Benedictine and Cistercian Oblates

2. Oblates of the Congregation of the Benedictines of Jesus Crucified are Catholic men and women, single or married, who, while continuing to live their own state in life, desire to enroll in the “school of the Lord’s service” (RB Pro: 45) established by Saint Benedict, our father and teacher.

Oblation is also open to the diocesan clergy who, in Saint Benedict’s “little Rule written for beginners” (RB 73:8) and in the Congregation’s focus on the paschal sacrifice of Christ, find a support for their priestly service of the Church.

3. With the nuns of the Congregation, the Oblates therefore look to the Rule of Saint Benedict to guide them in “truly seeking God” (cf. RB 58:7), in “preferring nothing to the love of Christ” (RB 4: 21), and in “sharing in the sufferings of Christ through patience, so as to share also in his kingdom” (RB Pro: 50).

Seeking to grow in fidelity to their Baptismal consecration, Oblates pursue a way of life shaped by the Rule of Saint Benedict and by the spiritual patrimony of the Congregation of the Benedictines of Jesus Crucified.

CHAPTER II: OBLATION

FORMATION

4. If a candidate for Oblation is not already well known to one of our monasteries, he or she is normally asked to spend some months as a “postulant Oblate” to enable mature reflection on the serious step that is being proposed. Married candidates will ask the blessing of their spouse before beginning this period of reflection; priest candidates will ask the blessing of their Ordinary. The primary motive guiding candidates for Oblation should be a sense of spiritual affinity with the Congregation of the Benedictines of Jesus Crucified.

5. Once the application for Oblation has been accepted, there follows a period of formation, in order that candidates might gain a clear understanding of the commitment they are to take (RB 58:12).

This Oblate “novitiate” is to last for one full year. It begins with a ceremony during which the candidate is presented with a copy of the Rule of Saint Benedict and a small wooden cross.

If it is deemed necessary, the period of formation may be extended, though it should not exceed two years.

Novice Oblates are asked to read a short portion of the Rule of Saint Benedict daily, so as to become familiar with it (cf. RB Pro:1-2). They are helped to establish a daily rhythm of prayer based on the Divine Office and lectio divina. The Statutes for the Oblates of the Congregation of the Benedictines of Jesus Crucified will help Novice Oblates to translate the Rule of Saint Benedict into daily living.

Three months before the end of the Oblate “novitiate,” the candidate writes to the Prioress General of the Congregation, asking to make his or her Oblation.

RITE OF OBLATION

6. At the end of their period of formation, novice Oblates make their Oblation in a monastery of the Congregation during the celebration of the Eucharist.

7. The reception of an Oblation is reserved to the Prioress General of the Congregation. When the Prioress General cannot be present, she delegates the local Prioress to receive the Oblation in her name.

8. The text for the rite and the form of Oblation will be found in the Ritual for Oblates provided by the motherhouse of the Congregation.

The rite of Oblation is a reflection of monastic profession (RB 58:17). It takes place before the altar of the monastery (cf. RB 57:17-20). It includes a promise of conversion of manners according to the Rule of Saint Benedict and one’s state of life, and the Suscipe (Ps 118:116): “Receive me, O Lord, according to your word and I shall live, let me not be disappointed in my hope.”

The Oblate is presented with the traditional medal of Saint Benedict bearing the sign of the Cross with the inscription that signifies, “Let the Holy Cross be my light.”
At the rite of Oblation, the name of a patron saint may be taken.
The Oblate writes out a Chart of Oblation, which is signed on the altar, and then preserved in the monastery's archive.

9. In order to make a valid Oblation, the candidate must be at least eighteen years old, and may not be a member of a Third Order or of an ecclesial movement or other association whose spiritual thrust is not in harmony with the means proposed by the Rule of Saint Benedict and by the Congregation.

10. It is normally assumed that Oblates will be Roman Catholics who have received the sacrament of Confirmation. Nevertheless, at the discretion of the Prioress General, members of other Churches and ecclesial communities may exceptionally be received as Oblates. They must however accept the discipline of the Catholic Church regarding sacramental Communion.

11. The act of Oblation has the character of a firm promise to God, although it is not in the nature of a vow. It is not intended to be a burdensome obligation, but rather a stimulus and help to the Oblate in “reaching that charity of God which, being perfect, drives out all fear” (RB 7:67).

12. The act of Oblation establishes reciprocal bonds between the Oblate and the Congregation. For grave reasons, either party can break these bonds by giving notification in writing.

13. Should it happen that for reasons of health or other particular circumstances an Oblate becomes unable to carry out the practices and disciplines recommended for Oblates, so long as the desire for conversion of life and communion with the Congregation of the Benedictines of Jesus Crucified remains, the Oblation can still be fulfilled by “never despairing of the mercy of God” (RB 4:74).

14. Benedictines take a vow of stability. In accordance with this element of Benedictine life, our Oblates are affiliated not to a particular monastery, nor to the Order of Saint Benedict as a whole, but to the Congregation of the Benedictines of Jesus Crucified.

If for good reason an Oblate wishes to transfer his or her Oblation to another Benedictine community, it is not necessary to make a new act of Oblation. With the consent of the Prioress General and the Abbot or Abbess of the receiving monastery, the name of the Oblate can be removed from the register of the Congregation and inscribed in that of another monastery or monastic Congregation.

Similarly, if for a good reason an Oblate attached to another Benedictine community wishes to transfer his or her Oblation to the Congregation of the Benedictines of Jesus Crucified, this can be done with the consent of the Abbot or Abbess of the Oblate’s original community and of the Prioress General of the Congregation.

15. Oblation is made with the intention that it should be for life. Consequently, it is made once and for all. Nevertheless, Oblates can laudably express their “perseverance in stability” (RB 58:9) by frequently renewing their Oblation in their hearts.

CHAPTER III: OBLATES AND THE CONGREGATION

16. Our Oblates are accepted as members of the wider family of the Congregation of the Benedictines of Jesus Crucified. They rightly regard the Congregation, living in its several monasteries, as their spiritual home.

While remaining faithful to its vocation to the enclosed, contemplative life, the Congregation for its part desires, through appropriate means, to assist the Oblates in their spiritual, doctrinal and liturgical development.

The Prioress General may choose to share with the Oblates certain of her letters to the Congregation and other communications. The Oblates, for their part, will welcome the letters of the Prioress General and profit from her teaching.

17. Oblates share in the life of the monastic family first of all through union of prayer with the Congregation.
When possible, they stay at a monastery of the Congregation for periods of retreat.
They may offer the monasteries of the Congregation practical assistance and advice, as lies within their competence.

18. Oblation does not bring with it any financial obligation to the Congregation; neither does the Congregation acquire the right to impose any charge or tax on Oblates.

19. Oblates are committed to persevering prayer in communion with the Congregation. Communion in prayer and in offering oneself with Christ to the Father in all circumstances is what the Congregation most values in its Oblates.

20. The participation of Oblates in the prayer of the monasteries is expressed by their inclusion in the commemoration of absent brethren at the Divine Office that Saint Benedict mandates in the Rule (cf. RB 67:2). One Mass is celebrated for a deceased Oblate on notification of death.

21. The Prioress General, “holding the place of Christ” (RB 2:2) in the Congregation, is responsible for the spiritual care and formation of the Oblates. Working with the local prioresses, she can entrust groups of Oblates to a senior Sister “who has the gift of winning souls” (RB 48: 6) or appoint such a Sister to serve as spiritual companion to one or more Oblates.

22. Geographical distance can present difficulties in maintaining a close bond between an Oblate and the monasteries of the Congregation. Care should be exercised in accepting Oblates who live at very great distances from our monasteries. Nevertheless, the Congregation values the connection with Oblates who, perhaps because of age or ill health, are no longer able to make regular visits to one of the Congregation’s monasteries.

23. Oblates are encouraged, though not obliged, to meet together for prayer, study of the Rule of Saint Benedict, and ongoing formation in their particular vocation.
Each monastery will arrange conferences and Oblate retreats according to its possibilities and in collaboration with the motherhouse.

CHAPTER IV: THE OBLATE’S WAY OF LIFE

24. Oblates desire to respond to the call of the Lord who “seeks his workman in the mass of people” (RB Pro: 14), that is, to the universal call to holiness. “Sincerely seeking God” (RB 57:7), they wish their response to be identified with the “Amen, Alleluia!” (cf. Rev 19:4) that expresses the life of the Benedictines of Jesus Crucified.

They share the aspiration of their Sisters to live the Paschal Mystery by entering into Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection, weekly from Thursday evening through Sunday, and yearly during the liturgy of the Sacred Paschal Triduum.

25. The nuns of the Congregation and their Oblates are “Benedictines” because they accept the Rule of Saint Benedict as their guide (RB 3:7). They are “of Jesus Crucified” because the mystery of the Cross illumines their every weakness with an unfailing hope.

26. Following the teaching of Saint Benedict, nuns and Oblates alike “return to God through the toil of obedience” (RB Pro: 2). No less than the nuns living in the monastery, Oblates are called to zeal for the Work of God (RB 58:7) and to conversion, though in a way adapted to their state in life and to their mission in the world.

27. The Oblate promise of “conversion of life” is a ratification of baptismal consecration. The Oblate wishes, by entering Saint Benedict’s “school of the Lord's service” (RB Pro: 45), to “run while he has the light of life lest the darkness of death overwhelm him” (RB Pro: 13) and “to hurry to do now what will profit us forever” (RB Pro: 44).

PRAYER

28. Benedictine life is a marked by a daily, weekly, and yearly cycle of prayer. Saint Benedict urges that we “give ourselves frequently to prayer” (RB 4:56). He calls the corporate prayer of the monks “the work of God” (Opus Dei), to which “nothing is to be preferred” (RB 43:3). A primary reason for becoming a Benedictine Oblate is the desire to deepen, strengthen and intensify a life of liturgical prayer.

29. Oblates will enter wholeheartedly into the Liturgical Year, allowing their daily lives to be coloured by the Church’s ceaseless round of sacred seasons, fasts and festivals. They will esteem the Church’s sacramentals and blessings.

30. Saint Benedict urges his monks to “keep the days of Lent with a special purity of life and also at this holy season to make reparation for the failings of other times” (RB 49: 2-3). “Reading, compunction of heart, and abstinence” (RB 49:4) prepare the Oblate to enter through the Cross of Christ into the joy of his resurrection. Spontaneously in the joy of the Holy Spirit, Oblates will offer God some “reduction of food and drink for the body, or of sleep, or of talkativeness or looseness in speech, and so with the joy of spiritual desire look forward to holy Pascha” (RB 49:6-7).

The heart of the Liturgical Year pulsates in the Three Days that commemorate Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection: Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. Oblates will make every effort to participate in the liturgical celebrations of the Paschal Triduum in their parish churches or, when opportune, in a monastery of the Congregation.

31. Together with the monasteries of the Congregation, Oblates will celebrate with special joy the solemnity of the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14th and, on the following day, remember the Virgin Mother’s sorrowful compassion. The solemnity of Our Father Saint Benedict on July 11th and of Saint Scholastica on February 10th, as well as the other feasts and memorials of the Benedictine calendar will be for every Oblate an opportunity to learn from the example of “so great a cloud of witnesses” (Hb 12:1) and to seek their intercession.

32. Oblates will seek to nourish their prayer from the most authentic sources: the Word of God, the Sacred Liturgy and the sacraments. In regular lectio divina and Eucharistic adoration they will seek the face of Christ. In frequent recourse to the Sacrament of Reconciliation they will receive the forgiveness of their sins and experience his healing mercy.

33. Daily Mass and Holy Communion are the centre and heart of life in the monasteries of the Congregation. Oblates also find in the Most Holy Eucharist the “source and summit” of their Christian life (cf. LG 11).

Through full, conscious, and actual participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, nuns and Oblates alike unite their self-offering with the oblation of Jesus Crucified to the Father in the Holy Spirit. Through adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, they prolong the mystery of the Mass and open themselves to a supernatural fecundity for the sake of the Body of Christ, the Church.

34. The life of the monasteries of the Congregation is organized around the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, that “wonderful song of praise” that is the voice of the Church addressing Christ her Bridegroom, and “the very prayer which Christ himself together with his Body addresses to the Father” (cf. SC, art. 83). By singing psalms with “mind and voice in harmony” (RB 19:7), the nuns in their monastery and Oblates dispersed in the world stand together “before God’s throne in the name of the Church, their Mother” (SC, art. 85).

35. Oblates are strongly encouraged to celebrate at least part of the Liturgy of the Hours each day, conscious that Saint Benedict enjoins his monks to “prefer nothing to the Work of God” (RB 43:3).

Lauds and Vespers are the “two hinges on which the daily Office turns” (SC, art. 89). Oblates may follow the monastic cursus of the psalms in use in the Congregation, or that of the Roman Liturgy of the Hours, or another arrangement of the psalms adapted to their state in life.

When they “leave whatever they have been engaged in doing, and hasten with all speed” (RB 43:1-2) to regular times of prayer, Oblates sanctify time and demonstrate their desire to heed Saint Paul’s exhortation, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Th 5:17).

36. Daily at 3 o’clock the Oblates unite themselves to their Sisters in praying: “When Jesus had taken the vinegar he said, ‘It is consummated,’ and bowing his head, he gave up his spirit” (Jn 19:30); “Christ became obedient for us unto death, even death on a cross, therefore God has highly exalted him, and given him the name that is above every name (Ph 2:8-9).

37. On Thursday evenings, whenever possible, they set aside a time of silent watching and adoration, in church before the Blessed Sacrament or at home, to recall the gift of the Eucharist in the Upper Room and the agony of Jesus in Gethsemane.

38. Every Friday is marked by a loving attention to Jesus Crucified. Oblates will be faithful to the Friday penitential discipline of the Church; moreover in silence and meditation on the Passion of the Lord they will learn to read on his face the secrets of his Heart.

39. Nuns and Oblates together express a tender devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary by closing each day with the Salve Regina or another liturgical antiphon in her honor; by recalling her presence at the foot of the Cross on Fridays; by honouring her on Saturday according to ancient tradition; and by celebrating her feasts in communion with the whole Church.

The spiritual communion of Oblates with the Congregation can be expressed also through the humble prayer of Mary’s Psalter, the Rosary which, in certain family situations, as well as in times of sickness or fatigue, can replace all or part of the Divine Office.

40. In the weekly reckoning of time Sunday recalls the Day of Christ’s Resurrection. It will be for the Oblates, as it is for the monasteries of the Congregation, “the fundamental feastday, established not only to mark the succession of time but also to reveal time’s deeper meaning” (DD, art. 1-2).

While participation in the Eucharist is the heart of Sunday, the duty to keep Sunday holy invites the Oblate to do more. Oblates will seek to shape the other moments of the day — family life, meals, social relationships, and moments of relaxation — in such a way as to celebrate the peace and joy of the Risen Lord. They are encouraged to participate, whenever possible, in the celebration of Sunday Vespers or in a time of Eucharistic adoration.

LECTIO DIVINA

41. Lectio divina is an essential element of the Oblate’s search for God, and of growth in purity of heart. The Word of God read (lectio), repeated (meditatio), and prayed (oratio) leads to union with God in adoring love (contemplatio). Oblates will endeavour to make a place and time for lectio divina in their daily life. They will give priority to the Word of God presented and distributed by the Church in the liturgical Lectionary of the Mass and to the treasures of revelation and tradition contained in the Office of Readings.

Lectio divina can be extended also to include the writings of “well-known and approved Catholic Fathers” (RB 9:8), the Saints and other authors who reflect faithfully the teachings of the Church (cf. RB 73:2-5).

The aim of lectio divina is to achieve not the erudition that comes from much study, but rather “insight into the mystery of Christ” (Eph 3:4). Following the example of the Virgin Mary, nuns and Oblates alike hold the Word of God in their hearts and are eager to share its richness.

WORK

42. After prayer and lectio divina, the third essential element of monastic life is ordinary work. Saint Benedict teaches that “idleness is the enemy of the soul” (RB 48:1) and that “in all things God should be glorified” (RB 57:9).

Life according to the Rule of Saint Benedict has traditionally been summarized by the axiom Ora et Labora (“Pray and Work”). Oblates therefore live according to the spirit of the Rule not just when engaged formally in prayer, but in the entire spectrum of their daily activities, especially their work. They should strive to glorify God in all that they do by putting their talents, learning, and professional skills at his service.

43. The Congregation does not impose any particular work on Oblates under obedience, nor does it limit their fields of endeavour. They nevertheless practice “the goodness of obedience” (RB 71:1) whenever they perform their work “without slowness in performance, without half-heartedness or grumbling or an unwilling reply” (RB 5:14).

44. Oblates should remember that work is a means, not an end in itself, and that Saint Benedict takes great care to guard his monks from excessive work (cf. e.g. RB 31:17-19; 35:3-5; 48:9).

THE PRACTICE OF VIRTUE

45. Oblates look to the Rule of Saint Benedict not only as the principal reference in their search for God through prayer, but also for practical guidance in living the human and Christian virtues.

46. In daily life, Oblates are called to interpret the text of the Rule in order to apply its teaching to their own particular circumstances. Chapter Four, The Tools of Good Works, may be regarded as in a special way directly applicable to Oblates. Some of the works of mercy commanded in Chapter Four, such as relieving the poor, clothing the naked and visiting the sick, may even be more easily performed by Oblates than by nuns who are restricted by enclosure.

Chapter Four presents “the tools of the spiritual craft” (RB 4:75); these are as necessary to the Oblate in the world as to the nun in her monastery. “If we make full use of them unceasingly day and night, then, when we give them back on the Day of Judgment, we shall in return receive from the Lord that reward which he himself has promised, ‘the things that no eye had seen, and no ear heard, which God has prepared for those who love him’ (1 Cor 2:9)” (RB 476-77).

47. Saint Benedict emphasizes the Christ-like virtues of obedience, of keeping silent, and of humility, particularly in Chapters Five, Six, and Seven of the Rule. Linked to them also is the virtue of patience, through which we “participate in the sufferings of Christ, in order that we may deserve to share also in his Kingdom” (RB Pro: 50). Oblates of the Congregation of the Benedictines of Jesus Crucified exercise these virtues above all by accepting the will of God in the poverty of their own limitations and weakness.

48. The life of the Oblate will be one of spiritual combat with the evil that lies within the human heart and in the world. Oblates will strive to develop a spirit of simplicity and detachment from the materialism of the secular culture (cf. RB 33:1). By doing so they will effectively “deny themselves in order to follow Christ, and make themselves strangers to the ways of the world” (RB 4:10, 20). They will “love chastity and hate no one” (RB 4:64-65).

49. Oblates will seek to recognize and reverence the face of Christ in the sick (cf. RB 36:1-2), in children and in the elderly (cf. RB 37:1-3), in guests (cf. RB 53:1), in the poor (cf. RB 53:15), and in those who are burdened with weaknesses, whether physical or moral (cf. RB 72:4-5).

50. The Rule of Saint Benedict is praised above all for the discretion that characterizes it. Saint Benedict lays down nothing that is “harsh or hard to bear” (RB Pro: 46). He calls discretion “the mother of virtues” and would have all things regulated so that “the strong may desire to carry more, and the weak are not driven away” (RB 64:19).

By joining common sense and realism to a grateful delight in all God’s gifts, Oblates will demonstrate that the practice of virtue is wholly compatible with the development of a warm, uncomplicated, and open personality.

51. Oblates, no more than their Sisters in the monastery, will not expect to be changed into saints all at once (cf. RB 4:62), but will persevere in climbing the steps of humility until, with fear driven out by the charity of God (cf. RB 7:68), they begin to love the practice of virtue and delight in it.

SOCIAL LIFE

52. The Rule of Saint Benedict orders life in a Christian community. Oblates live their communion with the Congregation of the Benedictines of Jesus Crucified in a variety of social contexts: the communities of friendship, marriage and family life, the community of the parish and diocese, the community of workplace, neighbourhood, city, and nation. In all these, they will draw inspiration from the Rule of Saint Benedict and from its embodiment in the Congregation, in order to radiate the mystery of the Cross and the light that shines from the face of the Redeemer.

53. The first fruits of Oblation lived within the sacrament of Matrimony belong to one’s spouse and family. Family members should be informed about the Oblate’s commitment. Spouses who do not wish to be Oblates and the children of Oblates should be welcomed warmly in the monasteries of the Congregation on the occasion of meetings and special celebrations.

The married Oblate will strive to reserve the necessary time and energy for prayer without neglecting the needs of his or her spouse and family, “so that no one may be upset or saddened in the household of God” (RB 31:19).

54. Animated by the “good zeal” to which Saint Benedict exhorts us (RB 72), Oblates will cultivate the social virtues of compassion, understanding, patience, chaste love, and ready service (cf. RB 72:3-8). They will not shrink from responsible participation in public life, and will support initiatives and institutions that promote the common good. They will witness to the sacredness of human life and to the dignity of every human person. “Preferring nothing whatever to Christ, and intent on life everlasting” (RB 72:11) the Oblates of the Congregation will be a leaven in society and collaborate in building a culture of beauty and of life.

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION

55. All who are illumined by Baptism have a responsibility to proclaim the advent of the Kingdom of God. Those called to monastic life proclaim the Kingdom by choosing the desert over the city, and “adoring silence” (OL, art. 16) over every human discourse.

The nuns of the Congregation recognize that Christ calls them to give the witness of “perseverance in his teachings in the monastery until death” (RB Pro: 50). “The monastery is the prophetic place where creation becomes praise of God and the precept of concretely lived charity becomes the ideal of human coexistence; it is where the human being seeks God without limitation or impediment, becoming a reference point for all people, bearing them in his heart and helping them to seek God” (OL, art. 9).

Oblates also, intimately united to the Congregation and marked by its spirit, proclaim the Kingdom by choosing a life of “faith and perseverance in good works” (RB Pro: 21) in the midst of the world. The home of the Oblate becomes, in some way, a cell of the Congregation in the world, a domestic cloister characterized by hospitality (cf. RB 53) and peace.

56. Supported and encouraged by their Sisters, the Oblates of the Congregation “hasten to reach the heavenly fatherland” (RB 73:8), conscious always that they are among the “beginners” (RB 73:8) whom Saint Benedict addresses as a “loving father” (RB Pro: 1). Confident in the wisdom of his teaching, which over the course of centuries has led so many people to God, they are committed to making progress in the Benedictine way of life and in faith, “running with hearts opened wide on the path of God’s commandments in a sweetness of love that is beyond words” (RB Pro: 549).

Abbreviations employed in the text:

CCL Code of Canon Law
DD Dies Domini — Apostolic Letter of John Paul II, 31 May 1998
LG Lumen Gentium — The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Vatican Council II
OL Orientale Lumen — Apostolic Letter of John Paul II, 2 May 1995
RB The Rule of Saint Benedict
SC Sacrosanctum Concilium — The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Vatican Council II