So was the French poet and playwright, Paul Claudel. The German commander at the Battle of Monte Cassino during World War II was an oblate. And so were St. Thomas More and St. Thomas Becket. But one needn't be well-known to become an Oblate of St. Benedict. Many men and women who will never have any claim to fame have been and are oblates.
Most oblates are ordinary lay people.
But diocesan clergy may also adapt The Rule of St. Benedict to their way of life. An oblate is someone who wants to practice what St. Benedict taught. Although his Rule was written for monks, its Christian principles can be applied by everyone else. An Oblate of St. Benedict is associated with a particular Benedictine community. The Oblate Director keeps in touch with oblates by sending them instructional letters and by meetings at the monastery.