Benedictine spirituality for cveryday life

St. Benedict of Nursia

I was recently asked what is an ‘Oblate of St. Benedict’ and what does this entail for an ordinary lay person?

​Oblates of St. Benedict are Christians, lay or ordained, who, committed to the living of their faith and while continuing to live their own state in life, desire to make their own the values expressed by Benedictine monastic life. Core to Benedictine spirituality are a balance of prayer and work, loving relationships with others, and active participation in the sacramental life of the church.

In our Diocese, we have active groups of Oblates in Calgary and Medicine Hat who for 30 years have been spiritually associated with Mount Angel Abbey in St. Benedict, Oregon. ​Ron Kaczmar is one such Oblate and his story of encountering Benedictine Spirituality is featured below.

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Discovering the Benedictine Spirituality
by Ron Kazsmar
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One evening about 10 years ago following a Knights of Columbus meeting I mentioned to my colleague Len that something was lacking in my spiritual life. He asked whether I had ever considered becoming a Benedictine Oblate. I had no idea of what he was talking about!

As Providence would have it, the Calgary Oblates had begun holding their monthly gatherings at my home parish of St. Albert the Great two months earlier. At Len’s prompting I decided to come to the next meeting.

Two things stood out for me that night. The first was the level of hospitality and fraternalism, imbued with a sense of reverence not unlike that exhibited by my brother Knights. I immediately felt at home.  

I would go on to learn that hospitality is one of the key characteristics of Benedictine spirituality because, as St. Benedict states in his Rule, “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ.”

This aligned very closely with my own lived experience in the home of my family of origin. I cannot recall a time that we did not have someone living with us as guests of my parents. Some stayed for a relatively short time while another stayed more than five years. I did not realize it at the time, but my parents were living Benedictine spirituality.

The second thing that stood out was the virtue of moderation.  The ‘reading at table’ that night pertained to moderation, and I learned that Benedictines are required to exercise moderation in everything including “moderation in moderation.” I now try to apply this virtue in the way I eat and drink, as well as moderating my many vices, especially pride. Ultimately this leads to learning to live with less and trusting that God will provide us with what we need rather than with what we want.
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As I became more familiar with The Rule of St. Benedict, the monastic virtues of Obedience and Humility became friends to embrace rather than enemies to be avoided. These virtues are the best remedy to the poison of pride and help us properly to ‘fear the Lord.’ Thanks for leading me to these lessons, Len.

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Submitted by Mark Richard, Oblates of St. Benedict members in Calgary.  Mark lives in Calgary with his wife Patricia. He is an active member of St. Michael Catholic Community and involved in faith formation, outreach programs, and providing spiritual direction. Mark has been a Benedictine Oblate since 2009.

If you would like to learn about how to incorporate Benedictine Spirituality into everyday life, please join us on Saturday June 10, 2023, from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm at St. Albert the Great Parish with speaker Fr. John Paul Le, a Benedictine Monk from Mount Angel Abbey, Oregon. Mass will follow at 5 pm. No registration is required and there is no cost to attend. For more info, contact Patricia at (403) 630-1312.