This past weekend I began the process of becoming an oblate with Sacred Heart Monastery (SHM) in Cullman, Alabama:
http://www.shmon.org/. Oblates commit themselves to relationship with a specific monastery and promise to live out the values and practices of monastic life so far as they are able given their life circumstances. My participation in SHM's annual oblate weekend marked the beginning of a year of inquiry into Benedictine oblate life. After a year of inquiry I will be eligible next oblate weekend to become
a candidate and to engage in a more structured year of reflection and
study of Benedictine life.
It was wonderful to pray, eat, and talk with the sisters and to meet others who are now oblate candidates and many who have been oblates for years. I have been drawn to religious life since I was a young girl so the opportunity to pursue a long-term relationship with a monastery is exciting. I look forward to this year of inquiry and will share here how this experience goes. Below are some photos of the retreat center at SHM.
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