I am curious to know about Oblates, and cannot find much information...is this a kind of secular order, or are oblates people who are affiliated with a particular HOUSE, do they take vows? If they are different than Seculars, how so? Thanks!

-- Anonymous, June 15, 1998

Answers

Hi Dana,

The Oblates are a religious Order founded by St. Francis De Sales also known as "Salesians" in 1846 The name Oblate also is associated with the Order of St. Benedict. Both of these Orders have "Lay Brothers"

-- Anonymous, June 21, 1998

Thanks Rich, and thanks for the email. I've found gobs of information re oblates attached to monasteries run by monks, but very little by abbeys run by women religious. By and large, it looks like the female Benedictines have not embraced the web, and are busy with the Opus Dei. The few female abbeys that I have found online tend to be plain-clothed, no longer enclosed, peace and justice concerned...thoroughly mondernized. I guess there is nothing wrong with that, and certainly we all answer the call in the way that feels true to us, but I guess, too, that I am more conservative than I knew, because I feel no attraction to that kind of utilitarian "doing"...I've always been very admiring of the kind of abbeys more interested in "being" than "doing". I've also found lots of info on the Secular Franciscan Order - again, the attachment seems to be to the more overtly male order (Capuchins, etc) than the female, but from what I am reading, those poor clares are a particularly humble lot, who don't seem at all interested in blowing their trumpets on the internet! I will keep exploring, thought....this is certainly very interesting! :)

-- Anonymous, June 22, 1998

Oblates

Just thought that I would let you know how Oblates at St. Andrew Abbey in Cleveland, Ohio. We have Oblates both of men and women. They make an oblation after a period of time of reflection. There is a Oblate director who meets once a month for both Mass and a day of reflection. We have one Claustral Oblate who lives and works in the community, who is male of course.

I hope that this helps to answer your questions about oblates

May God and St. Benedict Bless you.

Br. Richard

-- Anonymous, June 22, 1998