The Benedictine Oblates in Tucson are notable for their enthusiasm and diversity which enrich their gatherings usually on the third Sunday of the month. With about 40 participants, we study our Benedictine tradition through such themes as Prayer, Work, Humility, Stability, Conversatio Morum, and Obedience. A small group started spontaneously to meet for group lectio divina each Saturday morning during the summer, when regular meeting were not scheduled, and has continued for months since then.

Monthly Meetings

Tucson Oblate Newsletters
The Tucson Oblate Director publishes a monthly newsletter for the Tucson oblates. The current and archived issues of this newsletter are available here.

Group Lectio
Date: Every Saturday
Time: 10:15 AM

The Saturday morning Lectio group will not gather during May, June and July. They will resume on August 1.

For more information contact:

Sister Lenora Black, OSB - Oblate Director
Phone: (520) 325-6401

Affiliated with the Tucson monastery are a small chapters of Oblates in Prescott, Arizona, and two rapidly-growing Oblate chapters in Phoenix, Arizona.  For more information contact:

Prescott, AZ: Nancy Hinshaw - (928) 445-1271
Phoenix (Central): Mary Gibson - (602) 954-8408
Phoenix (East Valley): Nancy Kaib - (480) 883-8025

On Saturday, August 9, the Phoenix, Arizona, Oblates celebrated their 10th anniversary. Srs. Lenora Black and Joan Therese Anderson joined with them for Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, with Lauds and Lectio Divina following. The celebration continued with breakfast, then a talk by Fr. Patrick Farley about the influence of St. Benedict on his life.

Mary Gibson, then an Oblate of Sacred Heart Monastery, Yankton, SD, single-handedly started the Phoenix group ten years ago with Barbara Singer as her first inquirer. Mary introduced Sr. Lenora, who then announced the glad tidings that Patty Williams would be our delegate to the second World Congress of Oblates in Rome in October, 2009. Patty has worked enthusiastically with Mary in the formation of Oblates in both the Phoenix Central and Phoenix East Valley groups. Michael Schroeder, who is moderator of our Oblate Forum will be a delegate for the National meeting of Oblate Directors and Oblates at St. Vincent’s Archabbey, Latrobe, PA, next summer.

Praying Lauds
Mary Gibson		Patty Williams		Michael Schroeder

On April 6 Sr. Lenora and Sr. Joan Therese went to Prescott, AZ, to meet with the Oblates there. They were happy to welcome two new Oblates who made their oblation.

From left to right: Sr. Joan Therese, Susan Stokes,
Nancy Hinshaw (director), Elaina Flann, Sr. Lenora.

On December 16, Oblates from Phoenix joined with the Tucson Oblates at the monastery for a renewal day. Sisters of the monastery joined them for a light breakfast when they arrived. At noon, in the presence of the monastic community in Chapel, five inquirers from Tucson were enrolled as candidates, beginning a year of study of the Rule of Benedict. Four candidates from Tucson who had completed their year of study made their oblation, as did three candidates from the Phoenix Central group and three from the Phoenix East Valley group.

Sr. Lenora Black welcomes new Tucson Oblate candidates: George and Nancy Mairs, Pat Pettis, Barbara Dugan and Daniel Lobato
Laurie Zentner, new East Valley Oblate receives her Oblate pin		Pat and Chuck Pettis (Tucson) Sr. Lupita Barajas and Mike Schroeder (East Valley) at breakfast
Tucson Oblates making their Oblation
Kathryn Nutt, Laurie Olson in back		Ruth Ann Konen
Laurie Olson and Frank Frisina
New Oblates from the East Valley: Marilyn Collins, Carlene Jenner, Laurie Zentner, Associate Director Nancy Kaib
New Oblates from Phoenix Central: Associate Director Mary Gibson, Stephen Bushard, Rosemarie Oliver, Victor Meijers, Patty William (Mary’s assistant)
Mary Gibson congratulates Carlene Jenner		Phoenix Oblates with Sr. Joan Therese Anderson (end of table)