Photo: Sister Sarah has been appointed Congregational oblate director and looks forward to expanding online resources for the oblate program.
Sister Sarah Schwartzberg, OSB, took on a new leadership role in 2012 as Congregational oblate director for the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.
Oblates are Christians who affiliate with the Benedictine Sisters and strive to live according to the Rule of St. Benedict in a way they can apply it to their own lives.
“I have found in them a source of inspiration and support,” Sister Sarah said. “I hope that they find the same in us.”
As Congregational oblate director, Sister Sarah will develop relationships with oblates, maintain records, coordinate with individual community oblate leaders and serve as the Sisters’ representative with the North American Association of Benedictine Oblate Directors.
She takes the reins from Sister Jean Frances Dolan, OSB, who retired after 20 years at the helm and is enjoying her time with the other Sisters at the Congregation’s Our Lady of Rickenbach healthcare facility in Clyde, Mo.
Sister Sarah brings with her a wealth of experience that will assist her in connecting with the Congregation’s oblates who reside around the world.
She most recently served as oblate director for the San Benito monastery in Dayton, Wyo. While at that position, she led classes on several Benedictine Saints and on the practical implications of the Rule of Benedict as it applies to oblates. She uses some of those materials, along with her extensive studies of the Scripture, in her new role.
Among her goals is to update the oblate website, to increase online resources to make greater use of the online forum.
Taking on a new job isn’t the only change for Sister Sarah this year. The assignment meant leaving behind the smaller Wyoming community, which is nestled among the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains, and settling in at the Sisters’ motherhouse in the rolling hills of northwest Missouri.
“The most obvious difference is the larger size of the Clyde community,” Sister Sarah said. “Life at Clyde tends to be more formal in many ways, but both communities share the same basics and spirituality.”
Learn more about the Benedictine oblate program at www.BenedictineOblates.com or calling Sister Sarah at (660) 944-2221. |
