Dear Oblates of the Abbey,

This is the first time that I will be able to send this little message to many of you via the internet. With the current economic situation every few dollars saved will be of some help and with stamps at 44 cents and paper and envelopes we should save a few dollars each month. I know it does not seem so personal to receive an email but change is one of the events of being alive.

I was able to attend the biannual meeting of Directors and Oblates at the end of June at St. Vincent’s College on the grounds of St. Vincent’s Archabbey. I have asked Quentin Jones, an oblate candidate, to prepare a summary of the meeting and this will appear in the next issue of “Kansas Monks”. This was an anniversary meeting as Oblate Directors have now been meeting for sixty years and it was very appropriate that this past meeting be held at first Benedictine monastery in the United States. St. Vincent’s is also the mother house of our congregation and it was great to return to our American roots.

The association of Oblate Directors is now called the North American Association of Benedictine Oblate Directors. A handbook for directors was prepared and became a reality in 2000 under the leadership of a coordinator of Oblate Directors. A small group of us felt that we needed a constitution as part of the handbook and was one of the members to serve on the committee. We formulated a constitution and this constitution was accepted by the Association. At our first election for officers Sister Antoinette Purcell, Our Lady of Grace Monastery, Beech Grove, Indiana was elected president for a four year term and I was elected vice president for a four year term. Sister Antoinette appointed Sister Bonita Gacnick of Sacred Heart Monastery, Yankton, South Dakota as Executive Secretary.

At our recent meeting Sister Antoinette was re-elected as President for a two year term and Father Paschal Morlino, St. Vincent Archabbey was elected Vice President. I chose not to run for office. Sister Bonita was reappointed to her position. The team works with the hosting monastery in preparation for the biannual meeting as well conducting business for the association such as a website (NAABOD) and making available a quarterly newsletter.

It seemed appropriate at this time to give a little history of what is going on nationally with oblates and we how we are organized. The NAABOD group is truly Benedictine in character as each individual monastery has many choices in how to conduct their own oblate groups.

I am delighted to now have the ability to send out more frequent communication to so many oblates of the abbey. It seems to me that one of the most important parts of being an oblate of St. Benedict is being able to keep a real connection with the place where you made your oblation.

We will have an oblate meeting on Saturday, August 8 at 10 a.m. in the Crypt area near the elevator. The format of the meeting is meeting at 10:00 a.m., Holy Mass at 11:30 a.m. with the monastic community, 12:15 p.m. lunch in the monastic refectory.

There is also a second group of oblates that meets for an hour at 2:00 p.m. in the same place every third Wednesday of the month.

On the Friday previous to the monthly Saturday meeting I have a meeting with four oblates appointed to serve as an oblate committee. This committee serves to aide in planning our meetings, discussing formation and many other aspects of oblate life.

I have been truly thankful to this group of people for their aide to me these last few years. This coming Friday we are going to try to work out a plan to make our oblate library more available to all of our oblates.

In the world of books I would like to mention a new liturgy of the hours prepared by the monks of St. Meinrad Archabbey for oblates. It is a straight forward approach of a four week cycle for Vespers, Lauds, Midday Prayer and Compline. There is no turning back and forth but it does not celebrate seasons or feasts. For the beginner it would excellent also for the busy person who has a limited amount of time. It is bound and looks very attractive and sells for $20.00. You can contact St. Meinrad Abbey Press, St. Meinrad, Indiana if interested.

It was joy to visit with Marjorie Dampf who stopped to see me when here for her college reunion. She has been a oblate for over fifty years.

I just noticed on our bulletin board the death notice for Father Raymond Geyer, long time Oblate Director at Belmont Abbey, Belmont, North Carolina. Father Raymond was a graduate of St. Benedict’s College and always enjoyed returning to the area for meetings of the directors. He was 88 years old and the senior member of the abbey.

I would ask continued prayers for Millard Miller, faithful oblate, who is now living the Living Center in St. Joseph, Missouri, this is a retirement center sponsored by the Benedictine Sisters of Duluth.

I would appreciate any news that any of you might have so I can include in future notes to all of you.

It is with deep thanks that I am able to say thanks to John Rumpza, a senior here at Benedictine and Vernon Randall, C.N.A. long time nurse aide whose patience have brought me to many new uses of this modern technology of the computer world. I am so grateful that they only allow me to take small steps. I am at a dangerous age for falling down in any direction. God bless you!

In St. Benedict,

John, O.S.B.