Last night we celebrated, In Real Life, a Eucharist as part of A Decade Online of this website. Thank you to all those who made time to be part of this Eucharist and the shared meal and drinks following. Thank you to the hospitality of St Michael and all Angels. Thank you to the many of you who contacted and said you couldn’t come (a lot of you being many countries away). And thank you to those who were there in spirit – praying with us, in your own place.
We sang a hymn sourced on twitter, prayed the collect for the week adapted from thirteen centuries of praying, used the Eucharistic Prayer adapted from St Basil in Celebrating Eucharist, and the Prayer after Communion sourced from online resources.
We gave thanks for 10 years of online ministry and for this online community around this website. We gave thanks for new possibilities to share God’s kingdom of love through new technology. We prayed for all in need (through hunger, loneliness, injustice, natural disasters, sickness, or any other causes), and that we might find ways to create and sustain communities of support, and work to bring life and healing where it is needed in this global village. We remembered all who have died – including those who have been part of this online community over the years. And we prayed for our own needs.
In the homily, I spoke about the history of the website, about learning by trial-and-error, and the various rebuilds, and adding twitter and facebook. I talked about mission and ministry online – and how the church still continues to be slow on relating to this newly discovered continent where so many people spend so much of their lives. And I spoke about how this is not bait-and-switch, but developing real relationships and a community where conversations can happen which enrich rather than, as so often on the web, where there is more heat than light.
Thank you again to all of you. Let us continue to pray for each other.
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Glad to hear you had a good time last night. Let’s hope for at least another 10 years of Liturgy!
Thanks, Michael. Easter Season Blessings.
Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication over these past 10 years. You’re doing excellent work, and know that it is much appreciated.
Thanks, Chase. Your encouragement, and your acknowledgement of the work involved, is appreciated more than you may realise. Easter Season Blessings.
Great to actually be physically present at the celebration Mass, Bosco, and good to feel the presence of would-be oversea participants. Agape!
Christ is risen, Alleluia.
Thanks, Fr Ron, for being one of the ones celebrating with us “In Real Life”. God continue to bless your own mission and ministry online also. Easter Season Blessings.