Our Mission

As a Benedictine Oblate, I became part of an international group of everyday people who have promised to live their lives guided by the Rule of St. Benedict. While we are attached to a monastery and meet regularly to pray with and learn from each other, our lives are lived secularly in homes, schools, and offices. Each Oblate group is a bit different reflecting the character and charism of its local monastery but we all look to the life lessons found in the Rule for guidance.

There are over 100 oblate groups in North America. Each Oblate group is guided by a leadership team which can include a vowed religious individual as the Oblate Director or by a team of Oblates with the advisory support of a vowed religious individual. In the early 1970’s recognizing the need to develop a community for the leaders of the Oblate groups across the country The North American Association of Benedictine Oblate Directors (NAABOD) was founded. Over the years NAABOD created a forum for Oblate Directors and to share information about their programs, learning from each other. Providing for the ongoing spiritual growth of Oblates has been and is a consistent topic. Bi-annual conferences, held at various monasteries, can be a time to explore ideas and methods as well as sharing moments of prayer and reflection.

As the leadership models for the Oblate programs began to change to involve more non-vowed religious NAABOD also changed to include non-vowed religious Oblate leaders in the conference experience. Discussions at the conferences expanded to include questions regarding models of leadership in addition to other topics such as community involvement, both inside and outside of the monastery.

At the most recent NAABOD conference in July of 2024, I was elected president of the association. The first Oblate to hold the position. My election reflects changes both for NAABOD and for some monastic communities as Oblates continue to take on more active roles. NAABOD continues to create a community for the leaders of Oblate programs to gather together, sharing and reflecting on the ongoing needs of our communities as we together seek God and support each other in love.

I am grateful for this opportunity and excited about our future.