You may have wondered what an Oblate is and what is their connection to the Abbey.
We currently have 50 Oblates, both men and women, attached to Buckfast Abbey and they are Catholics who are inspired to undertake an observant life inspired by the Rule of St Benedict. Obviously, the constraints of time affect the amount of time they can give up to pray the daily office so the minimum they should adhere to is Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer.

They also should be regular attenders at Mass more than once a week, Read daily the word of God in the Bible, Reflect on the Word with the help of Magnificat or Bible alive which are published monthly, and by Personal Prayer and Meditation.
In so doing they try to absorb into their lives something of the spirit of St Benedict. They are helped by the support of other Oblates who meet regularly at the Abbey to pray together and listen to talks by monks or just to discuss aspects of theology. For example, we recently explored some of Abbot Anscar’s theology which is still highly regarded today.

There are Oblates attached to most of the Benedictine monasteries and individuals are attracted to one which suits them best. When you start your Oblate journey, you become a Novice Oblate for a year and see if it’s the sort of spirituality for you. If you decide to commit you make your Act of Oblation on an Oblates Retreat Day so that your fellow Oblates can witness and welcome, you.

We even have an Oblates WhatsApp group to help us keep in touch with one another. If you would like to attend one of our meetings you can contact us on oblates@buckfast.org.uk

Members of the National Oblates team will be holding their next meeting at Buckfast on the 8th and 9th May. The Abbot Primate is very keen to raise the profile of Oblates worldwide as there are now significant Oblate communities in Asia and Africa. There are plans for a meeting of National Oblate coordinators in 2027 and a World Congress of Oblates in 2030.