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 will be on Saturday 17 June at Joan Magdalene’s house at Goolwa at 11 am.

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

St Benedict’s Day

We will keep this the Saturday near the feast of St Benedict on 11 July. This year it was on 9 July, 2022. Mother Lesley McLean was our guest preacher.

St Benedict is considered by many to be the founding father of religious orders in the Western Church. The Rule that he wrote for his community of monks in the 5th century is still relevant in today’s world for monastics and lay people alike.

Throughout the year St George’s offers hospitality to a group of oblates – lay people associated with a religious order – for whom the Rule of St Benedict provides a guide for daily living in ordinary life.Each year we invite members of religious orders, together with oblates and associates, to join us for a Mass in honour of St Benedict. This is followed by a shared lunch in the Parish Hall.

THE BENEDICTINE GROUP

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Daily Rule, Daily Office, Sacramental Life

In so far as our state of life allows

18 May, 2023

It was a joy to have the oblates here at St George’s today to celebrate the feast of the Ascension. We had twelve here for mass in total with the six oblates, and apologies form Emily Harding (who is ill at the moment, and receiving treatment for leukemia), Bev Armstrong, Meg Clare, and Julie Mary. Love also from Carrie Paul in Tasmania.

On the feast of the Annunciation, 25 March, we hear how Mary accepted God’s call for her to be the Mother of God. By her will and choice, God entered into our human lives. Yet the life of Christ, his crucifixion and resurrection, would only be records of his life, unless they opened a new way for us to live. The Ascension is God’s acceptance of us, by taking Our Lord bodily into heaven God accepts us. Through this acceptance the promises of the resurrection are offered to us – we are accepted by God, and we are offered a way into the life of the divine God. In the words of St Athanasius in his work “On the Incarnation:” “For the Son of God became human so that we might become God.”

During the mass we also renewed the promises of Joan Magdalene for her companionship of Julian of Norwich. It was wonderful to see the words of Julian “All shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well” on the screen used at the coronation of the King. Her feast day, 8 May, is also special to me as it is the anniversary of my induction as Rector here at St George’s.

The reading from the Rule today was from chapter 3, on calling the brethren for counsel. The rule has a superior being elected, but decisions of that superior are not voted upon. The superior has to discern what is God’s will for the Community, and takes counsel, but in the end the decision has to be made in the fear of God and observance of the rule, and is not dependant on a vote. We all must learn to accept decisions made for us, at work and in the Church, and at times we must accept them in obedience more than joy; a harsh lesson we all learn in humility.

The notes from the Quiet Day at Camperdown were circulated to members. Our prayers are with the Camperdown oblates as they discern their future.

We record the death of Fr Roger Kelly, the Victorian chaplain to the CCK oblates. Our prayers for the oblates as they seek a new chaplain. We give thanks for Fr Roger’s ministry with those oblates. Our prayers with Kerrie Therese also as she prepares to move.

Fr Scott drew attention to the members that we are receiving newssheets form the Roman Catholic Benedictine Priory at Colebrook, Tasmania, and they are at the back of the church.

Joan Theresa told the group of her meeting recently with an oblate from the Wantage Sisters, from Natal, South Africa.

Jane Lee Barker mentioned her meeting with the oblates at the Washington Cathedral in the USA – does anyone have further details concerning them?

Our next meeting will be on Saturday 17 June at Joan Magdalene’s house at Goolwa.

God bless,

Fr Scott