On The Net

'On the Net' is a monthly column in the paper version of The Tablet. The articles are written by Lavinia Byrne.

Retreats in cyberspace

Lavinia Byrne
11 March 2006 

Spring is in the air, so time to clean the windows – in both senses of the word. An amazing piece of free software is available for download at ccleaner.com that makes the task simple. The program has four different tools, each of which will make a Lenten impact on your computer’s inner being. Once installed the software can be used regularly to keep you up to speed. There are other free programs online but CCleaner is easily ahead of the pack and setting it up can only do your PC good. So take the time to download and use it.

Freedom, space and solitude are three requirements for another seasonal observance – the one-day retreat available online from the Irish Jesuit Sacred Space website at sacredspace.ie. The intention is, “in the words of St Ignatius Loyola, ‘to find fruit’ for oneself at this particular time” and the format of the day is simplicity itself. Alternatively, try the devotions to St Francis Xavier with a Novena of Grace at sacredspace.ie/novena and reflections for the 500th anniversary of his birth at sacredspace.ie/sfx2006.htm. March’s theme is “Action without study is fatal; study without action is futile”, for we read: “Beside studies, Xavier was given lessons in riding, fencing and pelota, the national ball game. One biographer noted: ‘Not only had Francis won the challenge game against the most noted pelota-player of the Pyrenean valleys, he had also cast the javelin further than any thrower there, and in the barefoot race he had given his rivals a start and beaten them easily’.”

While searching for a good set of online Stations of the Cross, I discovered another Ignatian retreat at creighton. edu/CollaborativeMinistry/cmo-retreat.html where a 34-week experience of the Spiritual Exercises can also be downloaded to your hand-held personal organiser. This use of advanced technology to enable busy people on the move to access the web’s resources seems to me wholly admirable. Prepared by the Collaborative Ministry Office at Creighton University, it is one of a cluster of Lenten and other devotions available free of charge. The Stations of the Cross at that website are available in either English or Spanish and blend traditional piety with a contemporary slant. Or share the children’s version at cptryon.org/prayer/child/stations/index.html with its reassurance that “you do not have to think of all of the Stations of the Cross on one day.”

A British reader advises me that further religious resources for children are available at the Teachers’ Enterprise in Religious Education website at tere.org. She writes: “The website has been developed by teachers over the last six years. It offers resources for whole school Catholicity: spiritual development, thought for the day, collective worship, etc. More specifically, it has details of the syllabi for religious education from the age of three to 14 based on the Religious Education Curriculum Directory (RECD) of the Bishops’ Conference. Details of the published resource The Way, the Truth & the Life can be found in the section on publications. Recently we celebrated the completion of this series for three- to 14-year-olds. The new interactive section for primary schools is proving very popular with pupils. Over the next six months we plan to develop online interactive resources for Key Stage 3, GCSE, A Level and General RE in the Sixth Form.” This excellent website bristles with resources and is definitely one to watch out for. All it lacks is a comprehensive search button. Attractive images, both to lighten the impact of so much textual information and to provide us with some visual content, would also enhance the site.

Contact mailto:laviniabyrne@btinternet.com with your ideas for review.

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