Conditions for becoming an Oblate
Effective January 1, 1996

1. The person must have been an Oblate novice for a full year. (In certain situations, with the permission of the Director of Oblates, the period of time may be reduced by up to one month by reason of difficulty of travel or some other extenuating circumstance.)
2. The Oblate novice must have undertaken at least two practices as described under E below.
3. The Oblate novice must submit to the Director of Oblates a written summary, at least two paragraphs long, stating:
a. how he or she has grown as an Oblate novice and has undertaken the required practices (plus other recommended ones, if desired), and
b. how he or she hopes to continue to grow closer to Christ and the Church as a full Oblate.
As in C.3. above, the person may seek the assistance of another trusted Christian if articulating a. and b. in writing is found to be difficult. [See the form in VII.E below.]
4. The Oblate novice must participate in the authorized ceremony of Oblation including the Act of Oblation, with the approval of the Director of Oblates. At this ceremony one may choose to take on an "Oblate name" which may be the name of any saint whose friendship and assistance one wishes to invoke on ones journey of faith. This optional name has no legal status and is not normally used even in gatherings of Oblates but has personal significance in terms of one's Oblate commitment. (N.B.: Many Oblates opt for the name of a Benedictine saint; see VII.G below.)

During the Oblate novitiate of a year or more, the Oblate novice should attest to having carried out (1) below, which is required of all, plus at least one of the other practices listed under (2), over and above what he or she was doing before investiture as an Oblate novice. These norms became effective on January 1, 1996, and are not retroactive.

Required/Recommended Practices for the oblate novitiate before readiness for final oblation.

(1) practice to be undertaken by all:
studying and reading a portion of the Rule of St. Benedict at least weekly and trying to apply the passages to one's daily life; one should read the Rule reflectively as lectio divina and study it with the help of a commentary or at meetings with one's fellow Oblates. [Note that the pocket-size translation by Leonard J. Doyle published by Liturgical Press has a suggested reading for each day of the calendar year.] (See RB 66:8)
(2) other recommended practices (fulfill at least one):
(2a) praying the Liturgy of the Hours (especially Morning and/or Evening Prayer) at least 3 days a week (with a monastic or parish community, with one's own family from a breviary, or alone from a breviary) (See RB 19:1-2)
(2b) practicing lectio divina at least 3 days a week (See RB 48:10-16, 22)
(2c) making a retreat of at least several days or making at least 3 days of recollection (See RB 49:1-3)
(2d) contributing in a significant way to a project that improves the natural environment for one's community or parish (See RB 31:10-12)
(2e) participating actively in a movement that works for peace and justice in ones local community, one's country, or the world (See RB Prol:14-17)
(2f) undertaking in a specific and regular way one of the spiritual or corporal works of mercy: instructing and advising in the ways of faith, consoling, comforting, forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently; feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, burying the dead (See Mt 25:31-46; RB 31:9, 4:14-19)
(2g) helping to build up one's parish family or civic community by con-crete, regular involvement in a parish or community project (See RB 58:24-25)
(2) contributing one's services to St. Vincent Archabbey, any of the parishes staffed by the Archabbey, or St. Emma Monastery in a concrete way and over an extended period of time (See RB 72:7-12).
(N.B.: St. Emma Monastery is the community of Benedictine women in Greensburg, PA. From 1931 to 1987 many of the sisters worked in the kitchen and dining areas at St. Vincent Archabbey and became very close to the monks.)