Twiturgy

I have no first-hand experience of Twitter (“a free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time”), but from what I’d heard, I judged it to be one enormous waste of time, promoting a kind of “communication” which is quite at odds with monastic values – superficial, over-frequent, and unnecessary.

But now there is Twiturgy. Sign up for this, and at each of the seven “hours” every day you will will receive, via text message, a “twitter” containing a short phrase of Scripture.

Two things about this strike me as very monastic indeed.  First, it is rooted in the Word of God, as are all the Hours of the liturgy.  Secondly, it connects people with the Word at regular intervals through the day, which is exactly what the Liturgy of the Hours does.

So it seems that “staying connected through short status messages” is not always a bad thing. 

I would love to hear from anyone who has signed up for Twiturgy – what has been your experience of it?

Breaking the Great Silence

I’m sorry – it’s been too long since I posted!

I have been away from Glencairn for a few weeks, serving as a secretary at the General Chapter of our Order.  This meeting of all the abbots and abbesses of the Order which takes place every three years.  This year it was held at a convention centre run by the Franciscans in Assisi.

The most important matter at the Chapter was the election of a new Abbot General, to be the head of the whole Order.  On Sept. 8th, in a prayerful and peaceful atmosphere, the electors chose Dom Eamon Fitzgerald, abbot of Mount Melleray Abbey, right here beside us in Co. Waterford, to fulfil this role.

Dom Eamon leaves to reside at our General House in Rome next Sunday.  Yesterday he visited us here in Glencairn.  We celebrated with him and assured him of our prayerful support in his new ministry.

You can read more about the General Chapter here, and about Dom Eamon’s election here.