Leadership Options Considered at Oblate Renewal Day

Approximately 60 oblates of Mount St. Scholastica met on Saturday, October 7, 2023, for Oblate Renewal Day. Oblate Judith Valente gave a presentation on the 2023 International Benedictine Oblate Congress recently held in Rome. She was a member of the planning committee for the Congress. Coming from 26 countries across the world, 154 oblates were in attendance at this gathering. Pope Francis addressed the Congress and said,

“You are called to transform your everyday settings wherever you live, by acting as leaven in the dough, with skill and responsibility, and at the same time, gentleness and compassion.”

Pope Francis

Judith asked, “Will we be given the tools to do this? Will the role of oblates be enlarged? Will there always be sisters at the Mount?” She reported from the Congress that new forms of leadership must be developed for oblates. Some ideas included establishing mentorships, creating a world newsletter for oblates, making greater use of social media, setting up an oblate database, organizing support groups for oblates, and holding regional oblate congresses.

Judith identified other actions that oblate groups could take now that were discussed at the Congress. These included the consistent study of the Rule of Benedict, creating regular opportunities for lectio divina, holding regular meetings, creating an oblate leadership model, taking courses online, pairing monasteries together, inviting friends to bed and breakfast at our monasteries, making communal prayer walks to Benedictine sites, and creating a “listening apostolate” with young people.

The Benedictine non-negotiables for this work were determined to be listening, hospitality, prayer, simplicity, ongoing conversion of life, and humility. The most important action that oblates can take in these endeavors is to set a Benedictine example and be a witness for Benedictinism in our daily lives.