Oblates of St. Benedict continue to meet in Ogden and Price

Friday, Jan. 09, 2015
Oblates of St. Benedict continue to meet in Ogden and Price
Intermountain Catholic
+ Enlarge
A window honoring the Sisters of St. Benedict who served in Ogden was installed in 2013 in Holy Family Parish. Shown from left are Benedictine Sisters Jean Gibson, Mary Zenzen, Stephanie Mongeon, Luke Hoschette and Danile Knight, who were some of the last Benedictines to live in Utah. Since leaving, Sr. Mary Zenzen has visited Utah to meet with the Oblates. Sr. Stephanie Mongeon also has returned through the past year to attend various functions associated with St. Benedict's Foundation or Ogden Regional Medical Center.IC file photo
By Marie Mischel
Intermountain Catholic

SALT LAKE CITY — When the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict had their monastery in Ogden, they established two groups of Oblates, which are lay men and women who associate with the religious community but do not take vows and continue to live in the secular world.
Although the sisters left Ogden in 2013, the Oblates remain. There are 33 members in the two groups, one in Ogden, the other in Price.
“I think the Oblates and the Rule of Saint Benedict create you to be the person God created you to be,” said Mary Iverson, who became affiliated with the Benedictines after she moved with her family to Utah in 1994.
Oblates follow the Rule of Benedictine, practicing moderation, committing themselves to continue conversion to Christ, and are called to daily prayer. 
The Rule allows for flexibility; there are no strict  directives to follow. “You do what you can depending on your state in life,” said Iverson, who along with Sr. Judine Suter and Sr. Virgene Marx took the formation to become a spiritual director. She also volunteered at the Benedictines’ retreat house, and eventually returned to school to obtain a counseling degree.
“One of my counseling goals was to see Christ in each of my clients; as the Rule of St. Benedict says, to see all people as Christ themselves,” she said.
Iverson’s service to the Church has now expanded so that she is involved with the Diocese of Salt Lake City’s prison ministry and she visits the Davis County jail in Farmington to offer a weekly communion service. There she sees “Christ in everybody,” she said; although sometimes she sees people in shackles, she views them as a church family.
In addition, Iverson volunteers at Ogden Regional Hospital. When she shares a picture card of the sisters and tells people there that the Sisters of St. Benedict continue to pray daily for them, “they say, ‘Oh, really?’ Then there’s always a story that goes with it” about how the sisters were present for the patients, Iverson said. “It’s just so much fun to hear the legacy that they do have. I think that the love they’ve given over the years still remains in Ogden. It’s a binding factor to a lot of people.”
The Oblates meet every two months for a spiritual discussion. 
“We’ve really had wonderful discussions since the sisters left about how to apply the rule of St. Benedict to your daily life,” said Marcy Thaeler; she and her husband became Oblates in 1999.
For example, during Advent they talked about what Christmas present they would give to Christ, and how their life would change if they opened the door and Christ stood there, she said. 
Sister Laureen Virnig, the Oblate director from Saint Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, Minn., and Sister Mary Zenzen, who had been at the Ogden monastery and now is at the Minnesota monastery, have visited the Oblates in Utah, said Sister Karen Rose, a spokesperson for the monastery. “We do see that Benedictine charism and spirit still being lived out by people in the area,” she added.  
Newcomers are welcome to join the Oblates of St. Benedict in Ogden or Price. The next meeting is Sunday, Jan. 18 at 2 p.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church, 1100 East 5550 South, Ogden. For information, contact Mary Iverson, 801-520-9092.

For questions, comments or to report inaccuracies on the website, please CLICK HERE.
© Copyright 2024 The Diocese of Salt Lake City. All rights reserved.