Oblates

Oblates of the Bernardine Cistercians are Christian men and women, married or single, who wish to deepen their search for God, and to live the Gospel more intensely, in the light of the Rule of St. Benedict and Cistercian spirituality.

The Bernardine Cistercians offer to Oblates a defined structure and a recognizable spirituality to help them in their everyday lives by sharing in our life of prayer and work; receiving support and guidance to live according to the Gospel in a complex and rapidly changing world and contact with like-minded Christians who face the same challenges in our secularized, competitive society.

Because we believe the values of the Rule of St. Benedict to be relevant today, we offer this to encourage Christians to take a fuller part in the life of the church.

This also helps out community to share more fully in the life of the Church, receiving from the Oblates a deeper insight into the vocation of the laity, and together finding ways of mutual service.

We ask of our Oblates a serious commitment to personal prayer, the Eucharist and the prayer of the Church, service to others, and regular contact with the monastery, all according to each Oblate’s possibilities. We reflect with the Oblates on the Rule of St. Benedict and the elements of the Cistercian life, as they apply to each Oblate’s situation.

We aim to show solidarity with the Oblate’s local Church through our interest and prayerful support.

My Oblate Journey – Pauline Nipper

Where did it all start?

I converted to Catholicism in 1998 and it truly felt like coming home.  I think I had always been a Catholic at heart!  As an Anglican I had always loved going on retreats more so if they were silent. Having seen a flyer in Clifton Cathedral for retreats at Belmont Abbey in Herefordshire, I soon became a regular retreatant there.  It was at the Abbey I found and fell in love with St. Benedict and his Rule.

In 2006, I spotted another flyer in my own church for a new foundation at Brownshill near Stroud of Bernardine Cistercians who followed the Rule. The Community was much nearer to Bristol where I live, so off I went and my journey to Oblation began.

Monthly quiet days followed with confession and spiritual direction with Father Peter Craddy OCSO and ongoing instruction from Sister Catherine.

I researched and learnt of Sts. Robert of Molesme, Alberic of Citeaux and Stephen Harding, the founders of Citeaux; also St. Bernard of Clairvaux and others who were influential in the spread of the Cistercian order.

More importantly I learnt of the inception and acceptance by Rome of the Bernardine Cistercian nuns of Esquermes. It took five years before I felt I could make the Oblation promises.

Why?

Well, I could be quite wayward at times and badly needed guidance and clarity that this was indeed my calling.  On March 3rd 2011 I made the first promise and on December 8th 2014 made the final promise.

How do I live out those promises each day?

With great difficulty at times but with much joy.

My daily observances are a delicate balancing act between the activities of daily living and my prayer life, although this has become much easier since retirement.

I am an early riser and prayer walk for a while with silence and solitude as my companions.

I pray the Daily Offices found in the Magnificat publication as well as Lauds from the Monastery (This is found at https://www.bernardine.org/brownshill-about-us)

Lectio during the day.

Lastly, usually in bed, a few lines from a spiritual book.

At my own church I am a Welcomer; a Eucharistic Minister at Holy Communion; a helper at tea and coffee after Mass; a member of the Union of Catholic Mothers.

The Oblate life can be a lonely life so the importance of the daily disciplines and regular contact with the monastery is vital to my spiritual life.  It keeps me continually searching for a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God.

Some books I found helpful on my journey:

• How to be a Monastic and not leave your day job – Brother Benet Tvedten.

• St.Benedict's Toolbox – The Nuts and Bolts of Everyday Benedictine Living – Jane Tomaine.

• Humble Pie – St.Benedict's Ladder of Humility – Carol Bonomo

• The Oblate Life – edited by Gervase Holdaway OSB.
  

What it means to me to be an Oblate - by Kathleen Shaw

People often ask me, "Kathleen, what is an Oblate? What does it mean? Are you a Nun?  Then if not, can you live a normal life?"  Well, an Oblate can be anyone:  someone young or more mature, married or single, professed/ordained, a practicing Christian who feels called to have a deeper relationship with Christ in connection with monastic fellowship.  As I ponder on my Final Commitment as an Oblate, of the Order of the Bernardine Cistercians of Êsquermes, (three years after my First Commitment), I find myself considering that I am essentially "renewing the offering of myself to God as an Oblate," ... promising for life to "prefer nothing to Christ, in prayer, work and the service of others."  I am formally connecting myself to this religious order, not as a nun, but as a person living in general society.  Moreover, I am affiliating myself with a monastic community which I have known for many years, attending retreats, quiet days and talks etc.

Oblate comes from the Latin Oblatus meaning 'offered up.' - While this is true, I see myself and my Oblation as being specifically dedicated to God and to God's service; I experience it as belonging to a 'family/community/spiritual union.'  And, a family/community is a gift that lasts forever.  I am connected in a special way to the Bernardine Cistercians and have the Rule of St Benedict, the Daily Office or Prayer of the Church and Community in my life, while growing nearer to Jesus and understanding the Gospels and their teachings more deeply. 

Let me say a big Thank You to my Oblate Mistress, Sister Catherine (and my former physics teacher), who has prepared me well for my Oblate Commitment and whose wisdom and guidance I will continue to cherish.  Thank You also to my family, friends and fellow Oblates who are sharing in my joy and thanksgiving and to Sister Maria, Prioress of Brownshill monastery, for her warm words of welcome as I made my final commitment as an Oblate.

My final commitment & promise is not the end destination, rather, it is the beginning of my coming closer to God, my stepping out in faith and love and my growing while "opening my eyes to the light that can change me into the likeness of God." (Prologue 9).  I pray my journey as an Oblate will continue to flourish under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  May the Lord strengthen and make fruitful what he has started in me and with all the support and prayers of community, my family and friends, I say "Ad Multos Annos: - ‘To many more years’ on this journey of life and faith - Amen." 

Thank you.

Kathleen Shaw - Oblate