Oblaty - in Christian monasticism (especially in Catholicism , Orthodoxy and Anglicanism ) are private individuals or communities of people who devote their lives to serving God, following a certain monastic tradition, but without becoming monks . At the moment, the term oblata has two generally accepted meanings:
- Individuals, laity or clergy , leading their usual way of life in society, but preferring to build their own lives in accordance with certain monastic rules, although without making any monastic vows , that is, in the strict sense of being monks . They make a promise to abide by the rules of the monastery or monastic order with which they associate themselves in their private life, to the extent that the circumstances of life allow it. Oblasts can also bring promises identical to monastic vows (renewing them once a year or immediately for a lifetime, or not making any promises at all - depending on the traditions of the monastery with which Oblates associate themselves), but unlike vows , they are not so strict and their violation does not lead to canonical punishments . The cloisters do not constitute a separate religious order as such, but are considered an expanded part of the monastic community. They are comparable to the tertiary , associated with various monastic orders in Catholicism, but to a milder extent.
- The term oblata is also used in the official name of some religious and monastic institutions, as an indication of their sense of devotion to God.
Among the most famous regiments were the 12th king of Germany, Henry II the Saint, St. Francis of Rome , the poetess Kathleen Norris, and the American anarchist Dorothy Day.
Content
Origin and History
The term Oblata had different meanings at different periods in the history of the Church. In the early period, this was the name of children who, according to the vow of their parents, were ordained to serve God and lived in Benedictine monasteries from an early age, and the Church treated them like monks. In 656, the 10th Toledo Cathedral forbade the admission of children under the age of 10 to monasteries and allowed them to leave the monastery after they reached puberty, if that was their desire. After the 10th Toledo Cathedral, the term puer oblatus came to be used, which meant oblatas that did not reach puberty and were able to leave the monastery in the future [1] . Later, the term Oblata began to mean elderly people who retired from the royal service and lived at monasteries or beneficiaries in almshouses [2] . In the XI century, Abbot William of Hirschau introduced converters into the monastery, which were divided into two categories: fratres barbati, taking monastic vows, but not monastic tonsure , and oblati, who were workers and servants in the monastery, voluntarily executed the monastery rules, but not took monastic vows.
In the future, due to numerous reforms of the church and monastery structure, the difference between fratres barbati and oblati disappeared, and they began to be called simply envelopes . Cassin Benedictines , for example, made a fundamental distinction between conversi, commissi, and oblati. Conversi, converters in the proper sense of the word , made solemn vows and wore a scapular , commissus brought simple vows, dressed like monks, but did not wear a scapular , oblati made a vow of obedience to the abbot, devoted their life to the monastery, but wore a secular dress.
By the middle of the XVII century, the statuses of conversus and commissus were leveled, since those brought their vows only for a year (with the possibility of extension) and were actually indistinguishable, with the exception of clothes, from oblatus of past centuries. Thus, in the late Middle Ages, the statuses of oblatus, conversus and commissus (as well as confrater and donatus) become interchangeable and mean anyone who, for his generosity or labors in the monastery, has received the privilege of membership in the brethren, remaining a layman, with a share in prayers and labors monastic brotherhood.
The canonical Church knew only two differences in the status of monks: the first between the monks themselves and the cloisters, the second between the cloaks "mortuus mundo", that is, "dead to the world", who gave himself to monastic service without a trace, and "plene oblatus", which retained personal freedom and the right to property and property.
Current status
Secular Oblasts
In modern practice, many Benedictine communities have a greater or lesser number of secular regions. These are clergymen or laity affiliated with a particular monastery of their choice, having made promises (lifelong, or annually renewed) to abide by the rules of St. Benedict in their private lives at home and at work, but only to the extent that the circumstances of their life can allow it.
Oblasts are in personal relations with the monastic community and are not objects of application of canon law, that is, no church laws regulate their appearance, lifestyle and behavior.
Conventional wraps
There are a small number of oblatas that reside in the monastic community. They carry prayer and household works on a par with the brethren of the monastery, without receiving any material reward for this, they can have robes similar to those of the monks, but they do not take vows and do not become monks, and therefore they can leave the monastery at any time.
Monastic Congregations
There are several Catholic monastic congregations that use the word “oblata” in their name or in an expanded version of their name. These are not oblatas per se, and should not be confused. Among the oblast congregations, the largest and most famous are:
- Immaculate Virgin Mary Oblacion Missionaries (OMI)
- Obl. Francis Salsky (OSFS)
- Obl. Joseph (OSI)
- Oblates of the Virgin Mary (OMV)
Notes
- ↑ https://www.jstor.org/pss/553067
- ↑ http://phonoarchive.org/grove/Entries/S13475.htm (link not available)
See also
- Benedictines
- List of Catholic Orders and Congregations
- Benedictines (Orthodoxy)
- Western rite in Orthodoxy
Links
- Oblates of Saint Benedict
- Oblates of the monastery of Christ the Savior - in the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.
- Oblates of the North American Antiochian Archdiocese - North American archdiocese of the Latin rite of the Antioch Orthodox Church.
- Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
- International benedictine oblates
- Oblate Sisters of Providence