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Oblate Novices: Praying with Oblate Texts

Oblate Novitiate, Godfrey, IL

Originally Published on OMIWORLD.ORG

(This article has not been translated into Español as yet)

By Frank KUCZERA, OMI

Frank KUCZERA, Novice Master at Immaculate Heart of Mary Novitiate in Godfrey, shares with us a prayer project put together by Novices. Writing on behalf of all who contributed to this project, he hopes that “this prayer enriches your spiritual life as much as it has enriched ours.”

During the Novitiate year of 2017/2018, our novices wanted to work on a project together. After several options, they suggested to take the Liturgy of the Hours and enhance it with our Oblate texts. They researched St. Eugene’s writings, Constitutions and Rules, as well as texts from our General Chapters. It has helped us to deepen our Oblate Charism reflecting on our own Oblate texts.

The project took few months to put together. It contains morning and evening prayers with the same order of psalms you find in typical Liturgy of the Hours, except for the translation. We wanted to use inclusive language, so the translation is taken with permission from The Ecumenical Grail Psalter and the Canticle of Zachariah and Canticle of Mary from Benedictine Sisters of Erie.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Novitiate Community with Fr. Frank Kuczera, (2nd from right) and Fr. Louis Studer, OMI

From the beginning, this prayer has been designed to be used individually or collectively in community by all of us, Oblates, Oblate Associates, and other Members of our Mazenodian Family. It is designed to be an option, another tool for us to use as we journey together deepening our Oblate charism. This has always been our hope in praying and working on this project. Over the last few years, this prayer has been updated several times. The responsory was added, as well as the texts from our recent 37th General Chapter “Pilgrims of Hope in Communion.”

As it is right now, our prayer covers the four weeks of Ordinary Time. The hope is to include seasons (Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter) in the future and eventually translate this prayer into other languages. We hope that this prayer enriches your spiritual life as much as it has enriched ours.

On behalf of all who contributed to this project.

Here’s the link to the Oblate Prayer

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