The Oblate Monastic Summer Studium has been thoughtfully redesigned to deeply engage Benedictine Oblates with the rich values of prayer, study, community and reflection over three inspiring weeks (5-24 July). This immersive program features three mini-courses exploring the contemporary challenges of living Benedictine values in a digital world which is more and more dominated by Artificial Intelligence (Week I), living Benedictine spirituality in a world of religious pluralism (Week II), and integrating daily life with the profound beauty of liturgical and devotional prayer (Week III). Augmenting this transformative experience, participants will embark on pilgrimages to iconic Benedictine shrines around Rome, including St. Paul’s Outside-the-Walls and the shrine of Saint Benedict at Subiaco. The all-inclusive fee covers tuition, room, board and access to all organized activities, with generous personal time for prayer and exploration in the heart of Italy. This unique opportunity invites Oblates to deepen their spiritual life, connect with a vibrant Benedictine community and experience the enduring treasures of Benedictine prayer, study and hospitality at the Headquarters of the worldwide Benedictine Confederation.

Participants are reminded that this three-week adventure includes a significant amount of walking. Comfortable shoes and dress are encouraged.

Week I: Tower of Babel or the City of God? (6-10 July)

Instructor: Rev. Patrick Carter OSB

This course will examine a Catholic outlook on technology, based on Biblical, philosophical and theological roots. Attention will be given to see the contemporary challenges of Artificial Intelligence in the context of a broader Catholic worldview.

Father Patrick Carter OSB is a monk of Clear Creek Abbey in Oklahoma where he entered in 2007. He is currently serving in Rome as the secretary to the Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation and a professor of moral theology at Sant’Anselmo. He received a doctorate in Thomistic Theology from the Angelicum in 2023, and has worked as a digital consultant for a number of different Benedictine groups. Before entering monastic life, he studied philosophy and theology and worked for two years in the nascent wine industry in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.

Week II: Benedictines and World Religions (13-17 July)

Instructor: Rev. Cyprian Consiglio OSB Cam

This week focuses on living an authentic Benedictine spirituality in a world of religious pluralism.

Father Cyprian Consiglio OSB Cam is a Camaldolese monk, musician, composer, author and teacher. Besides his numerous musical collections, he has published three books for Liturgical Press and his latest two, Rediscovering the Divine and Epiphanies of Nature and Grace, for Orbis Books. He has also written numerous articles on spirituality and interreligious dialogue as well as on music and liturgy. He has been to India numerous times as well as many other countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Mideast, performing as well as studying and teaching. He served as prior of New Camaldoli Hermitage from 2013 until 2023 and currently lives in Rome where he serves as the international secretary general of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue (DIMMID) for the Benedictine Confederation.

Week III: Living Liturgically (20-24 July)

Instructor: Rev. Eusebius Martis OSB

These sessions address the question of integrating daily life with the profound beauty of liturgical and devotional prayer. It integrates the characteristically Benedictine approach of contemplation with insights from sacramental theology.

Father Eusebius Martis OSB is a monk of Marmion Abbey and professor at Sant’Anselmo’s Pontifical Institute of Liturgy. He is the editor of the Mundelein Psalter, and co-author with Christiopher Carstens of Mystical Body, Mystical Voice: Encountering Christ in the Words of the Mass. He has written numerous articles on liturgy and sacramental theology, presented retreats, workshops and conferences in the United States, Canada and Europe. He is former director of the Liturgical Institute at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake and professor of Sacramental Theology at Mundelein Seminary.