Gerald W. Schlabach

GeraldSchlabach.Net

Menu
  • About
    • Interview
    • Mennonite Catholic
    • Benedictine
    • Bridgefolk
    • A few convictions
      • A statement of faith
      • On Christian education
      • On the “core questions” for a liberal arts education
    • Family mission statement (1996)
  • CV
    • Table of contents
    • Personal data
    • Education
    • Books published
    • Articles in peer-reviewed journals
    • Articles in other journals & anthologies
    • Conference papers & public presentations
    • Other publications
    • Professional experience
    • Service activities
    • Professional organizations
  • Commentary (blog)
  • Articles
  • Books
  • Talks
  • Poetry, etc.
  • Resources
    • Dom Hélder Câmara
      Speeches to the Mani Tese Youth Movement, 1972
    • Courses
      • Syllabi
    • Handouts
      • A sense of history: some components
      • The ten commandments of good historical writing
      • Tips on reading Thomas Aquinas
  • Contact
Menu

Benedictine

iconbenIn May 1998 I became a Benedictine Oblate as a concrete way to affirm the sense in which I consider myself a “Catholic Mennonite.” Benedictine oblates are people who are not monks but who dedicate themselves to the service of God and neighbor according to the Rule of St. Benedict, insofar as their state in life permits. One always makes this commitment in relationship to a specific Benedictine community — in my case Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minn.. Specific practices include lectio divina, praying the Psalms through some portion of the daily liturgy of hours, and working in the world as unto God. Benedictine values are ones my own Mennonite community has shared since its beginnings in the sixteenth-century Anabaptist movement: simplicity, hospitality, and peace.

Members of the Order of St. Benedict have been quite adept at presenting themselves on the web, and so I have no need to duplicate resources available elsewhere. Many of the links below will lead to additional resources. These are here simply to share some of the ones that first helped me explore Benedictine spirituality.

Benedictine basics

  • St. Benedict
  • Order of St. Benedict home page
  • The Rule of St. Benedict
  • Benedictine communities

Benedictine spirituality

  • A 20-Minute Novitiate by Fr. Harry Hagan OSB
  • Benedictine Spirituality: An Introduction
  • Catholic, Benedictine Values in an Educational Environment,
    by John Klassen, OSB; Emmanuel Renner, OSB; and Mary Reuter, OSB

Oblate pages

  • What is an oblate?
  • St. John’s Abbey oblate page
  • St. Vincent’s Archabbey oblate page
  • Oblate formation booklet
  • “Stability in the World: An Oblate’s Reflections” by Gerald W. Schlabach

Other resources and links

  • “The Vow of Stability: A Premodern Way through a Hypermodern World,”
    by Gerald W. Schlabach (longer version of article above)
  • “Learning the Ancient Rhythms of Prayer“, article in Christianity Today by
    Arthur Boers
  • Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today by
    Joan D. Chittister, OSB — the best book I’ve read yet on Benedictine spirituality

 

Recent posts

  • Washing All Our Relatives’ Feet:
    A Homily for Creation Care
  • Of Elves and Theologians
  • Where Have You Gone, Malcolm Gladwell?
    An Open Letter
  • A Pilgrim People:
    Becoming a Catholic Peace Church
  • Ars Profetica
  • We Are All Monks Now
  • The Mystery in Ordinary Churches

Search

Affiliations

  • Bridgefolk
  • Catholic Nonviolence Initiative
  • Department of Theology, University of St. Thomas
  • St. Peter Claver Catholic Church

Scholarship

  • Academia.Com
  • Catholic Peacebuilding Network
  • Catholic Theological Society of America
  • Society of Christian Ethics
  • The Tolkien Society

Archives

©2025 Gerald W. Schlabach