Reflections

Slide 1:Reflections, Resources and Recommendations

For Benedictines and their Friends Visiting the Web Bro. Richard Oliver, OSB 27 September 2002 This presentation was prepared initially for the National Oblates Director�s meeting at Collegeville, 2001, by Ms Lucy Johnson OblSB and Bro. Richard Oliver osb.This presentation was prepared initially for the National Oblates Director�s meeting at Collegeville, 2001, by Ms Lucy Johnson OblSB and Bro. Richard Oliver osb.

Slide 2:Three Themes

The webpage as a dwelling: principles of cyberhospitality Sharing information, teaching, transmitting text: resources for Oblates Using the web to create community

Slide 3:Section One: Cyberhospitality

Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ, for He is going to say, �I came as a guest, and you received Me� (Matt. 25:35; RB 53:1).

Slide 4:Approach to webpage design

Look, Ma, what I can do!!! Web page as product Where I am compelled to be cool and sport the latest. I can�t do this!!! Let�s forget it.

Slide 5:Another View

A web page at its best becomes a welcoming portal for those who are searching for different kinds of information. The web weaver builds and maintains a comfortable, accessible, updated space. The web �porter� manages the questions, inquiries, communications from visitors.

Slide 6:Resources for Web Weavers

www.osb.org/welcome.html General philosophy and links to helpful sites. http://employees.csbsju.edu/roliver/scrip/ The Scriptorium, Abbey Web Office practical tips for HTML authors

Slide 7:Resources for Web Porters

�Webkeepers: Twenty-first Century Monastic Porters� by Diana Seago, OSB, and Linda Herndon, OSB in Benedictines www.mountosb.org/cyberporters.html Benedictine Internet Report (Jan. 1998) www.osb.org/bic/report.html

Slide 8:Message and Technique: what is your goal?

A technically sophisticated site: http://www.farnboroughabbey.org/ A simple site: http://www.benedictinesisters.org/ An intermediate site: http://www.sbm.osb.org/

Slide 9:Section Two:Transmitting Information

�...let all occupy themselves in reading� RB 48.

Slide 10:Scribes Old and Newhttp://employees.csbsju.edu/roliver/scrip/scriptoria.html

Complaints fatigue not creative boring text Blessings lectio divina indoors stability Complaints standards browsers hack work Blessings lectio divina worldwide stability

Slide 11:ResourcesAcademic & Spiritual

Saint Benedict Rule of Benedict Dialogues, Bk II Historical Overview ABA * AMN General Information Liturgy * Chant What�s New RB Daily Daily Reflection Universalis Blue Cloud Lectio Divina Retreat Centers Oblate Formation Monastic Websites

Slide 12:Anglican Benedictineswww.osb.org/intl/angl/

Communities living according to the Rule of Saint Benedict Communities living in the spirit of Saint Benedict Selected Anglican Resources Friends of Saint Benedict and The Benedictine Experience

Slide 13:Prayer and Spirituality

"In the sight of the Angels I will sing praise to You" (Ps. 137), RB 19.

Slide 14:The Liturgy of the Hours (1)

Reading and Psalm Cycle for the Liturgy of the Hours, from Mount St. Scholastica in Atchinson, Kansas (with commentaries for the readings) http://www.mountosb.org/ Exellent resource about �short� breviaries www.kellerbook.com/

Slide 15:Liturgy of the Hours (2)

You can pray the liturgy of the hours from your computer screen at www.universalis.com You can listen to the liturgy of the hours at www.monksofadoration.org/audiolit.html

Slide 16:Monastic Spirituality

New Melleray Abbey�s Primer on Monastic Spirituality contains instructions on lectio divina and contemplative prayer. The link below will take you to their index page. To find the Primer choose the �Vocations� folder. www.newmelleray.org/

Slide 17:Contemplative Spirituality (1)

An Interreligious site by David Steindl-Rast, OSB www.gratefulness.org/ A wonderful prayer site by the Irish Jesuits www.jesuit.ie/prayer/

Slide 18:Contemplative Spirituality (2)

The site of the Taize community. Contains the songs and prayer instructions. www.taize.fr/en/index.htm Instruction and information on centering prayer at Contemplative Outreach Ltd. www.centeringprayer.com/

Slide 19:Lay Benedictine Spirituality

�Listening and Responding: Benedictine Spirituality in Non-monastic Contexts� by Wil Derkse www.stthomas.edu/cathstudies/logos/derkse.html �Catholic, Benedictine Values in an Educational Environment� by John Klassen, OSB; Emmanuel Renner, OSB and Mary Reuter, OSB www.osb.org/acad/benval1.html

Slide 20:Information for Oblates

and Benedictine Friends

Slide 21:Oblates� Reference Site

At the OSB website, information and links about Oblates www.osb.org/obl/

Slide 22: Manual, Constitutions for Oblates

Saint Vincent Archabbey, PA: Formation Manual www.osb.org/sva/obl/ Saint Andrew�s Abbey, CA: �What it Means to be an Oblate,� and Oblate Constitutions www.valyermo.com/oblates1.html

Slide 23: Camaldolese Oblates

The eremetical branch of the Benedictines includes a Rule for Oblates at the website www.camaldolese.com/

Slide 24:Internet Oblates

Oblates of the World Community for Christian Meditation. Laurence Freeman, OSB Monastery of Christ the King London, England www.wccm.org/obl01.html

Slide 25:Of Historical Interest

�The Benedictines�  by Dom David Knowles OSB LittD (1896-1974) www.osb.org/gen/knowles/ �The Origin of the Oblates� from the Oblate Manual (1955) www.saintjohnsabbey.org/obl/info/oblhistory.html

Slide 26:Oblate Newsletters Online

Slide 27:Various Styles of Newsletters

Saint Walburga Abbey www.walburga.org/oblates.html St Procopius Abbey www.procopius.org/spirituality/oblates/1stOblatePg/1stoblatepg.html Saint John�s Abbey www.osb.org/oblate/ Benedictine Sisters of Clyde, Missouri. www.benedictinesisters.org/c6.html Some monasteries (like Blue Cloud) use a listserve

Slide 28:Section 3: cybercommunity

�...for the strongest kind of monks, the Cenobites� (RB1).

Slide 29:Benedictine Interest Listserves

OSB-L at listserv@vm.marist.edu Low volume general Benedictine list MonasticLife at http://groups.yahoo.com/ High volume, lively list offshoot of OSB-L Oblateforum at http://groups.yahoo.com/ A list for Benedictine Oblates

Slide 30:Benedictine-related Interests

Center-l at listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu About the practice of centering prayer. Quiet to lively Interreligiousdialog at http://groups.yahoo.com/ loosely connected with MID, mostly book discussion And many others�

Slide 31:You Could Start Your Own Group

It is easy to do at places like http://groups.yahoo.com/ even if you are not technically savvy, and don�t have listserv software You could also run your own listserv, but the advantage of the Yahoo site is that one can do everything on the web, and one�s mailbox does not get cluttered

Slide 32:Shameless Advertisement

The OSB Website Store www.cafeshops.com/osb

Slide 33:Appendix

Choosing an ISP Internet Service Provider

Slide 34:Choosing an ISP / Web Server

Setup Fee (rare? waived?) Monthly Fee (AOL: $21.95/mo.; $239/yr.) Duration (stability) Disk space / storage Hit limits Statistics (WebTrends, analysis software) E-mail: 6-12 usernames; AOL: 5 screen names FTP (file transfer protocol)

Slide 35:Choosing an ISP (2)

HTTP 2 (hypertext transfer protocol) CGI (common gateway interface) or ASP (active server pages; M$) Active X XHTML Front Page Extensions Audio files Video streaming List management Chat Instant Messaging