after talking and writing, on sept 26th, i'm having an appointment with the Father responsible for the Oblates at the benedictine abbey at Einsiedeln, here in Switzerland. for those who wish, there are some pictures here http://www.kloster-einsiedeln.ch/
i'm quite a bit excited and nervous about it. i hope that everything will go ok, also the travel (3h drive). i do have my desires and wishes to become an Oblate, but God's will be done.

are there any Oblates here on PM?

addendum. the homily during mass really touched me yesterday nite - taking your cross. being a sunday disciple, or a disciple every minute of existence? becoming an Oblate (or wanting to) is my answer to Christs's call; call that i'm finally heeding after so much time, so many years of unhappy circumstances that led me elsewhere, doubts and physical hindrances.

I am not an oblate but I have a great fondness and attachment to the Benedictine spirituality. I think one of our PM'ers puellapachalis might be an oblate. Welcome to VS!

I read The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris, and noticed that she is an Oblate.

I don't really know much about Oblates--What does it exactly entail? It sounds really interesting!

An Oblate is sort of like a "third order benedictine" except that its not a "third order". Oblates follow the same Rule as benedictines in habit, as close as they can as thier circumstances allow. They become attached to a given monastic community and participate in its life as much as you can.

Hello all! Although I am not an oblate with the Benedictine order, I am in the process of application/discernment to become an associate of the Sisters of Providence, a beautiful congregation an hour east of Indianapolis. (Our most recent American saint, St. Mother Thedore Guerin is their foundress). In case anyone is interested, the associate program accepts applicants from all over the United States and involves various retreats, days of reflection, as well as having a sister-companion for spiritual reflection and someone to walk with you on your journey. They take applications May through June every year, and since it is a relatively new program, it is very exciting to be in this apostolate of the Sisters, helping laypeople connect more deeply through their association with the Sisters of Providence. If anyone is interested, you can visit
http://www.spsmw.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?3208&...t_contentID=669
which goes directly to their FAQ on Associates and you can navigate the page from there. God bless!

St. Mother Theodore Guerin, pray for us!
Our Lady of Providence, pray for us!

“I say to you, my dear sisters, that Jesus in the Sacrament of the Eucharist is as tender and as vigilant for us as he was for his apostles.” -Saint Mother Theodore Guerin