Oblates

Oblates

Mosaic of St Benedict

What is a Benedictine Oblate?

Benedictine oblates are laypeople who make a commitment to shape their lives according to the insights and wisdom of the Rule of St Benedict. This rule was written by St Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century.

The Rule begins with an invitation, ‘Listen carefully, my son, to the Master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart.’ The heart of this invitation is to ‘seek God’ in every situation of daily life. It is the call of that every Christian receives at baptism.

Oblates undertake to live this call through the principles of Benedictine spirituality. The call of Benedictine spirituality is always particular, it is a call to seek God in a particular place with particular people. At Turvey we are two communities, one of monks and nuns. People who become Turvey oblates are oblates of both communities They live out the call of Benedictine spirituality in several ways:

  • In community: through their connection to the communities at Turvey Abbey and to the other oblates of those communities.
  • In community prayer: by praying some part of the Divine Office, in a way that suits their lifestyle, and by regular worship in their local churches.
  • In personal prayer: by praying with Scripture using the Benedictine practice of Holy Reading (Lectio Divina).
  • In their daily lives: by actively seeking to grow in awareness of God’s presence in the daily round of their activities and relationships.

Who can become a Benedictine oblate?

Any baptised Christian is able to explore the possibility of becoming a Benedictine oblate.

Our oblate formation process is currently full. If you are interested in taking a commitment as Benedictine further we recommend that you contact the Lay Community of St Benedict: www.laybenedictines.org

Resources for Oblates

There are many resources available for Oblates in books and on the web. Here are a few that might be helpful. Many of them are American and therefore will need some adaptation for a British environment, but there is much of value in them. They are not the only ones and if you find something that is helpful for you we would be very grateful if you would let us know about it.

Some oblates wear the Benedictine medal, you can find out about the significance of the medal by following the link.

Some oblates communities make their newsletters available online. They sometimes have articles of general interest to all oblates:

If you are interested in the possibility of becoming an Oblate of the Turvey Communities please contact Sr Judith.

 

mosaic, detail
mosaic, detail
mosaic, detail

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