STUDENT OBLATES
Students at Mount Michael have the opportunity to gather together in prayer and grow closer in relationship with God and St. Benedict through the Student Oblate program.
student oblates
In Benedictine circles throughout the world, the Oblate program is one of the fastest growing groups in Benedictine communities.
What is an oblate?
Literally translated, an “oblate” is an offering, or someone who offers themselves to God. In the world today, Oblates of St. Benedict are everyday people who seek to live extraordinary lives of devotion. Because Oblates of St. Benedict offer themselves for the service of God in their everyday lives, they come from and continue to live out their faith in all walks of life. They might be farmers, office or industrial workers, homemakers, bankers, health care workers, lawyers, teachers, and here at Mount Michael, our students have the opportunity to become Oblates of St. Benedict as well.
Oblates take no binding vows, but they dedicate themselves in a special way to live as balanced Christian people, offering witness to the world of Christ’s transformative power. What sets them apart from other devoted Christian people is their special way of living out an enriched Christian life, according to the Gospel as reflected in the Rule of St. Benedict. This unique experience for our students allows them to dive deeper into their faith life and to build a relationship with God, St. Benedict, and their fellow oblates
Mount Michael reopened the student oblate program in 2017 and has seen great success and growth within the program. One Mount Michael student said: “It is a way to be a monk without actually being a monk.”
Students interested in becoming oblates can meet with Br. Jerome Kmiecik OSB, who spends time on Wednesdays in the Sokol building meeting with students to discuss the life of St. Benedict. Mount Michael also encourages parents of students to join the adult oblate group so that they can join their sons in deepening their spiritual life.
Hear from our students who have chosen to become Student Oblates
“From my first day at Mount Michael I was interested in the Rule of St. Benedict, the founding document of Benedictine monasticism. Through the Oblate program I grew to appreciate the depth of this short book and how it is still being applied to our understanding of living in community and managing people.”
“One of my favorite Oblate practices is Lectio meditation. Mindfully reading a passage of scripture gives me the deliberateness I need to more completely examine and connect with the message. I see God’s presence in the words and phrases that catch my attention, and the format of Lectio gives me time to contemplate their significance. My personal silent meditation practice is strengthened by this scripture-focused process. As Bro. Jerome often says, Lectio helps us, “listen with the ear of the heart.”
“I just finished my first semester of my first-year at Tufts University in Boston. I was appointed by the Protestant Chaplain to the University Chaplaincy Inter-faith Student Council, where I’m working with students across faith traditions in coordinating on-campus events and interfaith awareness.”
“A final connection spanning Mount Michael and Tufts is the mission statements of both institutions. The motto of the Benedictine Confederation–the governing body of the Rule of St. Benedict–is “Pax,” or peace. Tuft’s motto is “Pax et Lux,” or peace and light. With Mount Michael serving as my peaceful foundation, I’m continuing to discern the light at Tufts.”
“My interest in oblation started in chapel last year when we prayed the vocational prayer and we said “as monks and oblates of this house.” I then looked up what oblates were on the Mount Michael website and was interested because it could also give me insight into monastic life as a student. This year I came to the first meeting of the youth group: Men of Benedict (it was led by Br. August last year) and Fr. John and Br. Jerome explained more to us about what oblates were and said that if we wanted, we could become oblates. I instantly knew I wanted to become an oblate and stuck with it.”
“I love being able to come to our group’s meetings and pray with Fr. John, Br. Jerome, my classmates, and every so often the monastic community. I especially love praying vespers. The whole community singing in prayer is beautiful. I also really like lectio because with school stressing me out it’s the best way to relax and calm down.”
“I hope to attract many of my classmates to the school’s oblate group. I hope that I can not only get very religious people to join but also those who aren’t as active in their faith. I also hope to attract “cool kids” because then many more will want to join (ice cream works every time). Being an oblate would help a lot of these classmates cherish and stick with their faith at the time that they normally wouldn’t.”
“My path to becoming an oblate started when Brother Jerome and Father John had the first Men of Benedict meeting of the year in September. Brother Jerome and Father John were taking the program in a new direction, so instead of just showing the students monastic life, we could really become involved. The end goal for the year was to become and oblate of Mount Michael abbey. And so, over the next eight months, five other students and I prayed lectio divina, sang vespers with the monks, and learned the Rule of Benedict to a greater degree. Around the start of May, Brother Jerome asked us if we were going to take oblation at the end of the year. Tentatively I said yes. I didn’t really have a reason as to why I said yes other than I thought it would be cool to be an oblate. I took my oblation with the other five students and took the name Romanus. It didn’t really sink in as to how I was now a part of the community until Brother Jerome called me Brother Romanus.”
group photos
2016-2017 School Year: Left to Right: Drew Goddard ’17, Riley Goddard ’19, Cole McNally ’20, Abbot Michael, Patrick Fayad ’19, James Crotty ’19, Andrew Nigro ’18
2017-2018 School Year: Trevin Detwiler, Dash Wedergren, Kolton Koubsky, Alex Payne, Evan Schroder, Abbot Michael, Ben deMayo, Will Janecek, Ben Goetz, John Scholl, and Sid DeMayo.
2018-2019 School Year: From left to right — back row —Henry Gnann, Andrew Carelton, Quinton Mohr, Abbot Michael, Gerald Righter, Sebastian Cardenas, Andrew Skaggs. front row — Ben Rempe, Wyatt Walters, Marc Fayad, Ben Quinlan, Ian Miller
Fall 2019-2021: Top Photos: New Oblates: Jacob Sykora (11), Luke Wooten (12), Rocco Zimmerman (10), Jack Giitter (12), Nick Coldiron (10), Colin Robb (12). Bottom Photos: Aaron Karnish, Carter Pearson, Conor Connealy, all with Abbot Michael.
2022-2023 School Year: Left to Right: Sebastian Duran ’23, Will Brewster ’23, Drew Van Haute ’23, Jack Dustin’23, John Farrell’25, Leo Dustin ’25, James Hoarty ’25, Sebastian Santa-Maria ’23. (photo insert: Tiet Yual ’24)