This year’s Oblate Retreat was, in important ways, the same as usual – a good retreat director, a theme that provoked reflection and spiritual growth, and Oblates of our monastery gathered in community. However the present pandemic required a vastly different approach – an on-line retreat and gathering via Zoom. While the format prevented the typical sharing over meals and in the guest houses, the on-line format did allow for connections to be made and rerenewed. It also allowed for the presentation of excellent retreat content from Sr. Mary Jo Polak, OSB, of Sacred Heart Monastery in Yankton, SD. Sr. Mary Jo’s retreat was centered around the theme of “Matters of the Heart in the Rule of St. Benedict” in which she explored with the Oblates the many references that St. Benedict made to the heart as he composed his Rule.
The retreat closed with the Oblates renewing their promises in a ceremony led by Sr. Tonette Sperando, Prioress.
