Living the Rule in the World: The Oblates of St. Benedict’s Abbey pt. I
If someone spends much time around St. Benedict’s Abbey, they’re likely to hear the word “oblate.” Perhaps they’ve met one at Mass or during a retreat, or noticed the term on the Abbey’s website and wondered what it means. The word “oblate” comes from the Latin oblatio, meaning offering. It’s a word used in the Mass and captures the heart of what an oblate is: a person who offers their life to God in the spirit of St. Benedict, while continuing to live and work in the world.
According to the Abbey’s Oblates Director, Br. Florian Rumpza, O.S.B., oblates are people who seek to live out the Rule of St. Benedict in their work and family lives as is appropriate to their state in life. In addition to their dedication to living out the Rule as lay people, oblates also promise to remain attached to a particular monastery. Just as monks take a vow of stability, oblates are meant to be connected to a specific abbey and to develop a prayerful connection with the monks who reside there.
Most people are introduced to the Rule of St. Benedict through meeting monks or encountering Benedictine spirituality in some personal way. “Our oblates feel connected to us in a particular way,” Br. Florian explains. “They’re drinking from the same fountain that we are.”
The Heart of the Oblate Program
At the core of Benedictine life, whether within monastery walls or beyond them, are prayer and work, especially through the Liturgy of the Hours and lectio divina. The oblate program at St. Benedict’s Abbey seeks to help people live out these values wherever they are.
“There are people who aren’t called to monastic life but who still hunger for something they see in us—a life of prayer, a life of deeper obedience,” Br. Florian says. “We want to connect with them and help them experience the beauty of living the Rule of St. Benedict outside the Abbey.”
Through the program, the oblates experience the gifts of monastic life adapted to the rhythm of their daily lives. Oblates learn to bring Benedictine values of balance, stability, and peace into their families, workplaces, and routines.
A Tradition Rooted in History
The roots of the oblate tradition reach back to the early centuries of monasticism. St. Benedict’s own Rule mentions “child oblates,” children who were offered to monasteries by their parents to study and pray with the monks as their guardians. Over time, laypeople began expressing a desire to help the monks and live alongside their spirituality without leaving their families.
“Abbeys tend to draw communities to themselves,” Br. Florian notes. “People are drawn to what God is doing in these places.”
Today’s oblates take the Rule as a spiritual guide, discerning how to live out its wisdom in their own circumstances. This often includes praying part of the Divine Office, practicing lectio divina, and applying the Rule’s principles of humility, stability, and hospitality in daily life.
What Daily Life Looks Like
No two oblates live out the Rule in exactly the same way. Some pray the full Liturgy of the Hours, while others begin with Morning and Evening Prayer. Many read a short passage from the Rule each day and reflect on how it applies to their lives. “There are some common practices, prayer, lectio divina, and reading the Rule, but overall, it can look a bit different for everyone,” Br. Florian says.
At St. Benedict’s Abbey, oblates meet on the second Saturday of every month, both in person and over Zoom. Each meeting includes a formation talk (usually led by an oblate), a book study or discussion on some aspect of the Benedictine life, and, for those attending in person, shared liturgy with the monks.
Those discerning becoming oblates spend a year attending the formation portion of these meetings. “It’s a time of learning and prayerful discernment,” he says. The commitments oblates make are intentionally flexible: reading and trying to follow the Rule, praying as they are able, and discerning what that looks like in their particular season of life. But, it is still a commitment that requires prayer and discernment to determine if it is right for the individual’s life.
A Mutual Exchange of Prayer
The relationship between the Abbey and its oblates is one of mutual support, centered on prayer. “The number one way we support each other is through prayer,” Br. Florian explains. “We hold one another up and bolster one another in prayer.”
Oblates also support the Abbey through their time and resources as they are able, sharing its life and mission with others and encouraging young people to consider religious vocations. In turn, the monks share their lives, resources, and home with the oblates. It’s a deep spiritual partnership—an extension of the Abbey’s life into the world.