We have a monthly meeting to support those who are involved in the Benedictine life, including oblates from  the two Anglican Benedictine Communities in Australia. the meetings are usually held at St George’s. We try and meet once a month to provide a support for those who are called to follow the Benedictine way whilst living in the world.

Our next meeting of our Benedictine oblates will be on Thursday 19 March, 2026.

This is a good little clip about oblates from PBS in the USA.

Extract from the Guidelines for Oblates

In June 1971, a group of Directors of Oblates came together at St. Procopius Abbey, Lisle, Illinois, to consider how Benedictine Oblates might best be served in the light of Vatican II. One year later a second meeting was held, this time at St. Mary’s Abbey, Morristown, New Jersey, to review papers that had been written in the interim and to exchange ideas pertinent to Benedictine Oblates.

The second meeting resulted in a document of Guidelines for Oblates of St. Benedict, and this document has since been generally endorsed by a considerable number of Directors of Oblates in North America. It is intended to serve as both Constitution and Guidelines for the spiritual life of Oblates, and it is hoped that its availability will assist all Directors of Oblates in their efforts to interest men and women who, while retaining their position in the world, wish somehow to identify with a given Benedictine monastery or convent.

Constitution

1. Oblates of St Benedict are Christian men and women admitted into spiritual union and affiliation with a Benedictine community of monks, nuns, or sisters so that they may share in the spiritual life, prayers, and good works of the community.

2. Oblates do not usually live in the monastic house of the community, yet they remain one with the community while they continue faithfully to carry out the duties of their particular state in life and occupation, wherever they may be. We are therefore not concerned here about those who wish to live as Oblates with the community in the abbey or convent itself. Such cloistered Oblates must qualify for community life, be accepted by the vote of the community, and be ready to work and pray under the same conditions as the monks, sisters, and nuns themselves.

3. Within the framework of their daily lives in the world, Oblates strive to lead full Christian lives enlightened by personal efforts to understand Christ’s teaching in the Scriptures as interpreted by St Benedict in his Rule for monks. Oblates are guided and inspired by their continued spiritual association with the monastic community.

4. Oblates are a “spiritual arm” of the Benedictine community, reaching out into all areas of life, seeking to share with others what they themselves gain as Oblates of St. Benedict. Their affiliation with a community of monks or Benedictine women is not therefore for their own personal good alone. It is chiefly by their Christian example, even by their very presence among others, that they hope to bring St Benedict’s ideal of service to God and man into the world where they live and work.

5. Since Oblates of St. Benedict primarily offer themselves for the service of God and others, they will therefore strive for God’s honour and glory before all else, keeping in mind the Benedictine motto: “That in all things God may be glorified.”

Oblates New sheet for February

The Benedictine GROUP

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Daily Rule, Daily Office, Sacramental Life

In so far as our state of life allows

Lent II, 1 March, 2026

My apologies for the late newssheet, I was unable to attend the last meeting so the notes from this meeting are from Meg Clare Parker.

On Saturday, 14 February there were 5 of us gathered in the chapel at my place: Fr Martin, Joan Teresa, Suzanne Joan, Sylvia and I. Catherine rang through her apologies. 

Joan took the service of Morning Prayer around 11.30 am. Suzanne read the chapter of the Rule for the day. Joan then rang the Angelus, and we followed up with the office of Sext.

Afterwards we ate a shared lunch in my living room. We talked first about the Rule, which had been about the Sunday office of Vigils, and recalled Matins at CCK. Joan brought some books which had been posted to her by Helen Mary, which included 2 books by Joan Chittister and a large print Book of Common Prayer (1662). Joan had also brought some copies of insets she had made for the daily office book which saved some page-turning.

Sylvia is keen to make her Oblation in July. She has taken away one of the spare scapulars I saved here, and will alter it to fit.

Father Martin brought news about Jane Lee-Barker, apparently, she is in hospital receiving treatment for leukemia.

We also discussed the problem of what to do about the tunes we used to use in CCK for the Benedictus, Magnificat and Vespers psalms. Joan is afraid that in time they may be lost because we don’t really use them now, and nothing is written down. Father Martin suggested we might be able to find some of the tunes on the net if we google “Plainsong Chants”.

In the evening I had a call from Joan Teresa with news about the Victorian oblates. Their Chaplain has retired and they must seek a new one.

Blessings

Meg Clare

My thanks to Meg Clare for taking the notes. We met again on Thursday, 19 March, the Feast of St Joseph, at St George’s Goodwood, starting with mass at 12 noon. I attach a small paragraph from a recent email from the Abbey at Norcia 

From Dom Benedict Nivakoff, O.S.B., Abbot of San Benedetto in Monte

The Lenten Ember Days mark a moment of intensified recollection within the great fast of Lent. The temptation — especially for monks — is to try to quantify that “focus,” as though Lent were another Olympic contest and perhaps, with sufficient effort, we might advance from bronze to gold. St. Benedict’s quiet reminder that a monk’s whole life is meant to be a continuous Lent steadies us. It tempers the competitive instinct. After all, a man would quickly collapse if he imagined himself running a lifelong spiritual marathon. The essence of the spiritual life is always Quaerere Deum — to seek God. The Ember Days, and Lent as a whole, invite us to seek Him more intentionally, which is to say: to let Him seek us.

I look forward to seeing you then.

God bless,

Fr Scott.