A friend visited this blog the other day and asked about being a Benedictine Oblate.

To make oblation is to offer your total life as a gift to God. Oblation strengthens baptismal commitment and grafts you to a particular benedictine monastery, embracing its long standing benedictine values of work and prayer. An oblate makes a formal and permanent commitment to a monastery with a life centered on lectio, work, and liturgy, remembering the monastery’s monks in so far as our state in life permits. These values are lived out in our parishes, families, and work place.

Becoming an oblate at Mount Angel is a year-long process, a journey of spiritual growth and self-discovery. After meeting with the Director of Oblates, you undergo a novice year. Within this year, there are monthly gatherings in-person/online where monks offer talks on the life of Benedict, Liturgy, and the Rule, guiding you on your path to spiritual growth and maturity.

After a year of discernment, a period of thoughtful reflection and prayer, you retreat and decide whether to make this monastery your permanent spiritual home. This discernment period is crucial, allowing you to make a decision that is deeply rooted in faith and response to God’s invitation.

I made my oblation to Mount Angel Abbey on June 16, the anniversary of my baptism. That date in 2023 was particular because it was also the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. While the parish is my spiritual home, the monastery has become an extension of it. I know the monks never come to my parish to serve the people there, but being an oblate allows me to be an extension of their presence with my young Benedictine heart.

We all need a spiritual center. If the Benedictine values resonate with you, I invite you to discover the world of oblates at Mount Angel and visit the Oblate page.

Here is a video on being an oblate at Mount Angel Abbey.

I feel deeply grateful that I have found a spiritual center, a place I can call home after such a long, well-lived journey.