oblātiō

Oblātiō comes from the Latin verb offerre (to offer, to carry toward), with the past participle oblātus. The ob- prefix means 'toward,' ferre means 'to carry.' An oblation is something carried toward — toward God, toward an altar, toward a recipient. The word entered Christian liturgical vocabulary early. By the fourth century, oblation referred specifically to the Eucharistic offering: the bread and wine presented to God during the Mass.

Medieval monasticism gave oblation a second, disturbing meaning. Parents offered their young children to monasteries as oblates — human oblations. The child was presented at the altar during a ceremony, sometimes as young as five or six, and entered monastic life permanently. The practice was common from the sixth through the eleventh centuries. Benedict of Nursia's Rule included provisions for oblates. The Venerable Bede was given to Monkwearmouth monastery at age seven in 680 CE. He never left. He became one of the greatest scholars of the early Middle Ages.

The practice of child oblation declined after church reforms in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, which increasingly required that monastic vows be taken voluntarily by adults. The word narrowed back to its liturgical meaning: the offering of bread, wine, and monetary gifts at the Eucharist. The offertory — the part of the Mass when these oblations are brought forward — preserves the word's root meaning: carrying something toward the altar.

Modern oblates are adults who voluntarily associate themselves with a monastic community without taking full vows. Benedictine oblates, Franciscan oblates, and other religious orders maintain oblate programs worldwide. The word has come full circle — from voluntary offering to involuntary child-giving to voluntary adult association. The carrying-toward is now chosen, not imposed.