Christian way of life. The life of any Christian is a self-offering to God in gratitude and in loving

response to the God who has first so lovingly and graciously offered Himself to us in Jesus Christ.

"Oblation" means offering. Oblates seek to offer themselves more fully to Christ and to the Church

by pondering the wisdom found in the Rule of St. Benedict and by entering into fellowship with

their community of affiliation. By these means Oblates discover ever anew that God calls us to

holiness of life and that the Rule and the Benedictine community can be instruments of God’s grace

in their vocation to become holy in the world.

Oblates do not take vows or live in a monastery. They continue to live in the world while they

strive eagerly to live out the values of the Gospel. On the other hand, they do make promises to

seek God more intensely through the principles of the Rule of St. Benedict and in partnership with

the monks or sisters of the Benedictine community with which they are affiliated. Oblates may be

single lay people, married lay people, or secular clergy. Whatever their state in life, Oblates have

discerned a call to deepen their Christian commitment through association with a Benedictine

religious community. In their promise to live according to the spirit of the Rule, they commit

themselves to seek God above all things and to prefer Christ to all else in the ordinary

circumstances of their lives. This commitment is meant not only to enhance their personal spirituality

but also to help them become better witnesses of Christ by word and example, just as it is the role

of vowed religious to give witness to Christian values that the secular world tends to ignore or

reject.

Unlike members of third orders, Oblates do not adhere to a distinct rule of their own, nor are they

bound to a specific set of religious practices. They do, however, promise to "dedicate [themselves]

to the service of God and neighbor according to the Rule of St. Benedict, insofar as [their] state in

life permits" (ceremony of Oblation). This promise does involve a personal commitment to nurture

the specific values contained in the Rule and to make some time in one’s schedule for the Liturgy of

the Hours and the holy reading of Scripture (see below).

Information about the life of St. Benedict comes from Book II of the Dialogues by Pope St.

Gregory the Great (590-604). Benedict was born about the year 480 A.D. in Nursia, a small town

north of Rome, Italy. Although he was sent to Rome for higher education, the youth soon

abandoned his studies because of the atmosphere of moral corruption in the big city. He went to

live as a hermit for several years at a place called Subiaco, where in time he acquired a reputation

for holiness and miracles. Attracting many followers, he established monastic communities at

Subiaco and then moved on to Monte Cassino about 529 A.D. It was at Monte Cassino that

Benedict wrote the Rule, which combined fidelity to the best traditions of Christian monasticism

with a spirit of moderation and of remarkable concern for the individual monk. During the following

centuries, the monastic way of life outlined in the Rule spread throughout Europe, and Benedictine

monasteries became centers of prayer, culture, and education.

The Rule (Chapter 59) mentions that monasteries could accept young boys, who were "offered’ to

them by their parents for their religious training and education. These boys lived in the community,

shared its daily round of religious activities, and became known as "Oblates." In the course of time,

adult lay people asked to be associated with the prayer and work of the monks, even while they

remained with their homes, families, and secular occupations. Over the centuries such informal

arrangements became more formalized, and these "secular Oblates" were officially received in a

ceremony as they offered themselves to God and promised to regulate their lives according to the

spirit of the Rule of St. Benedict. These Oblates prayed in union with the monks as best they could

and applied the teachings of the Rule to their lives in the world. Today thousands of Oblates

throughout the world pray and work in spiritual union with Benedictine men and women of various

communities, and they both receive and share spiritual strength and inspiration as a result of their

affiliation as Oblates.

Oblates promise to live according to the values expressed in the Rule of St. Benedict, which was

written in the spirit of the Gospel and which has been handed down through centuries of committed

Christian life, along with traditions that developed with it. By their commitment to the Rule, Oblates

benefit from a time-tried spiritual tradition that has led countless other Benedictines and Oblates to

holiness. Just as a candidate for the monastery is tested to see whether he "truly seeks God" (RB

58), so also those who become Oblates are committed above all else to seek God in Jesus Christ.

As a document focused on Christ and intended to lead disciples ever closer to Christ, the Rule

challenges every Benedictine and Oblate to a continual refocusing on Christ amidst the routines of

ordinary life as well as on special occasions.

"Prayer and work" (ora et labora) has become a motto of Benedictine life. The Rule summons a

monk to live a life balanced among prayer, work, and other elements of an horarium (schedule)

chosen specifically to help the monk put on the heart and mind of Christ. In a society which

encourages people to become ensnared in relentless work or in pleasure-filled indulgence, the

Oblate finds support for a life totally dedicated to God in a Rule which calls for balance among

prayer, work, community activities, creative leisure, and reading that nourishes one’s spirit. The

experience of the ages has shown that such balance best keeps a person from being caught up in

anything other than God Himself.

A Benedictine monk takes vows of obedience, stability, and conversatio morum, or ongoing

conversion of life according to the monastic way (RB 58:17). The Oblate also promises to live by

these three primary values. By obedience Oblates learn to listen to God’s call always and

everywhere, with the help of meditative reading of Scripture, especially the Gospels. Oblates also

listen to God’s voice by frequent meditation on passages of the Rule and by efforts to apply the

fruits of their meditation to everyday life. By stability Oblates learn to practice perseverance in

carrying out the obligations of their daily lives, especially amidst trials. Striving for an awareness of

Christ’s redeeming presence in every situation, they become grateful for the seemingly small

blessings of each day and struggle against murmuring in difficult times. Stability means being rooted

in Christ, no matter what happens, and joining one’s sufferings to the passion of Christ so that they

become redemptive. By conversatio morum Oblates make use of all means at their disposal to

welcome God’s grace to purify and transform them. Just as the monk’s corresponding vow

commits him "to grow in perfect charity through a monastic manner of life," so the Oblate promises

to surrender more and more of his or her life to Christ amidst daily vicissitudes; thus every moment

becomes an opportunity for firmer rejection of self-will and deeper abiding in the love of Christ.

Other values in the Rule include silence, humility, peace, "glorifying God in all things," and

community. Living in a noisy and unfocused world, Oblates nurture both external and internal

silence as a necessary condition for hearing the call of God and responding to Him. Humility

involves both an honest admission of one’s own limitations, weaknesses, and sinfulness and also a

reverent mindfulness of God’s greatness, expressed most fully in the all-forgiving love of Jesus

Christ. "Pax," the peace of Christ which is meant to pervade every aspect of Christian life, has

become a Benedictine motto; thus Oblates seek to dwell with peace in their hearts, to work for

healing and reconciliation within family and community, and to join with other peacemakers to bring

about a world of peace and justice. "Glorifying God" (RB 57:9) means bringing out God’s

goodness, in Christ, in every person and situation; it means nurturing hope-filled attitudes; it means

avoiding murmuring, gossip, and all that destroys or tears down what should rather be healed and

redeemed. Since the whole Rule is written in the context of community, Oblates necessarily live in

a spirit of community; even if living alone, they strive to nurture loving communion with others who

seek God in Christ and ultimately with all people. Oblates show high respect for family life and

community life as essential vehicles for transmitting life in Christ.

Benedictine spirituality also summons monks and Oblates to reverence, devotion to the Eucharist,

praying of the Liturgy of the Hours, hospitality, special concern for the poor and underprivileged,

stewardship for God’s creation, and prophetic witness. Oblates develop an attentiveness to the

Word of God wherever and however it may speak to them, but especially in the practice of lectio

divina, a slow, gentle savoring of the words of the Bible. Oblates also treasure the living presence

of Christ in liturgy, particularly in the Holy Eucharist. They seek to sanctify all the hours of the day

by praying some part of the Liturgy of Hours, or "Divine Office," in union with the monks of the

Archabbey; this prayer of the Church is meant to extend the effects of the Eucharist to all moments.

Just as they come to find Christ in the Eucharist and in Scripture, Oblates likewise learn to

welcome Christ in the stranger, as well as in all guests, as an act of faith. This hospitality will

overflow to a heartfelt concern for all those in whom Christ suffers—the poor and oppressed of

one’s neighborhood and the world. The Rule challenges Benedictines to regard all material things

"as sacred vessels of the altar" (RB 31:12), and so Oblates nurture an informed care for the

environment as a gift of God to be shared by all people. Finally, just as the monks of St. Benedict’s

time witnessed to Christian values that were often contrary to the norms of their society, so also

today’s monks and Oblates have a prophetic vocation to proclaim the primacy of God and the

sacredness of all life in a world that is often deluded by self-centered, materialistic concerns.

Christian men and women are attracted to the Oblate Program because they are seeking God in

Jesus Christ and have begun to find Him. They hope to intensify their journey of faith through

affiliation with St. Vincent Archabbey and through commitment to the Christian values manifested

by the monastic community and its Oblates. A person who discerns God’s call to such affiliation

should inquire of the Director of Oblates or of a local Benedictine moderator or lay leader at one

of the Oblate deaneries (Baltimore, MD; Johnstown, PA; St. Marys, PA; State College, PA;

Williamsport, PA; Virginia Beach, VA; Niagara Area, Ontario, Canada; Ampang, Selangor,

Malaysia). After further reflection and the completion of a simple application form, the person may

be invested as an Oblate novice in a ceremony with the Director of Oblates or another Benedictine

monk as officiant. (Those who cannot travel to a location where a Benedictine can invest them may

obtain permission to be received by a priest in their local parish.) The time of Oblate novitiate is a

period of a year or more of intensive reflection on the Rule of St. Benedict and of efforts to live out

Benedictine values. The Oblate novice must also fulfill a few minimal requirements in order to be

ready for full Oblation (see the Oblate Formation Booklet).

If after this period the Oblate novice discerns a call to make a lifelong commitment as a full Oblate

of St. Benedict, he or she may seek to make the Act of Oblation with the permission of the

Director of Oblates or local moderator. A form indicating the person’s readiness for Oblation must

be completed and sent to the Director of Oblates. At the ceremony of Oblation the new Oblate

recites the Act of Oblation and signs the certificate on which it is written. At that time the person

may also take on an "Oblate name." A copy of the certificate is kept by the Oblate, and a duplicate

copy is deposited in the Archives of the Archabbey. Full Oblates are committed to ongoing

conversion of life and to those practices that will dispose them to accept the Lord’s continual

invitations to fuller life in Christ.

The way of life as set down by St. Benedict in his Rule offers a set of Christian ideals which are

sufficiently flexible, adaptable, and moderate so that no one need be dismayed or discouraged at

failure to achieve the heights of holiness all at once. St. Benedict makes room for many different

levels of spiritual progress when he states: "[Let the abbot] so moderate all things that there be

something for the strong to strive after and nothing to dishearten the weak" (RB 64:19)

city. Abandoning both his studies and his inheritance, Benedict chose to live as a hermit in a cave at

Subiaco. During this time of solitude and growth in prayer, a monk named Romanus quietly

supplied him with necessities. After some three years, monks from a near-by monastery at

Vicovaro, hearing of Benedict’s reputation for holiness, asked him to be their abbot. Those monks,

however, soon found his regulations too much for them; so they tried to serve him poisoned table

wine. Their plot failed when Abbot Benedict blessed the goblet, which thereupon broke so that the

poison flowed out. Realizing the futility of trying to govern such an unruly community, he returned to

his hermitage in Subiaco.

As the fame of Benedict’s sanctity spread, more and more people began coming to his cave for

spiritual advice. In time a group of sincere disciples gathered around him, and he ultimately banded

them into twelve monasteries, each with twelve monks and an abbot. Once again there was an

attempt to kill Benedict, this time by a local priest who brought the abbot a loaf of poisoned bread.

On this occasion Benedict sensed something amiss and had his pet raven carry the loaf away.

About the year 529, Benedict left the monasteries at Subiaco in charge of others and set off with

several companions for Monte Cassino, located on a mountain 80 miles south of Rome. Taking

possession of an abandoned fortress on top of the mountain, he proceeded to destroy the pagan

shrines established there and replaced them with two Christian chapels. It was at Monte Cassino

that Benedict lived the rest of his life, wrote his Rule for Monks (hereafter abbreviated RB), and

acquired a reputation as an outstanding man of God who could work wonders. He advised secular

leaders, calmed invaders, showed care for the poor, sent out monks to preach, and made a new

foundation at Terracina, the first of a long series of monasteries that would eventually grow out of

Monte Cassino.

Toward the end of his life, the abbot had a noteworthy encounter with his sister Scholastica, who

headed a group of nuns near Cassino. Benedict had to abandon plans to return to his monastery

for the night when his sister’s prayers brought about a heavy rain storm. As a result, the pair were

able to engage in a long spiritual conversation that apparently prepared them for death. Shortly

after the encounter, Benedict had a vision of Scholastica’s entry into heaven. Then as his own death

approached, he looked out of his window to see the whole world gathered in a single beam of

light, whereby, as St. Gregory comments, Benedict’s spirit was enlarged to embrace all things in

Christ. After foreseeing his own death, Abbot Benedict died at Monte Cassino about the year 547.

II. The Rule of Saint Benedict

Although the Holy Rule gives no biographical details of its author’s life, the document offers

numerous hints about the saint’s character. It shows Benedict, like the monks of good zeal whom

he wished to form (RB 72), to be passionate for God and for the things of God. From his

experience of living in communities of monks, he learned that the little daily choices that one makes

in ordinary life ultimately determine the basic orientation of one’s whole life. For a Christian, and so

too for every monk, the choice must be made for Christ again and again. In the Rule Benedict

challenges his monks to make a fundamental choice to listen to the voice of Christ and to recognize

that "the love of Christ must come before all else" (RB 4:21). The vow of stability and the detailed

organization of life in community are meant to help the monk make the choice for Christ, day by

day and moment after moment. The monk is instructed to see in these time-tested structures ample

opportunities to choose for God and reject self-centered impulses.

Benedict was well aware of the pervasiveness of those self-centered tendencies, and his radical

zeal for God is balanced by his loving concern for the individual monk with all his weaknesses. The

saint knew that the brothers suffered from a variety of deficiencies and that all had need of

forgiveness and mutual support on the journey to God. He also possessed keen insight into the

great differences that existed among individual monks; some were obedient, docile, patient, and

perceptive, while others were undisciplined, negligent, stubborn, slow to learn, and even disdainful

and arrogant. The more wayward the monk, however, the greater his need for the loving attention

of the Good Shepherd to seek him out and heal him (RB 27:8). It is the abbot who must fill the role

of Christ in showing the utmost concern for straying sheep. Using every skill that a wise physician

would apply to heal a sick person, the abbot must avoid harshness and see himself as an instrument

of Christ’s healing love in his commitment to nurture the development of souls in the community.

The Rule also shows that St. Benedict was thoroughly grounded in the tradition of the Church.

Much of the Rule consists of quotations from or allusions to Sacred Scripture. The monks are

urged to meditate extensively on Scripture as well as to read from the orthodox fathers of the early

Church (RB 73:2-4). In writing the Rule, Benedict himself relied heavily on the already

well-developed monastic tradition of the two previous centuries. He incorporated large sections of

the Rule of the Master and also borrowed teachings from other great monastic authors, such as

Basil, Augustine, Cassian, and Caesarius of Arles. However, Benedict also did something new. He

blended the wisdom of the past in such a way as to respond to the conditions of sixth-century Italy,

and he gave the Rule enough flexibility to be adapted to the social and cultural circumstances of the

Church for many centuries to come.

Benedict’s Rule includes both spiritual teaching (mostly in RB 1-7, 72-73 and the Prologue) and

practical regulations for the ordering of daily life in the monastery (mostly RB 8-71). He knew that

both sound doctrine and disciplined practice were essential to authentic monastic life. For Benedict

and the other ancient monastic leaders, monasticism was simply the Christian life lived in an

especially intensive way in community as a response to God’s persistent invitations. Thus he called

his document a "little rule for beginners." On the other hand, because of the passionate faith, the

gentle compassion, and the invaluable practical wisdom embodied in the Rule, Benedict’s way of

monastic life became a tradition in itself which spread throughout the world and which has shaped

Western civilization for the past 14 centuries.

III. The Rule in History

During the life of St. Benedict circumstances in Italy were turbulent because of the collapse of the

Roman Empire and the repeated invasions by foreign tribes. The turbulence continued after

Benedict’s death. In fact, his monastery at Monte Cassino was destroyed by the Lombards about

581 A.D. and remained abandoned until it was refounded in 720. However, the Rule itself began

to spread from Italy through much of continental Europe and the British Isles. During the first

several centuries of its existence, the Rule was frequently adopted in combination with other

monastic rules. In almost every case, the Rule of Benedict eventually became the only norm of

these monasteries, apparently because it compensated for the deficiencies of the other rules and

rendered them unnecessary. For example, in England the Rule at first encountered a flourishing

Celtic monasticism but then gradually replaced it. By the eighth century England was sending

missionaries abroad, and Benedictines like St. Boniface and St. Willibrord brought both

Christianity and the Rule to Germany and other parts of the Frankish Empire. Charlemagne

(768-814) established the Benedictine way even more firmly in Europe by decreeing that the Rule

of St. Benedict was to be the standard for all monasteries of his empire.

During the often unsettled conditions of the Middle Ages, Benedictine monasteries became centers

where the arts and sciences flourished, good liturgy was nurtured, scholarship was prized and

ancient literature was preserved. Especially during the tenth through the twelfth centuries, monastic

houses multiplied and thrived as oases of learning and spiritual life. Although some Benedictine

communities succumbed to laxity and the abuses of the times, there were reforms such as those at

Cluny and Citeaux that gave new vigor to monastic life under the Rule.

Beginning in the twelfth century, new religious orders emerged to respond to the changing needs of

Church and society so that monks and nuns of St. Benedict were no longer the exclusive

representatives of religious life. During the Protestant Reformation hundreds of European

monasteries were forced to close their doors, while some in Catholic areas were renewed in the

spirit of Catholic reforms. Then, during the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, all but a handful of

Benedictine houses were swept away by the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. In the

1820’s, however, enlightened Catholic rulers sought to reestablish the monasteries, which they

realized had contributed so extensively to the faith and culture of Christian Europe. By 1900

Benedictine monastic life was once again well established in Europe, although not without the

threats and restrictions of anti-Catholic governments.

Among the Catholic rulers of the 1820’s was King Ludwig I of Bavaria. In 1830 he reestablished

the ancient Abbey of St. Michael in Metten, Bavaria. One of its monks, Fr. Boniface Wimmer,

formerly a diocesan priest, discerned a call to initiate monastic life in the United States, with the

purpose of serving the German immigrant population. After much contention with authorities, Fr.

Boniface received permission to leave for America, and on the trip across the Atlantic he brought

with him 18 candidates for monastic life. In October, 1846, these men arrived in the area of

Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and founded the first Benedictine monastery in North America; they soon

also established the college and seminary that came to be associated with the abbey. Before his

death in 1887, Abbot Boniface had made numerous foundations throughout the United States,

many of which became independent monasteries. Since 1855, Saint Vincent has been the

motherhouse of the American-Cassinese Congregation, which is largely the heritage of Boniface

Wimmer’s vision and tireless efforts. As of 1995, the congregation consists of 21 independent

abbeys in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, as well as a number of dependent priories

located as far away as Brazil, Taiwan, and Japan. Vowed to monastic life in the houses of this

congregation are over 1200 monks, who continue to adhere to the wisdom of a Rule written for a

very different age and culture over 1450 years ago.

IV. Oblates and the Rule of Saint Benedict

As men and women committed to live their ordinary lives by the principles of the Holy Rule,

Oblates learn the value of seeking God in all things and at every moment. Just as Benedictine

monks take vows of obedience, stability, and conversion according to a monastic manner of life,

Oblates make promises to observe the spirit of these three primary values as well as the other

Christian values that underlie the details of the Rule. In particular, Oblates are called to cherish

silence, to extend hospitality, and to nurture reverence for all people and all creation. They come to

accept the stark reality of evil and human weaknesses, both their own and those of others, and yet

continually rise to welcome the healing love of Christ, Who is ever present to challenge us beyond

our failings.

Oblates grow to appreciate the necessity of ample time for prayer as a primary and

time-tested means of fostering life in response to God’s grace; in particular, Oblates enter into the

traditions of the Liturgy of the Hours and of the holy reading of Scripture (lectio divina). In these

ways Oblates try to govern their whole lives by God’s Word, with which they become permeated

by the discipline of prayer. Perhaps the commitment of Oblates can best be summed up by St.

Benedict’s urgent appeal to "listen," which is the first word of the Holy Rule. Realizing that God is

speaking to us through every event and every person that they encounter, Oblates and monks

share the goal of making every moment of their lives a prayerful offering to God.

To enter into such a life of continual surrender to God, Oblates must come to understand that the

Rule is not so much a set of "rules" as a book of Christian wisdom, a time-tested interweaving of

values and norms for living an intensely Christian life in community with others. Oblates come to

see the Rule as a practical guide of life that disposes them more and more to heed the call to

sanctity in the ordinary things of life. "Preferring nothing to Christ" becomes their motto in all

circumstances, so that together with the monks of the Archabbey, they allow God to expand their

hearts in Christ’s love, however painful that process may be. In this age of confusion and instability,

the Rule provides Christians with a much-needed norm and a concrete way for discipleship. In this

age of individualism, affiliation with the Archabbey as an Oblate provides fellowship, mutual

support, and loving communion with monks and other Oblates in our common striving for the

everlasting life for which God has so lovingly destined us all.