Any Christian seeking to enter the Oblate Program should inquire of the Director of Oblates at St. Vincent Archabbey or of one of the Benedictine monks who serve as local moderators at St. Marys, PA; State College, PA; Johnstown, PA; Baltimore, MD; and Virginia Beach, VA. One may also inquire of the diocesan priests who serve as moderators in Williamsport, PA, and the Niagara Area, Ontario, Canada; of the lay leader in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; or of the local lay leaders in any of the other areas. If the person continues to discern God's call through an attraction to the Benedictine way of life, he or she may be invested as an Oblate novice in a simple ceremony by the Director of Oblates (who is actually the representative of the Archabbot), the local moderator, or some other Benedictine monk of St. Vincent delegated for the occasion. Those who are unable to travel to a location where a Benedictine monk can invest them may obtain permission from the Director of Oblates to be received by a priest in their home parish. The new Oblate novice receives a blue investiture card, and a duplicate card is kept in a file in the Oblate Office. Oblate novices are encouraged to make a retreat at the Archabbey during their year of intensive reflection and to share the Divine Office with the monks whenever possible. Thus affiliation with the Archabbey can deepen into a genuine participation in the monastic community's own spirituality.
After a year or more of study of the Rule and of efforts to live according to Benedictine values, the Oblate novice may, according to God's call, seek to make alifelong commitment as a full Oblate of St. Benedict. Although one's Oblation may be rescinded by decision of the Oblate (since such a commitment is not binding under pain of sin), the promise to live as an Oblate should nevertheless be taken seriously in context of one's relationship with God, the Church, one's community of affiliation, and one's fellow Oblates. For special reasons (such as the occasion of an infrequent visit to the Archabbey), the Act of Oblation may be made up to one month short of a full year after novice Oblation, with the permission of the Director of Oblates. At the ceremony of Oblation the new Oblate signs a certificate with the words of the Act of Oblation; a copy is kept by the Oblate, and another copy is deposited in the Archives of the Archabbey.
Being invested as an Oblate novice or a full Oblate is not a matter of entering a religious order. Deciding whether to seek novice Oblation or Oblation would, therefore, not ordinarily require the long, ponderous discernment that a Christian might undergo to make a long-range vocational decision to enter a religious community or take religious vows. However, Oblation involves a serious and normally lifelong commitment; so the decision should be made with some careful discernment. "The Act of Oblation," says MBO, "is not a vow and thus does not carry with it the binding force of monastic profession, nor does it bind under sin. Its obligation need not be lifelong; it can be terminated at any moment by the monastery or the Oblate. On the other hand, it should not be looked upon as of no consequence, since it involves the giving of oneself to God in a solemn way" (pp. 4-5). As in all matters of Christian decision, one should basically be asking, "Does God want me to do this?" In this specific case one should ask, "Does God want me to become an Oblate (novice)?" In other words, "will becoming an Oblate (novice) draw me closer to Christ and the Church, given my state in life and other responsibilities?" A genuine desire to grow in holiness and a sense of gratitude for the gift of contact with the Rule and/or Benedictines can generally be taken to be a sign of God's call.
St. Benedict gives us some helpful criteria to make this decision. He says that a candidate for monastic vows should "truly seek God" and "show eagerness for the Work of God, for obedience and for trials" (RB 58:7). We can explore these four criteria in terms of the commitment of every Christian:
1. truly seeking God: All Christians should seek God above all else and seek to grow in discipleship of Jesus Christ. Oblates should seek to intensify their daily commitment of faith to making their journey of life in Christ and with Christ.
2. being eager for the Work of God: Oblates should have a desire to enter more fully into community prayer, in particular the "Divine Office" as prayed by the monastic community. This desire will normally be expressed by a frequent praying of the Office from a breviary of the Oblate's choice.
3. being eager for obedience: Listening for God's word in every person and every situation is a fundamental goal of the monk. Oblates should long for growth in attentiveness to God's word and in loving, faith-filled response to God's word, whether spoken through Scripture and liturgy or through the ordinary people and experiences encountered in daily life.
4. being eager for trials: "Becoming obedient to death" as Christ was can be a heavy yoke indeed, and yet it is a yoke that becomes light when shared with Christ. Psychologically healthy people do not welcome trials for the sake of hardship itself; however, monks and Oblates come to realize that God can speak to us and transform us in a special way through trials. A patient, faith-filled response to trials can lead the Christian to deeper identification with Christ and greater compassion for others in their suffering.
Also, a whole family which includes children under 14 years of age may be received, according to the usual ceremonies, as an "Oblate (novice) family." Such a practice can encourage all the members to live out Benedictine values as a family. In such a case the children, upon the completion of their 14th birthdays, can decide on their own whether to be received, in their own right, as Oblate novices and then as Oblates.
(effective January 1, 1996)
1. Membership in the Oblates of Saint Benedict of Saint Vincent Archabbey is open to all those who have committed themselves to follow Jesus Christ through Baptism and have completed the fourteenth year of age and who wish to deepen their commitment to the Christian life by studying and following the Rule of Saint Benedict. A Roman Catholic seeking membership should be in full communion with the Catholic Church (confirmed and receiving the Eucharist regularly). A non-Catholic Christian should be in good standing with his or her particular denomination. A person, whether lay or clerical, should not have official affiliation with another religious community.
2. The person must have a genuine desire to seek God with the help of the Rule of St. Benedict and in affiliation with the monks of St. Vincent Archabbey.
3. The person must submit to the Director of Oblates a signed, written summary of at least several sentences, stating why he or she seeks novice Oblation as a means of enhancing his or her faith-journey with Christ and the Church. (Anyone who finds it difficult to write may have verbal testimony written down by another person before appending one's signature.) The person should also submit a brief autobiographical statement including significant landmarks of one's Christian life. [See the form in VII.D. below.]
4. The person must participate in the authorized ceremony of investiture, with the approval of the Director of Oblates.
(effective January 1, 1996)
1. The person must have been an Oblate novice for a full year. (In certain situations, with the permission of the Director of Oblates, the period of time may be reduced by up to one month by reason of difficulty of travel or some other extenuating circumstance.)
2. The Oblate novice must have undertaken at least two practices as described under E. below.
3. The Oblate novice must submit to the Director of Oblates a written summary, at least two paragraphs long, stating:
3a. how he or she has grown as an Oblate novice and has undertaken one of the recommended practices, and
3b. how he or she hopes to continue to grow closer to Christ and the Church as a full Oblate.As in C.3. above, the person may seek the assistance of another trusted Christian if articulating a. and b. in writing is found to be difficult. [See the form in VII.E. below.]
4. The Oblate novice must participate in the authorized ceremony of Oblation including the Act of Oblation, with the approval of the Director of Oblates. At this ceremony one may choose to take on an "Oblate name," which may be the name of any saint whose friendship and assistance one wishes to invoke on one's journey of faith. This optional name has no legal status but has significance only in terms of one's Oblate commitment. (N.B.: Many Oblates opt for the name of a Benedictine saint; see VII.G. below.)
During the Oblate novitiate of a year or more, the Oblate novice should attest to having carried out (1) below, which is recommended of all, plus at least one of the other practices listed under (2), over and above what he or she was doing before investiture as an Oblate novice. These norms become effective on January 1, 1996, and are not retroactive.
1. practice to be undertaken by all: studying and reading the Rule of St. Benedict at least weekly and trying to apply the passages to one's daily life; one should read the Rule reflectively as lectio divina and study it with the help of a commentary or at meetings with one's fellow Oblates. [Note that the pocket-size translation by Leonard J. Doyle published by The Liturgical Press has a suggested reading for each day of the year.] (See RB 66:8)
2. other recommended practices (Fulfill at least one):
2a. praying the Liturgy of the Hours (especially Morning and/or Evening Prayer) at least three days a week (with a monastic or parish community, with one's own family from a breviary, or alone from a breviary). (See RB 19:1-2)2b. practicing lectio divina at least 3 days a week (See RB 48: 10-16, 22)
2c. making an annual retreat of at least several days or making at least 3 days of recollection (See RB 49:1-3)
2d. contributing in a significant way to a project that improves the natural environment for one's community or parish (See RB 31:10-12)
2e. participating actively in a movement that works for peace and justice in one's local community, one's country, or the world (See RB Prol:14-17)
2f. undertaking in a specific and regular way one of the spiritual or corporal works of mercy: instructing and advising in the ways of faith, consoling, comforting, forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently; feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, burying the dead (See Mt 25:31-46; RB 31:9, 4:14-19)
2g. helping to build up one's parish family or civic community by concrete, regular involvement in a parish or community project (See RB 58:24-25)
2h. contributing one's services to St. Vincent Archabbey, any of the parishes staffed by the Archabbey, or St. Emma Monastery in a concrete way and over an extended period of time (See RB 72:7-12). (N.B.: St. Emma Monastery is the community of Benedictine women in Greensburg, PA. Many of the sisters there worked in the food service at St. Vincent Archabbey and became very close to the monks.)
No Christian is a fully-developed Christian until the day of his or her glorification in heaven since continual reformation in the way of Christ is an essential part of Christian commitment. In a particularly intensive way, Oblates, who make a promise of "continual conversion" (RB 58:17), recognize that they are never fully formed, and they long for those things that can promote ongoing personal reform according to Gospel values. Thus Oblation should be regarded as a commitment to an even more zealous pursuit of those things that hasten one's transformation from death to life, from sin to holiness, and from self-centeredness to focus on Christ and community. Oblates, therefore, zealously seek to build upon the formation which they experienced as Oblate novices. Some significant elements of ongoing formation include:
1. praying at least a part of the Liturgy of the Hours each day
2. meditating frequently on the Bible as lectio divina; doing the same with the Rule
3. making a daily morning offering and making a daily examination of conscience in the evening or some other suitable time of day
4. making an annual retreat; in particular, the annual "Oblate retreat" at the Archabbey
5. attending monthly Oblate meetings, where possible
6. participating with others in efforts to promote reverence for life, peace and justice, ecumenism, Christian renewal, or other Christian values; joining with others in spiritual and corporal works of mercy
7. renewing one's Oblation annually, either in person at the Archabbey or at home (along with sending the renewal form from the Oblate newsletter to the Director of Oblates).
In Church Law, Oblates of St. Benedict are considered a "private association of the faithful." As men and women affiliated with the monastic community, Oblates are warmly welcomed to share in the life of the community by visiting, by making retreats or days of recollection, and by praying the Divine Office with the monks. The scapular of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica is an appropriate symbol of Oblation, and these scapulars are available on request. In particular, Oblates may wish to be buried wearing the scapular. However, since Oblates do not take monastic vows or live in the monastic community, it is not appropriate for Oblates to wear the monastic habit. Also, the use of such initials as "O.S.B." after one's name is reserved in the Catholic Church to professed members of religious orders.
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