Internet-wise nuns. A Benedictine oblate blog

Click Here to Zoom Map

The Benedictine nuns of Holy Trinity Monastery in East Hendred, Wantage, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom were established in 2004 — an Internet-generation monastery for sure. They have an excellent and constantly expanding Internet presence or should I say Internet cloister.

The Holy Trinity Monastery nuns are cloistered which means the nuns live enclosed or shut away (Latin: clausura) from the world. But their enclosure is a physical one, certainly not a spiritual one. We might even say that their physical separation strengthens their spiritual work for God in the world.

The Internet supports the nuns’ cloistered life while making their works of words, pictures, audios, and videos instantly available to everyone in the world. Cloistered monasteries often have a room with a lattice-work screen or grating separating themselves from the parlor where guests may come to talk with the nuns. Today, that screen is often a computer screen for thousands of visitors to these nuns in England.

Some of my favorite pages on their web site are:

1. FAQs on becoming a nun. Fascinating description of this monastery’s heart and soul.

2. A way to shop online in England that generates income for the nuns

3. Two videos of Bible teaching

4. Trinity Audio Lectures 2009. These three talks were the subject of my previous blog.

5. A pretty Digital Book of poems about Mary. When the book opens adjust its location on the screen with your mouse and then freeze the dimensions by clicking on the Eye-looking icon in the Navigation Bar at the top of the book, then click on DRAG. Otherwise the default view will constantly move about the page.

6. Message Board (Online Interactive Forum) for Benedictine oblates.

I believe that “it is important, too, that people at all levels of the Church use the Internet creatively to meet their responsibilities and help fulfill the Church's mission. Hanging back timidly from fear of technology or for some other reason is not acceptable, in view of the very many positive possibilities of the Internet.” The quote is from the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Social Communications, 2002.

The Holy Trinity Monastery nuns are not hanging back nor are they timid. Way to go nuns!

__________________________

Footnotes:

Picture is Copyrighted by Google, See Terms of Use