The period of a year or more as an Oblate novice gives the person time to become acquainted with the spirit of the Rule of St. Benedict and to let its values have a transforming effect on one's Christian life. At the end of this period, if the Oblate novice discerns an ongoing call to follow the Benedictine way, he or she may apply for Oblation. It is the Act of Oblation that formally makes one an Oblate. The Oblate then continues to share in the prayers and works of the monastic community, to grow in communion with other Oblates, and to live out the promise of ongoing conversion in Christ, with an ever more persistent turning to Christ in the daily decisions of one's life. This growth in Christ, achieved by God's grace, comes about as monks and Oblates, who belong to the extended family of the Archabbey, offer mutual encouragement to one another to seek God by embracing the values proclaimed in the Rule of St. Benedict .
Oblates are monasticism's gift to the world .
I hope that through this statement all Oblates will come to appreciate who they are. The Oblates are indeed a gift and have much to give to the world, a world which is seeking and searching for its ultimate salvation. The Oblate stands between monasticism and the world as a mediator, linking the two, drawing them together, bringing to the world the values which monasticism holds up as important for the Christian way of life. Oblates especially have understood the close relationship between monastic life as envisioned by St. Benedict and the ordinary Christian life in the world. Affiliating themselves with monastery and convent, they provide a vital link with the world as they reach out to bring hope and inspiration to those struggling to find Christ in the midst of a sinful world.