The North American Association of Benedictine Oblate Directors will hold its biennial meeting at Saint Meinrad Archabbey. About 90 or so oblate directors plan to attend. Speakers have been selected, and the cadre of volunteers to assist at the meeting is being assembled. The theme of the meeting is “Embracing Creation with Reverence and Hospitality: Listening to Scripture and Rule Speak.”

July 11, 2011:
A day of recollection for oblates at Saint Meinrad will feature Fr. Noël Mueller, OSB, as the presenter of “Serving under an Abbot and a Rule,” a servant-leadership reading of the Rule of St. Benedict.

September 2-5, 2011:
The New York oblates will celebrate their annual Labor Day weekend retreat with Br. John Mark Falkenhain, OSB. The retreat title is: “Grace and Nature: The Human and the Divine in the Rule of St. Benedict.”

September 10, 2011:
The Lancaster, PA, day of recollection in the Amish country will have Br. John Mark Falkenhain, OSB, speaking on “Grace and Nature: The Human and the Divine in the Rule of St. Benedict.”

September 14-24, 2011:
Br. Maurus Zoeller, OSB, is hosting a “Benedictine Pilgrimage to Athens and the Greek Isles,” visiting Athens, Istanbul, Mykonos, Patmos, Ephesus, Rhodes, St. Nicholas, Santorini and Corinth. It includes a seven-day cruise to the Greek Isles and Turkey. A deposit of $600 per person (make check payable to Nawas International) will hold a reservation. The total cost (round trip from New York) is $2,449 per person. Contact him at Saint Meinrad Archabbey, 100 Hill Drive, St. Meinrad, IN 47577, phone (812) 357-6674, or e-mail mzoeller@saintmeinrad.edu for brochures and information.

November 27, 2011:
The day of recollection for New York oblates will have Fr. Brendan Moss, OSB, as the presenter on “Following the Path that Leads to Life!”

December 9-11, 2011:
The Oblate Retreat at Saint Meinrad is scheduled to have Archabbot Justin DuVall, OSB, as the presenter on “Under a Rule and an Abbot: The Human Face of Monastic Life.”

March 20-22, 2012:
The March Retreat for Oblates will be presented by Fr. Timothy Sweeney, OSB, on “Lord, who may abide in your tent and dwell on your holy mountain?” from Psalm 14 (15), as found in the Prologue to the Rule of St. Benedict.

April 29-May 8, 2012:
Br. Maurus Zoeller, OSB, is hosting a 10-day pilgrimage to the Canadian Rockies by train. Highlights will include British Columbia, Westminster Abbey Tour, Vancouver, VIA Rail, Jasper Columbia Icefields, Lake Louise, Banff and Calgary. Fr. Meinrad Brune, OSB, the oblate director, will be the chaplain for this trip. Contact Br. Maurus at (812) 357-6674 or mzoeller@saintmeinrad.edu for trip costs and brochures.

September 3-13, 2012:
Br. Maurus is also hosting a pilgrimage to Ireland. Archabbot Justin DuVall, OSB, will be chaplain for this trip. Contact Br. Maurus at (812) 357-6674 or mzoeller@saintmeinrad.edu for trip costs and brochures.