The Virtual Oratory

The Virtual Oratory connects people in a virtual house of prayer inspired by the patron saint of joy, Philip Neri, guided by the writings of John Henry Newman, and under the supervision of Fr. Hal Weidner, CO.

What We Do

Oratorians are lay people, priests, and brothers. On this site you will be invited to explore resources and news  being a virtual community of prayer, an open contemplative community, sharing prayer with anyone seeking God.

Philip Neri, said Newman, came to save people IN the world, not from it. So without being monastic or cloistered, we are contemplatives at the service of others.  

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This was the lurid cover for Thomas Merton's Bantam paper edition of his autobiography. We have come a long way in our understanding of contemplative prayer from this fantastic graphic meant to sell a very spiritual book to people waiting in bus stations!

What's NEW!

Sunday reflections are ON again in the meantime....

Good news...the program that Yahoo is ending has nothing to do with this site!!!! It is something about a facebook like thing. I had never signed up for it so I do not know why they notified me! Anyway. What a relief...this billow ceased to roll (see Sundays 12 th in ordinary time!!!)

Summer Reading!!!

See Notes and  Words...links and quotations and reflections...starting off with (Summer? Reading?) Mary Oliver's Winter Hours.

Blog speaks to Blog... fatherhal.blogs.wesleyan.edu  

Don't forget because there are two or three short, mostly, posts.