On the Feast of St Benedict Alexander made his final oblation. He is shown here displaying his chart which, just like the monastic profession of vows, is written out by the oblate in his/her own hand, signed on the altar and then laid there while Mass is celebrated. It is a powerful reminder that that we are the living stones of the Church, the true oblata which must be united with the offering of Christ himself. The medal that he is wearing is the medal of St Benedict. Those we give our oblates come from Monte Cassino, where we took care to have them blessed by an English abbot (local patriotism demanded as much). In case you are wondering, Saturday's oblation took place in Alexander's own chapel rather than the monastery oratory: he jetted back from Italy the night before so it was a case of catching him before he took flight again. Fortunately, not all our oblates have to travel quite so much! Today's podcast takes up the theme of what the oblate is and does. There are many ways of being Benedictine. Common to all is the humble, persevering search for God, following the teaching of St Benedict.