Session, June 1969

SEL ---Taylor, Brian C., Spirituality for Everyday Living: An Adaptation of the Rule of St. Benedict (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1989)

SG ---de Waal, Esther, Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1984)

SK ---Tvedten, Benet, O.S.B., A Share in the Kingdom: A Commentary on the Rule of St. Benedict for Oblates (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1989)

TU ---Kardong, Terrence, O.S.B., Together Unto Life Everlasting: An Introduction to the Rule of St. Benedict (Richardton, ND: Assumption Abbey Press, 1984)

WD ---Chittister, Joan, O.S.B., Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today (San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1990)

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