Podcasts and Virtual Chapter Recordings
Here you can listen to our most recent prayer podcast or Virtual Chapter recording. The prayer podcast is updated regularly, usually every Sunday or Monday.
Prayer Podcast for Ash Wecnesday 2010
Most recent Virtual Chapter: 21 January 2010, on Vocation
Taking Part in a Virtual Chapter
Chapter is the name given to a meeting of the monastic community. Traditionally, it opens with prayer, a reading from the Rule of St Benedict or some other form of input (often a talk or conference given by the superior), and then proceeds to a discussion of the business of the community. All the professed take part and the subjects discussed can be wide-ranging.
We have taken the idea of the monastic chapter and given it a slightly novel twist. Web conferencing proved a useful way of keeping in touch with our oblates and associates, especially those who live a long way from the monastery. Naturally, like our own community chapters, these online meetings are private; but since November 2009 we have been experimenting with web conferences open to all. We call these Virtual Chapters. Our hope is that they will enable people to discuss questions about monastic life, applying the Rule of St Benedict to their own lives and so on. Some of the earlier chapters were subject to technical glitches but we seem to have got the system working properly now and have had participants from America, Australia, Canada and Japan as well as the UK. One of the things we like about these Virtual Chapters is that they are comparatively green in energy terms and free for all to take part in. We are planning the 2010 series: if you would like to suggest a topic, please do so. Virtual Chapters take place approximately every two weeks and last about an hour.
You are welcome to take part in our Virtual Chapters. There is an informal guide to the installation of the software (which is free) here. For best results, we recommend the use of a headset with earphones and microphone, otherwise there can be a distracting echo chamber effect. To submit a question/suggest a topic for discussion for the next Chapter, please use this form. You can, of course, always make your point live during the Chapter but as we prefer to hold themed discussions, giving us time for some preparation would be helpful.
Podcast Archive
If you wish to listen again to earlier prayer podcasts, you can do so here. The sound quality is variable, especially in the oldest files. Please note: the podcast entitled "About Nuns" is a book review, not a commentary on monastic life.
