Oblate
In
traditions), an oblate is a person who is specifically dedicated to God and to God's service.Oblates are individuals, either
The term "oblate" is also used in the official name of some religious institutes as an indication of their sense of dedication.
Origins and history
The word oblate (from the Latin oblatus – someone who has been offered) has had various particular uses at different periods in the history of the Christian church.[3]
The children vowed and given by their parents to the monastic life, in houses under the
In the 11th century, Abbot
- the fratres barbati or conversi, who took vows but were not claustral or enclosed monks[3]
- the oblati, workmen or servants who voluntarily subjected themselves, while in the service of the monastery, to religious obedience and observance.[3]
Afterwards, the different status of the lay brother in the several orders of monks, and the ever-varying regulations concerning him introduced by the many reforms, destroyed the distinction between the conversus and the oblatus.[3]
The
In records from 1625, the conversus is reduced below the status of the commissus, inasmuch as he could make only simple vows for a year at a time; he was in fact indistinguishable, except by his dress, from the oblatus of a former century. Then, in the later Middle Ages, oblatus, confrater, and donatus became interchangeable titles, given to any one who, for his generosity or special service to the monastery, received the privilege of lay membership, with a share in the prayers and good works of the brethren.[3]
Canonically, only two distinctions ever had any consequence:
- that between those who entered religion "per modum professionis" and "per modum simplicis conversionis" the former being monachi and the latter oblati[3]
- that between the oblate who was "mortuus mundo" ("dead to the world," that is, who had given himself and his goods to religion without reservation), and the oblate who retained some control over his person and his possessions – the former only (plene oblatus) was accounted a persona ecclesiastica, with enjoyment of Benedict XIV, "De Synodo Dioce.", VI).[3]
Modern practices
Secular oblates
Many Benedictine communities still retain secular oblates. These are either clergy or laypeople affiliated in prayer with an individual monastery of their choice, who have made a formal private promise (annually renewable or for life) to follow the Rule of St. Benedict in their private life at home and at work as closely as their individual circumstances and prior commitments permit.[6]
In the Roman Catholic Church the oblate is in an individual relationship with the monastic community and does not form a distinct unit within the Church, there are no regulations in the modern
Conventual oblates
There is a small number of conventual or claustral oblates, who reside in a monastic community. If the person has not done so previously, after a year's probation they make a simple commitment of their lives to the monastery, which is received by the
Religious congregations that use "oblate" in their name
There are several religious orders (i.e., living the
Examples include the:
- Oblates of St. Francis de Sales
- Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
- Oblates of the Virgin Mary
- Oblates of St Frances of Rome(founded 1433 in Italy, as a community of professed oblates living in common)
- Oblate Sisters of Providence
- Oblates of St. Joseph
- Oblates of Saints Ambrose and Charles
Notable oblates
This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2022) |
- Saint Boniface
- Bede[10]
- St. Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
- St. Hildegard of Bingen[11]
- St. Frances of Rome[12]
- Servant of God Dorothy Day
- Kathleen Norris (poet)
- Walker Percy
- Gottschalk of Orbais
- Cardinal Francis Eugene George, O.M.I.
- Saint Bishop Eugene de Mazenod, O.M.I.
- Cardinal Jean-Marie Rodrigue Villeneuve, O.M.I.
- Servant of God Romano Guardini[13]
See also
References
- ^ OblSB, Norvene Vest. "Norvene Vest, OblOSB. Presentation about Benedictine Oblates, July 1999, Conception Abbey, MO". www.osb.org. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- ^ "Lay Membership". Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
Our lay members are referred to as Oblates.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Oblati". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- JSTOR 553067.
- ^ Archived 8 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine[permanent dead link]
- ^ Lucero, Jorge C. (2024). "Lay Participation in Benedictine Spirituality". The Lay Monastic. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ "World Congress of Benedictine Oblates "Comments from National Coordinators" 2009" (PDF). benedictine-oblates.org. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- ^ "Discernment". Saint Brigid of Kildare Monastery. 2013. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
Can Persons Other than United Methodists be Oblates of Saint Brigid's Monastery? Monasticism is a way of life in which the desire and search for God is all-important. Its spirituality is a process of transformation into Christ through self-emptying in order to be totally available to God. As such it is not tied to any single Christian denomination or tradition. Since Benedictine monasticism predates the separation of the western Christian churches, monasticism forms an ideal basis for ecumenism in today's world. The main forces transcending all our differences are the love of God, of sacred Scripture, of prayer, and our genuine love and concern for one another. So, yes, all Christians can be Oblates and engage in scripturally based prayer, prayerful reading, contemplative union with God, and the loving gift of self for others. Anyone can practice this way of spirituality that is essentially the same as was taught by Saint Benedict over 1,500 years ago.
- ^ "Membership". English: Companions of St. Luke - OSB. 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
The Companions of St. Luke, OSB welcome any Baptized Christian who is a member in good standing within their church community as candidates for Novice-Oblation.
- ISBN 9781139825429
- ^ Jutta & Hildegard: The Biographical Sources, trans. Anna Silvas (Pennsylvania State University Press, 1999), p. 139.
- ISBN 0-19-280058-2
- ISBN 9781568541068