AURORA—“Ora et labora.”
Prayer and work are the foundations of Benedictine life, including for Marmion Abbey’s Oblates.
After about 10 months of learning about Benedictine spirituality as a novice, Jill Zolfo became an oblate with her 2019 profession. Being an oblate, she says, “tells us God is really in the center of our lives, and if we listen with the ear of our heart, we can live in the world and in community in a better way by really having that connection
to prayer.”
The prayer schedule, Zolfo explains, offers pauses for prayer throughout the day. Getting acclimated to that is “a process,” she says, adding, “It’s really listening to that small, clear voice within.”
So, what exactly is an oblate?
Oblates of St. Benedict are Christian men and women, young and old, married and single, who seek to enrich their Christian way of life by living according to the spirit of St. Benedict as expressed in his Holy Rule. While still living in the world, they affiliate themselves with Benedictine abbeys and convents and share in the spirit of the community and in their life of prayer.
Jim L’Allier became an oblate in 2013.
“The major benefits revolve around the Benedictine value of work and prayer,” he says. “My prayer life involves a strong commitment to the sacraments, faithfulness to the Office of Readings, and Lectio Divina (a practice of spiritual reading) — both individually and with my fellow oblates.”
His work as an oblate includes volunteering as a lector at the abbey church weekly Mass, as a digital archivist of audio and video historical artifacts, “along with capturing the oral histories of our senior monks and oblates for the centennial of Marmion Abbey in 2033,” he explains.
The prayer and work “continue to deepen my spiritual life and enhance my appreciation of the value of doing them as a service to my fellow oblates and the monastic community,” he says. “This cycle of work and prayer has brought me closer to Christ and the dictates of His will and remains the primary reason I have renewed my oblation promises each year.”
The Benedictines see the oblates as extending their spirit into areas the monastic community cannot otherwise reach. The website notes that “oblates can serve as a link between the monastery community and parishes and bring culture and insights and expertise to
the community.”
“Being there for our neighbors and our community, I think, is really Benedictine spirituality,” Zolfo says, adding that her life has changed as she asks herself questions like, “How can I help in my own family?” and “What can I do about global hunger?” Being an oblate helps her “be aware” of the things close by that can help make things better, she says.
“Benedictine spirituality is about (the larger) community — the people we encounter day to day at work: family, strangers, neighbors, a person who is lonely on your block. To me it is community outreaching …
“I think it is a call. It’s very quiet, subtle, not forced,” she says, adding, it is a “whisper” within the silence of “what I am being called to do. I think that’s what keeps me coming back.”
Although oblates commit themselves to live in the spirit of St. Benedict’s Rule, they are not juridically considered members of the order. The Oblates of Marmion Abbey in Aurora are associated with Marmion’s monastic communities in a bond of prayer, love and commitment. Marmion’s website about the oblates says of that bond, “Being an Oblate is a true vocation of the Church.”
Jon Bakken and his wife, Mary Kay, found Marmion Abbey shortly after moving to the Aurora area in 1994. After attending Masses and enjoying “the joyful prayer atmosphere,” Bakken says they asked to join the oblates. A short application delay was followed by two years of formation and, he says, “We have been happy oblates ever since.”
Regarding work, Bakken says he “stopped asking (what work do you do?) because every monk I asked gave me the same answer: my job is to seek God. This defines their existence and sets the tone for everything they do, quite different from our current chaotic state outside the abbey.”
Laura Warzecha became an oblate in 2007 after receiving about 10 years of spiritual direction from one of the Marmion monks. “Marmion Abbey is one of those truly rare and holy places wherein the love of Christ is authentically lived,” she says. “Those who come in regular contact with the monks cannot help but be deeply affected by their prayer and presence.”
She also notes that she “could list dozens of activities that are offered daily, weekly, monthly and yearly that benefit me personally and as an oblate at Marmion. … I am honored to be part of a safe and loving family. Not perfect of course, but like any family, sharing the reality of life’s sorrows and joys, ups and downs, can’t help but bring us closer to God, our true self and one another.”
The oblates pray for vocations to the monastic community, and their witness strengthens the Benedictine monks’ own “love and appreciation for the Benedictine way of life,” Marmion’s website says.
History of Marmion Abbey’s Oblates
Per the St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, Minn., website: From the Life of Saint Benedict, as told by St. Gregory the Great, it appears that Oblates were received by St. Benedict already at Subiaco, before he founded his monastery at Monte Cassino. St. Gregory’s narrative seems to warrant the conclusion that some adults put themselves under St. Benedict’s direction and visited his monastery occasionally for spiritual instruction and guidance.
The term “oblate,” as applied to adults, does not appear to have been in use before the 11th century, but as early as the ninth century comes the term “confratres,” which is the name sometimes used for Oblates in the English Congregation of Benedictines. There is evidence that many monasteries had such “confratres” before the 11th century.
A more precise status was given to Oblates by Blessed William, Abbot of Hirschau (+1091). He established definite rules for two types of Oblates, including the Externs or Secular Oblates who lived in the world but were affiliated with the monastery. “They promised obedience and sometimes perfect chastity and made over a part or the whole of their possessions to the monastery, either immediately or by way of legacy,” St. John’s website says.
The Holy Roman Emperor, St. Henry II (972-1024), showed such great love and veneration for the Order that he has been chosen to be the special patron of the Oblates.
In 1898, Pope Leo XIII granted canonical status to the Oblates. On July 23, 1904, the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars issued a decree officially approving the Statutes and Rules of the Secular Oblates of Saint Benedict, and these statutes, with a few slight alterations and additions, were again approved by a Rescript of the Sacred Congregation of Religious on March 24, 1927.
The oblates of Marmion Abbey have been part of the community since the 1950s. They have included Marmion students, alumni and several generations of friends and benefactors. There are currently over 60 oblates associated with Marmion Abbey and 30 active members who regularly participate in monthly meetings from September through May. Abbot Joel Rippinger is the director of the Marmion Oblates.
Process for Becoming an Oblate
The first step is to contact Abbot Joel ([email protected]). A prospective person will be invited to take part in classes on Benedictine spirituality and to read resources that will help them absorb Benedictine tradition.
They will also be invited to take part in regular oblate meetings and in the prayer life of the monastic community and will receive the Oblate Letter.
After a determined period of time, they may make their profession as an oblate in the presence of the monastic community.
Responsibilities of the oblates
Oblates are committed to their monastery, its values and culture and its prayer.
Oblates are expected to keep the spirit of St. Benedict alive by the way in which they live. They annually renew their oblation and keep faith to those promises, send in their Bona Opera (good works) at the beginning of Lent, pray the Liturgy of the Hours, pray Lectio Divina regularly, attend an annual retreat or Day of Recollection, and maintain fidelity to their Christian tradition. They follow the Rule of St. Benedict in their daily lives as far as their station in life permits.
Oblates also are representatives of Marmion Abbey wherever they may be. They pray for the monastery, the monastic community and the other oblates, and the monastic community prays for them.
