The
St.
Perth - Western Australia
Oblates affiliated to Holy Trinity Abbey, New Norcia
New Norcia web site - www.newnorcia.wa.edu.au
Period December -
February 2008
MEETING PLACE
Chapter meetings are held at
December - There will be no regular Chapter meeting this month. As usual
we will be having our annual Christmas social get-together for oblates and
friends. The venue will be the home of oblate Doris Walton, 23 Melrose Street, Rossmoyne. Start time will be
12.00 noon, Sunday 16 December - please bring your own finger food and salads
etc. as bbq facilities are not available. The Chapter
will provide drinks.
January - There will be no Chapter meeting this month.
February - Chapter meeting to be held on Sunday, 17 February. Discussion
on RB 67 & the Gospel of the day Mt.17:1-9. This will also be the occasion
of our Annual General Meeting, during which the election of the President and
Committee members will be held for the ensuing twelve months. It would be
appreciated if oblates could strengthen our Chapter by giving consideration to
becoming Committee members.
PRAYER LIST
Please remember all our sick oblates - in particular
Pat Cockett & Michael Kent.
Prayers requested for Des Hoad.
Please pray for the repose of the soul of long time oblate John Sheiles, of Mt. Lawley, who
passed away on 15 September 2007.
Also and always, continue to pray for our parent community in New Norcia.
Would you please remember all our deceased oblates.
ITEMS OF INTEREST
Our congratulations to Drs. Anthony and Anne
Oblates are advised of the release of the latest New Norcia
Studies Journal No.15. Titled Inside the Walls, a journal of research papers
examining the missionary apostolate of New Norcia,
begun in 1846 and continuing into modern times to meet the diverse needs of a
contemporary community. Available from NN Archives.
For those who want an early warning - our annual retreat at New Norcia will be held on the Trinity Sunday weekend next year
- Friday to Monday, 16,17,18 & 19 May 2008.
OBLATES - THE NEW 'VERY DIFFERENT' BENEDICTINES
An address by Fr John Herbert, monk of New Norcia, in
honour of St Benedict
Choral Evensong, St Georges Cathedral Perth, Sunday 15 July 2007
When the Oblates of St Gregory's Chapter gathered for their annual retreat at
New Norcia recently, I asked a few members what they
thought I should talk about for tonight's gathering. I was rather surprised by
the response of one, who suggested I say something about what an Oblate is.
It's not a bad idea actually, because no matter what our profession, our
vocation, our walk of life, we would do well, from time-to-time, to remind
ourselves what it actually means. But perhaps more importantly, we might find
ourselves in the position of having to re-define what we say we are and do.
What I thought a monk was and what a monk does, before I entered the monastery,
is certainly different to what I now understand a monk to be, after a dozen or
so years of attempting to live the monastic life.
I found two definitions of an oblate in the delightful book Benedict
in the World: Portraits of Monastic Oblates. In the exclusive language of the
1953 Manual of the Oblates of St Benedict an Oblate
is described as one who - 'spiritually affiliates himself with a Benedictine
monastery and its community, in order to thereby lead a more perfect Christian
life in the world, according to the spirit of the Rule of St Benedict. To share likewise in the spiritual treasures of
the Benedictine Order and enjoy the special privileges granted by the Church to
Oblates and to promote, as far as lies in his power, the good of the monastery
to which he is attached and of the entire Benedictine Order.'
That all sounds fair enough… I certainly hope that any one attempting to live
in the spirit of the Rule is leading a better Christian life as a consequence.
But I detect in that definition a certain distance from the monastic life
itself, as if Oblates are just some sort of appendage rather than an integral
part of Benedictine life in the monastery.
In the more inclusive language of a more recent definition, Oblates are
described as - 'those who discern that God has called them to more of a life of
prayer and study and who have turned (for advice, help and direction) to the
experience that monasticism has developed over the centuries. They are those
who keep the monastic ideal before their eyes, even though they are not monks
or nuns.'
That sounds more like it - people who attempt to uphold the ideal of a balanced
and rhythmic life of prayer, work, spiritual reading, hospitality and mutual
support as set out for us in the Rule. Of course, upholding this monastic ideal
means more than what we do; it's also about who we become. The Rule also sets
out quite a list of spiritual virtues to get our teeth stuck into - humility,
obedience, patience, stability and so on. But of course, these endless lists of
what we do and what we become, what these days we call Benedictine
Spirituality, only make sense if we have one primary purpose in mind and heart,
which gives all these edifying notions their true meaning and that is desire
for God. Are all these virtues ends in themselves, or are they leading me to a
greater reality, which is God?
Whilst the walls of Benedictine monasteries throughout the world these days
aren't exactly bursting with candidates wanting to spend the rest of their
lives within their confines, most communities are experiencing an influx of
people wanting to live the monastic life beyond the walls as oblates,
associates, affiliates etc.
Whilst it could be suggested that St Benedict's retreating from the moral ills
of sixth century university life in Rome to the solitude of a cave in Subiaco was a kind of running away from the world, the
result of that experience was the establishment of communities, very human communities,
in which everyone was welcome regardless of their status in the world…but with
one sole criteria for entry and ultimate perseverance - are you seeking God? It
could also be said that St Benedict's planting the seed of Western monasticism
was not retreating from the world, but rather entering deeper into it, to heal
it, by establishing these communities based on different values than those of
secular society, values more in keeping with the gospel command to love God and
neighbour.
Looking for ways of healing the moral ills so obvious in our culture today, Alasdair MacIntyre makes a rather
interesting statement - 'we await another - doubtless very different - St Benedict.' In response, Benedictine Linda Kulzer,
suggests that perhaps it's these swelling ranks of Benedictine oblates who are
the 'very different' Benedictines able to carry into our culture the insights
of monastic spirituality - insights that can help heal the ills that seem to be
crippling our society.
What are these ills, crippling our society? I was asked to talk for ten minutes
or so, so I won't attempt to bore you with my long list of grumblings
and no doubt, you would all have lists of your own. I'm not one for quoting
popes very often and I'm not necessarily suggesting that the current pope is Alasdair MacIntyre's new St Benedict, but I think Pope Benedict
XVI might be on to something when he says
'Development must not ignore moral and religious issues…the principle of the
universal destination of all the goods of creation, ... everything that the
earth produces and all that man transforms and manufactures, all his knowledge
and technology, is meant to serve the material and spiritual development and
fulfilment of the human family and all its members.'
Pope Benedict goes on to identify three specific
challenges facing our world, challenges which he believes can only be met
through a firm commitment to that greater justice which is inspired by charity.
I'd like to share them with you, adding to each some wisdom from the Rule by
way of a Benedictine response for you to reflect upon -
The first challenge, according to the Pope, 'concerns the environment
and sustainable development. The international community recognises that the
world's resources are limited and that it is the duty of all peoples to
implement policies to protect the environment in order to prevent the
destruction of that natural capital whose fruits are necessary for the well
being of humanity. Indeed, if development were limited to the
technical-economic aspect, obscuring the moral-religious dimension, it would
not be an integral human development, but a one-sided distortion which would
end up by unleashing man's destructive capacities.'
In chapter 31 of the Rule, on the qualifications of the monastery cellarer, St Benedict suggests that the cellarer -
'will regard all utensils and goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the
altar, aware that nothing is to be neglected.'
Considering the world's resources as 'sacred', sounds to me
like a pretty good start for tackling environmental issues. Oblate
Esther De Waal suggests that St Benedict
here is addressing a habit we human beings have, the habit of falling into
dualistic thinking, the split between the sacred and the profane, which is
contrary to the whole tenor of the relation of the human and the divine that is
found in the Scriptures, from which of course, St Benedict
drew his inspiration. 'Everything God created is good and nothing is to be
rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the
Word of God and prayer' (1 Tim 4:4). So St Benedict
moves naturally between the material and the spiritual and sees both as being
part of an integrated unity. What we are invited to remember is - 'our
willingness to exploit the environment shows up our willingness to exploit one
another', which brings us to the second challenge.
The second challenge 'involves our conception of the human person and
consequently our relationships with one other. If human beings are not seen as
persons, male and female, created in God's image and endowed with an inviolable
dignity, it will be very difficult to achieve full justice in the world.
Despite the recognition of the rights of the person in international
declarations and legal instruments, much progress needs to be made in bringing
this recognition to bear upon such global problems as the growing up between
rich and poor countries.'
In chapter 72 of the Rule, St Benedict says - 'the
good zeal which monks must foster with fervent love, is they should each try to
be the first to show respect to the other, supporting with the greatest
patience one another's weaknesses of body and character and earnestly competing
in obedience to one another.'
Quite a task, I know…but what a perfect formula for upholding the dignity of
every human person. Again from Esther de Waal -
[Reverence and] respect and handling with care are among the most important
elements of community life envisaged by St Benedict.
Without respect, there can be no acceptance of the other and no true love. A
fundamental respect for the uniqueness of others, respect for their freedom of
thought and action, is something St Benedict reminds
us of in different practical situations time and again. As he describes the
building up of the life of the community, he makes it clear that this is
something absolutely foundational. Genuine love is free from the exploitation
or the manipulation of others. Where this is missing, love becomes a delusion,
a deception just to get what I want. Patience and gentleness are virtues that St
Benedict admires and that he encourages us to
practice. This is the opposite of that violence which is not limited to
aggressive behaviour but may be a reflection of the underlying violence of
feeling that is expressed in the tone of voice or the glance. For of course
zeal can be two-edged. It can become aggressive. The 'wicked zeal of
bitterness' St Benedict is referring to, is the
rivalries and power games that can tear communities apart, the sort of
competition that is unsuitable in the Body of Christ. If you must compete, he
seems to say, at least compete in love!
Regarding the growing gap between rich and poor, St Benedict
follows the ideal of the early Christian communities whereby distribution was
made to each according to need and says, in RB34 - 'By this we do not imply
that there should be favouritism - God forbid - but rather consideration for
weaknesses. Whoever needs less should thank God and not be distressed, but
whoever needs more should feel humble because of his weakness, not
self-important because of the kindness shown him.'
Perhaps it's the selfishness of avarice (greed) and envy that are the major
causes of the growing gap between rich and poor. It was Evagrius
who identified avarice and envy as two of the deadly vices of the monk and I would
add, vices that are the principle causes of the erosion of community life…but
I'd need more than another ten minutes to deal with that one!
The third challenge 'relates to the values of the spirit. Unlike
material goods, those spiritual goods, which are properly human expand and
multiply when communicated. Unlike divisible goods, spiritual goods such as
knowledge and education are indivisible. There is urgent need for a just
equality of opportunity, especially in the field of education and the transmission
of knowledge.'
In RB64, on the election of an abbot, St Benedict
insists that the abbot of the monastery ought - 'to be learned in divine law,
so that he has a treasury of knowledge from which he can bring out what is new
and what is old.'
As in many instances in the Rule, he applies the same principle to the rest of
the community. In RB48 on the daily manual labour, St Benedict
tells us that - 'Idleness is the enemy of the soul. Therefore the brothers
should have specified periods for manual labour as well as for prayerful
reading [and study].'
Consequently, several opportunities for the whole community, learned or
unlettered, to spend time in prayerful reading, study, or the memorising of
scripture are provided for in the daily horarium. To
ensure that the monks reading benefits the whole community, he demands in RB3,
that - 'As often as anything important is to be done in the monastery, the
abbot shall call the community together…and after hearing the advice of the
brothers, let him ponder it and follow what he judges the wiser course. The
reason why we have said all should be called for counsel,
is that the Lord often reveals what is better to the younger.'
This is what the Episcopalian, Parker Palmer describes in his book The Courage
to Teach as the 'community of truth', whereby each member of the community
shares their faith experience with one another in an atmosphere of acceptance
and respect, knowing that God has something to say to us through each other.
There are no experts or amateurs, but rather a community of 'knowers', gathered around the subject of our listening and
responding, which is God, to whom we all have access and about whom we all have
some experience and 'knowledge'.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, expresses the same idea very
succinctly - it is in our listening to and relating to one another 'where God
happens.'
To meet these three challenges, the Pope concludes, 'only love for neighbour
can inspire within us justice at the service of life and the promotion of human
dignity. Only love within the family, [whose members] are created in the image
of God, can assure that inter-generational solidarity which transmits love and
justice to future generations. Only charity can encourage us to place the human
person once more at the centre of life in society and at the centre of a globalised world governed by justice.' To meet the
challenges of today's world, it's worth beginning with one of the golden
threads woven throughout the Rule - 'First and foremost, there must be no word or
sign of the evil of grumbling, no manifestation of it at all.'
I'm inclined to agree with the German Benedictine Anselm Grün,
who suggests that Benedict's message for today is - 'Quit complaining! The
problems of the world are not there to be lamented, but to be solved. Do what
you can. Build a community around you that will stand. It can be your family,
your group of friends, your company, your parish. If
you can create a Christian way of life where you live, it will be like leaven
for this world.'
So, to return to that second definition of an Oblate - if Benedictine Oblates
are those who keep the monastic ideal before their eyes, then they are people
called to apply this ideal to the very real and worldly stuff of day-to-day
life, so that their deep listening and observance of Benedict's 'little rule
for beginners' might bring them closer to the God they seek, might make a
difference in our troubled world, so that in all things, God indeed will be
glorified.
The Oblates Prayer -
Help us to become people of prayer and peace.
Though scattered far and wide, help us to be together in the spirit of your
love.
Give us hearts wide enough to embrace each other as well as those whose lives
we touch.
Enable us to listen and to learn from each other and those around us each day.
May we be models in our homes and our neighbourhoods.
May we be communities of wise stewardship, dignified labour, sacred leisure and
have reverence for all living things and the world's resources.
Above all, O God, may our presence among others be a constant witness of
justice, compassion and hope to all. Amen.
THE PRESENCE OF GOD THROUGH
BENEDICTINE SPIRITUALITY
by Father Adrian Burke, OSB
Monastic spirituality...what is it? So many people who visit us here at the
monastery have said to me that this place leaves them with an uncanny sense of
having encountered God in a deep place within. Some have said that while
visiting the "Hill" they had experienced a sensation of peace unlike
anything their ordinary work-a-day world can offer them.
What is it about this place and about our monastic way of life that attracts
and mystifies so many of our guests? I believe that what so many people are
experiencing here, is a unique encounter with the
Divine at a level that is unspoken and unspeakable. It transcends any attempt
to grab on to it and hold it. To capture this peace, is as possible as
capturing the Holy Spirit, which is the source and origin of this sublime gift.
In preparing retreat conferences on the basics of monastic spirituality, from
which this article grew, I kept before me the memory of my own experience with
this intangible, unspeakable peace as I stepped foot on the 'Hill' for the
first time back in 1990. The memory I have of this sweet peace instils in me a
new appreciation for my monastic lifestyle and for the simplicity of life that
can lead one to this peace of mind and heart.
While a student in our School of Theology, I came to understand that for the
monastic community, their faithfulness to prayer and dedication to living life
rooted in the Gospel, guided by the Rule of St. Benedict,
is the wellspring of what makes this place different and unique, special for so
many pilgrims and friends that we have acquired over the decades. The activity
of seeking God in our way of life is the dynamic that produces the signal that
attracts so many people and it is this dynamic way of life that I would briefly
like to examine in this article.
Community Prayer
The Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer of the Church. It has as its roots the
Temple liturgy of our Jewish forebears as is attested to in the Book of Acts
(3:1).
From the earliest days of the Church, the faithful have gathered together to
offer praise to God for the many gifts we are given in life. Opportunities for
growth are offered to us by a loving God who encounters us in our comings and
goings, who desires to walk with us on our life's journey, speaking to us in
our hearts. The Liturgy of the Hours is a celebration of this reality and an
opportunity for us to deepen our relationship with God and with one another in
communal worship.
During this daily liturgy, we can attune the ears of our hearts to listen
carefully to God as He speaks to us in our experiences of living. To listen
carefully is the very first mandate of the Rule. Obsciilta. or ausculta, Latin for listen
carefully and with earnest attention. It is the first word that Benedict uses to open up his little rule for life,
suggesting to the disciple that before anything else can happen, before any
growth occurs, listening must come first. By listening, we enter most deeply
into the psalms and the readings - even into the chant itself - always awake to
what God is offering us as challenge and admonishment, encouragement and
nourishment, for the morning, the middle, and the evening hours of our day.
The Liturgy of the Hours serves as the framework around which the monk builds
his day. We arise in the morning before many people do in order to offer to God
praises for the gift of a new day dawning and for the many opportunities yet to
happen for growth and spiritual renewal. We get up early in order to be mindful
that our prayer transcends the work-a-day activities of a busy world and a busy
monastery. Prayer is the mainstay of our life which gives meaning to our labour
and so before any work is begun, as we are commanded in the Rule, we must pray
first, asking God to make our work fruitful.
In our chant and recitation, we sing and recite the psalms together as one
voice, softly, not impatiently, attempting to listen with our hearts what is
vocalized by our mouths. In hearing our own words, we bring them back into
ourselves as if they were spoken to us by God, who alone knows what we really
need in the intimacy of our hearts. Sometimes our spirit can resonate with the
words of the chant and we find ourselves pleading, praising and thanking God
with the words of the psalmist. It is God who kneads our spirits as we pray
together the ancient words of the Psalter, breaking up the packed soil of
hearts grown complacent by our busyness, watering and softening with showers
the arid ground of our souls in order that we might better receive the seeds of
God's Word. That they may bear fruit in our response of love, as we go forth to
witness to the Light we have seen.
Silence and Humility
Speaking and teaching are the Master's task - the disciple is to be silent and
listen. RB 6.6
St. Benedict links together the discipline of silence
and the attitude of true humility in his Rule for life. There are so many false
humilities operative in people today, particularly among people of religion.
These false humilities say that the individual is essentially sinful, that no
good can come from the heart of a person. The reality is,
that goodness can and does come from persons of good will because the ultimate
source for that goodness is the God who created the human heart. Within us all
rests the God who is the source for all. We are, each of us, a kind of word of
God, uttered by Divine Wisdom in order to reflect and witness to our Creator.
In this way, we image God for the world.
Those who understand this truth about themselves, can live humble lives that
are not filled with self-loathing, or worse, self-deprecation as a way to boost
the ego - 'Look, see how humble I am,' - as the Pharisee who prayed in the
front of the synagogue said. Only when we can appreciate the dignity of our
lives and the lives of all other people, can we really live out the virtue of
humility.
Silence is the posture of humility. It is a readiness to listen because in your
heart you know that what God has to say is more important than any words you
can utter. It is an openness to receiving from God
what God desires to give you. These gifts come to us from God by all sorts of
avenues in our daily living. I have isolated four possible avenues for us to
consider.
Experience. Our experiences bear God's instructions
and offer us lessons for living if we would take the time and allow ourselves
to listen carefully to what God is saying. Experience is the most utilised
avenue for God's communication because our experiences are the matrix of our
daily lives and God is ever present to us in all of life's events, no matter
how ordinary or extraordinary they may be.
Journaling, meditation and spiritual direction are three widely used and
effective methods for getting at what God is saying to us in our experiences.
Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher, is reputed to have said - 'The unreflective life is not worth living,' - and I couldn't
agree with him more. If our hearts are hardened to the voice of God speaking in
our experiences of life, then how can we hope to grow, to deepen our
understanding about ourselves and about God? How can we hope to know who God is
for us? 'Oh that today you would hear His voice... harden not your hearts'
(Psalm 95).
In order to examine what we experience, we have to be in touch with how we feel
about things.
Feelings, the second most frequently used avenue for God to get through
to us. They tell us something about who we are, how we
relate to people and can be a sign to us that we may need to grow in particular
areas of our lives. Feelings are never wrong. They are neither negative nor
positive. They are value neutral. They are pre-rational. In other words, we
feel before we think. For all of us, it is wise to first feel what we feel and
then examine what we feel and then reflect on our feelings. If we took a moment
to discover more about our feelings, then we would be less inclined to
over-react or to misunderstand the reactions of others. Feelings are a
relational tool and they add spice to life.
Thoughts occur at the rational level of our beings. They consist of all
the conceptual elements of our intellect, including the imagination. Thoughts
can come to us from God in the sense that God can inspire us by the light of
our faith to understand things in particular ways and orient our thinking
according to the light of the Gospel. Thinking is a process that is influenced
by our experiences and how we feel about things that cause us to come to
certain conclusions which may or may not bear on reality. Human thought is
readily subject to human error.
In the history of Christian doctrine, for instance, many conclusions were
reached about who God is, regarding the Trinity for
example, that did not prove consistent with who God is as He was revealed by
the disciples' experiences of Jesus, as witnessed in Scripture. However, these
erroneous conclusions oftentimes led other Christian thinkers to more accurate
conclusions, after they thought through the inaccuracies of previous
theologians. To rely too much on the rational aspect of our being is to limit
God to getting through to our hearts.
Human words finally, are perhaps the most precarious way for God's Word
to enter our lives. Words are symbols. The word cat is not the animal cat, but
rather a human device that triggers the concept we have in our minds of what a
cat is. For me, a cat is a small furry beast that lives in houses with families
and is a pet. For a person in
The written words of Scripture must also be interpreted so a common
understanding about what is meant can be reached. This is the function of
tradition. But at the same time, at a personal level, the words can take on
very different meanings for different individuals as God speaks to particular
hearts in ways that are meaningful for them. If I am a lower class individual,
living in an urban city-centre area, the story of the Exodus and the promised
land of freedom takes on a different meaning from that of an upper-middle class
person living in the suburbs. Although the story of the Exodus is our story, it
nonetheless plays differently on the heartstrings of different people.
Silence is about orienting ourselves to listening to God's Word coming to us
through these various avenues. Monastic silence is an external quietness that
serves to set up within the heart a resonance with the Word of God that is
tuned in to what God has to teach us at any particular time in our lives.
To be continued in the next newsletter.
INTERNATIONAL OBLATE MEETING
Taken from the
Following the first Oblate World Congress in
This 5-day meeting, initiated by Gabriele Franziska Heitfeld-Panther, who was co-ordinator of the German
speaking delegates at the World Congress in 2005, has begun the work of
building an International network amongst Benedictine Oblates, Cistercian
Oblates and Lay Cistercians from five European countries. Delegates from
The idea for it arose from the ambiguous situation in which Cistercian Oblates
find themselves. They have been up to now lacking their own structures.
Although some contacts with both Benedictines and Trappists
had taken place at an international level before and demonstrated that there
was much common ground, it was considered that an exchange of ideas might not
only be fruitful, but also that the international aspect would be very
important.
Amongst the participants at the conference were two members of the coordination
team for the Benedictine World Congresses in
A full programme of reports, talks, discussions and outings led to an intensive
exchange of ideas. The days were structured around the celebration of the
Liturgy, sharing in the Divine Office and daily celebration of the Eucharist.
Reports from individual countries made it clear that there are differences in
the ways in which Oblates connect with each other. In the
Oblate formation is clearly considered very important in the
Papers delivered in English, emphasised the essential elements of the Oblate
way of life. Mgr. Richard Moth Obl.OSB (Pluscarden) spoke about oblation as a vocation, whatever
one's state in life - the call to prefer nothing to the love of Christ, in
whatever concrete circumstances one finds oneself. Oblates are monastics, whether Benedictine or Cistercian. Becoming an
Oblate does not alter our status in the Church, but it does affect the way in
which we live out our role in life. Tina Paraye ILC, gave a paper in which she spoke of the profound unity
between contemplation and action in the life of a person who lives in the world
contemplatively, nourished by prayer, lectio divina and the Eucharist. Pater
Luigi OSB spoke of the place in which lectio divina must ultimately take root, namely the heart. He
illustrated his talk -.Listening with one's whole heart and conversatio
morum, the life-long process of turning one's life
towards God, with some memorable Japanese symbols. Gabriele Heitfeld-Panther Obl.O.Cist.
spoke about the mission of Oblates in the Church and
in today's world.
Those who share their path with Christ become in themselves a sign, an
invitation to those seeking God. Other topics discussed were our response as
Oblates to the specific needs of our times, the question of Oblate identity and
role, both within the Church and in relation to the Orders and the lack of
Oblate structures in some countries.
The most important thing initially, was to recognise our common roots and aims.
Future meetings would usefully, participants agreed, focus on ways to bear
witness to these. What is it about our lives which makes
clear the source from which we are nourished and by which we live? To live in
accordance with our vocation means to express in our lives the joy of
preferring nothing to the love of Christ. To spread the message of this joy
requires the use of modern media, to enable communication both with one another
and with the outside world, as well as work at Parish level and the production
of good Benedictine literature. The conference proceedings are to be drawn
together by Mgr. Richard Moth in a booklet. A common statement composed by
delegates at the conclusion of the meeting has already been sent to the Abbot
Primate OSB and the two Abbots General OCSO and OCist.
In these few days, participants were enabled to grow into a real community, by
participation in the Eucharist, as well as through discussion and listening.
Thus it was felt that the foundations had been laid for an active network
between the participating countries, hopefully in the future including others
as well. Delegates saw possibilities not only for fruitful exchange within
The general impression was that participants felt strengthened by these shared
days, both in the joy of Christ and in their personal vocation as Oblates of
their own monasteries. They returned home having experienced a common movement
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the spirit of the Rule of St Benedict, but also with a sense of the need for prayer and
patience, particularly for those whose attempt to live in the world, as
Christians with a vocation to monastic spirituality, still meets with a certain
lack of understanding. We pray for a fruitful dialogue between Orders and
Oblates in the vineyard of the Lord, for the Church and the world of tomorrow.
The way in which we follow our vocation to live a life of monastic spirituality
and express this in our life in the world, is our
chance to bear witness and thus affect society. We look forward to the next two
important meetings. In 2008 - the 4th International Conference of Lay
Cistercians, in Huerta Spain, with the theme - 'Maria Rabbuni'
and in 2009 the second World Congress of Benedictine Oblates, in Rome - the
theme of this Congress to be - 'The religious demands of our times -.the
Benedictine answer'.
By Gabriele Franziska Heitfeld-Panther
Obl. OCIST, translated from the German by Mary Cockroft Obl. OSB.
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