That's kind of Monkish

Tonight, 2/2/2019, at Vespers for the Synaxis of the Righteous God-receiver Simeon and Holy Prophetess Anna, I made a vow.

The vow was to initiate my first year as a Novice Oblate of St. Benedict, administered by and with the blessing of my Priest and spiritual father.

What does that mean? 
Oblates are lay persons or clergy living and serving Christ in the world, who wish to model their lives on the Rule of Saint Benedict, in affiliation with a monastic community. Oblates are sometimes known as "third-order monastics." At the conclusion of the rite, I became "Brother Arsenios of the Benedictine Fellowship of Saint Laurence."

Essentially, I will commit to prayer, "Lectio Divina" or meditative Scripture reading, and to study and live by the Rule of Saint Benedict. During the first year, the Novice year, I will be assigned a mentor and will go through a sort of study program where I will complete a brief lesson each month and answer some questions about what is covered in the lesson. At the end of the first year, if I feel like the call to be an Oblate is confirmed, I will make another vow and become a regular Oblate.

Subsequently, I will renew my vow each year. Vows and association with the monastery and everything about this is completely voluntary and of my own free will, and can be ended at any time.

Who is Saint Benedict?

Saint Benedict is a pre-schism saint of the West who lived in Italy and reposed in 547. He is regarded as "The Father of Western Monasticism" and is credited with preserving the faith and culture of the West through the dark ages by creating monasteries that provided education and preserved holy texts while the

 empire crumbled.

St. Benedict saw the monastery as a family, and so the Rule applies well to families in the world as well as monastics who have "left the world" and thus, the status of Oblate is available for people who feel called to it, but who, for whatever reason, can't leave all things and become "first-order" monastics, or monks proper.

For a very good look at this saint, you can read a Master's Thesis written about Saint Benedict HERE.

Oblates (from the same root as "oblation" or "offering") seek to "present your bodies as a living sacrifice" (Rom12:1) through prayer and the Rule.

The Monastery

I am affiliated or attached to the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America's Monastery of Our Lady and Saint Laurence in Canon City, Colorado, a part of the Western Rite Vicariate.

More about Oblates and the monastery can be found here:
https://www.ladyminster.com/photos

FAQs
Am I becoming Roman Catholic?
No. St. Benedict and his rule are Orthodox, from the time when the Church was One Body united throughout the world.

Am I a monk?
No, but I am "monastic" or monk-like. I don't wear a cassock or alb, I'm not moving into a monastery. I am trying to live according to a monastic rule as far as reasonable within my current station in life. I promised to pray twice daily (at least), read the Scriptures and the Rule of St. Benedict daily.

Am I going to the Western Rite Vicariate?
No. I will continue to pray from the Eastern Orthodox Horologion and observe the Eastern calendar. When I make pilgrimages to my monastery, the monastery I have been attached to via my rites, I will pray the Western rite prayers because that's what they do.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Please pray for me!