On Sunday, June 8, 2025, five new candidates made their Final Oblation and three Oblates renewed their Oblation with St. Paul’s Monastery. While the Final Oblation celebrates ten months of intentional prayer and study with the Rule of St. Benedict and the Benedictine values, in many ways it is just the beginning of a life-long journey.
During Evening Prayer where the candidates make their Final Oblation, they make this promise: I offer myself to Almighty God as an Oblate of the Sisters of St. Benedict of St. Paul’s Monastery. I promise to dedicate myself to the service of God and God’s people according to the Rule of St. Benedict in so far as my state in life permits.
As many Oblates will tell you, we often make this promise while not really knowing what this will look like in our lives. Fortunately, we do not have to figure this out on our own. We have the prayers, love and support of other Oblates, the Sisters and the rest of our community to companion us. We offer their own words as a reflection of what a blessing these new Oblates are to St. Paul’s Monastery and the Oblate community.
“When I first started to explore becoming an oblate at St. Paul’s Monastery, my motivation was for a deeper exploration of Benedictine spirituality, a better understanding of how this could inform my working and home life, as well as a desire for more intimacy with God and continued spiritual formation. And I found all of that during the formation process. What I also received was a sense of belonging to a beautiful community of sisters and oblates with a rich heritage and vibrant legacy. To spend time at St. Paul’s Monastery is to feel like family; to feel a part of something much bigger than myself that moves with the rhythms of prayer and praise and meaningful work. It feels like coming home.” – Amanda Berger
“Becoming an Oblate fills me with such joy and peace. I feel that I am part of a beautiful community committed to loving and welcoming everyone, every being and all of creation. I am overflowing with gratitude that God led me to St Paul’s monastery and the path of the Oblate. ” – Sheryl Gamble
“I would happily recommend the program of Oblate Formation with St. Paul’s Monastery. I have found the program to be most helpful in uncovering the depths of the Rule. The different points of focus really opened up the ways the Rule translates the mundane tasks of daily life to reveal how God is in everything. Nothing is valueless. The program of formation, in other words, brings a deepening awareness of what lies hidden in plain sight. ” – Martin Warren
“I know I’m in a different place than I started last August. I feel more centered and at peace in my prayer life.” – Elaine Eyre
