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"Two disciples of Jesus that same day were making their way to a village name Emmaus...discussing as they went all that had happened. In the course of their lively exchange, Jesus approached and began to walk along with them. However, they were restrained from recognizing Him. He said to them, "What are you discussing as you go on you way?" They halted in distress, and one of them, Cleophas by name, asked Him, "Are you the only resident of Jerusalem who does not know the things that went on here these past few days?" He said to them, "What things?" (Lk 24:32-34)
The first disciples were referred to as "Followers of the Way". It's not surprising, therefore, that this metaphor of travel--journeying to a destination--should continue to appear throughout the Western tradition. Chaucer wrote his "Canterbury Tales" and Bunyan wrote about "Pilgrim's Progress". Why shouldn't Bill Gates then refer to "The Road Ahead"?
The early settlers (First Comers) who were later referred to as "Pilgrims" arrived around 1620, as you know, in search of religious freedom. Today many churches are found in this town of Plymouth in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts which covers 103 sq. miles and includes 365 lakes, ponds, cranberry bogs, etc. My house is about 5 miles from Plymouth Rock downtown and four miles from the Atlantic Ocean and Plimouth Plantation which is a "living museum" re-creating the early explorer's settlement. I also live on the edge of the 15,000 acre Myles Standish State Forest. Obviously, our ancestors preserved many of the rustic elements that welcomed the first inhabitants.
Today, there are four Catholic churches in town; St. Peter, St. Mary, St. Bonaventure, and Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha (named after a Mohawk princess (d. 1680) who is buried outside Montreal, Que.). Some say that Myles Standish, born in Lancashire, England, used to travel once a year to Canada in order to make his Easter duty. We do know that Standish was among the 50 or so mercenaries aboard the Mayflower and was never himself numbered among the "Saints". In any event, the Archdiocese of Boston today covers 2,465 sq. miles with 395 parishes and approximately 2 million members. The diocese was established in 1808 and became an "arch" or larger diocese in 1875 because of the many immigrants arriving on its shores.
As I mentioned, one of the four Catholic churches in Plymouth is named after Kateri Tekakwitha who was a contemporary of the Pilgrims. In the seventeenth century a smallpox epidemic devastated the village in upper state New York where Kateri lived and killed her parents. In addition to losing her family, Kateri was permanently scarred from the disease and her eyesight was severely affected, to the point of being almost blind for the rest of her short life. Her uncle looked at her struggling to walk around and called her "Tekakwitha," which means literally, "She pushed with her hands." Among the Mohawks it also has the special meaning of "the ideal woman, one who works hard and keeps everything in good order: a prudent, industrious, provident, loving wife and mother." Appropriately, for one so named, Kateri is the first American laywoman to advance toward sainthood.
At a crucial decision point in her life Kateri left her village near modern day Albany where her uncle was chief and traveled a week's journey north on foot to her mother's native Algonquin village of Kahnawake which today is found outside Montreal near the second lock of the St. Lawrence Seaway. In a sense, this was Kateri Tekakwitha's journey pushing with her hands not a "mouse" but through the undergrowth along her "Information Superhighway" to the Black Robes of Canada! (remember the recent movie, "The Black Robes"?)
At the same time, in addition to its historic roots, Plymouth is also linked to the modern age. KOA is the largest manufacturer of diskettes in the world and it makes its home here in town as well as the Pilgrim Nuclear Power plant (one of the earliest)--there are more than cranberries in our backyards; although, we're also the center of that industry!
'One of the Year's Best! Remarkable!' -- Jeffrey Lyons, SNEAK PREVIEWS
'The picture is a triumph...' -- Terrance Rafferty, NEW YORKER MAGAZINE
Winner of Six Genie Awards (Canada's Oscar)
In any event, whoever invented the phrase, "can't see the forest for the trees!", must have had the World Wide Web (WWW) in mind -- it's easy to get lost in the overwhelming flood of information (why would anyone want to spend time on the "bad stuff" when there's so much valuable material out there?) As a result, this web site tries to highlight some road signs along what has been called, "The Information Superhighway" and suggests some tools which might prove helpful in deciphering the messages which permeate our world. Clearly, the more television, computers, and telephones as well as other modern technologies of this century converge, the more the modern electronic world becomes our new frountier (no wonder we have the "Electronic Frountier Foundation" associated with the Internet!) May it be a way which leads us closer to our ultimate destination!
How to Navigate Site:So you won't get lost in the forest, so to speak; or, to help you find your way around this site and "cyberspace", I've placed a few guideposts:
Arrows help you move "up" and "down" each "page" or sub-section with local links to resources although you can also "scroll" down using the slide-bar to the right.
This compass symbol returns you to the main "Routes Index" from which you just came and which is the main crossroads for this web site.
Interspersed throughout, but usually at the end or "bottom" of each subsection are Web links which take you "out" into "cyberspace." Once you choose one of these options or use your "mouse" to "click" on the web link this site becomes "history" (pun intended). That is, in order to return to this web site once you "click" on a "web link" as opposed to a "local link, you must use "History" under the browser option "Window" or, alternatively, the "Back" option--both of which are in the browser "tool bar" at the top of the Window.
Please Note: I cannot guarantee that the "links" listed in this collection will always reflect the same quality and importance as when I initially included them in this listing. Also, each link is included because I feel that it is a useful resource but that doesn't mean, unfortunately, that I might endorse everything associated with any particular site. There may also be some redundancy associated with the fact that many items are cross-referenced as part of the "web." The ever-evolving nature of the WWW might also result in these particular pages being moved or even removed at any instant, without notice. These particular sites seem to be quite stable, but I apologize if they should become unavailable.
If you're relatively unfamiliar with the whole concept of "internet" and "world wide web," you might want to check out the first three or four "web links" at the bottom of the "Harvesting the Internet for Education" section since they offer a tutorial on the subject
If you like, you can practice using the "BACK" function on your browser by checking out some or all of the following hyperlinks (remember "clicking" on these sites takes you away from this site and out onto the WWW. You must use "BACK" to return.):
Also, unfortunately, computer viruses and other social problems remain a problem preventing explorers from gaining the fullest benefit from their research on the Internet. One section in this resource might prove helpful since it points to various "filter" programs (more than 25!) designed to screen out offensive materials. "Netiquette", however, is still a skill which requires constant effort and consideration if it is to be developed; also, an appreciation of the wisdom of the Golden Rule as it applies to our daily lives might be useful too. The last thing anyone would want is to become "spiritual road-kill" on the Information Superhighway (pardon the pun!). I can only hope that the user will find this web site informative and a somewhat valuable tool. Please let me know how I might improve this resource and insofar as time and talent allows I will try to respond to your insights and recommendations. This (like life) is a "work in progress", so please be patient as we try to explore the world of information together.
It was Vice President Al Gore who coined the phrase "information superhighway" some 17 years ago and envisioned a worldwide network of satellite, cable, fiber optic, microwave and telephone connections linking individuals almost instantaneously. The Internet which is just about 28 years old is just part of that developing system and the World Wide Web (WWW) is, again, just part of the Internet. This "Pilgrim Guide" which parallels the historic journey of Bl. Kateri in the seventeenth century focuses exclusively on the web (WWW) and doesn't venture into other Internet realms such as Telnet, file transfer (FTP), usenets, listservs, newsgroups, and chat (IRC) forums. The convergence of telephone, cable and television media in 1996 promises to make access to all of these tools even easier. However, I have chosen to concentrate my efforts on the web sites which are usually better developed and contain more valuable information than the other Internet areas.
Finally, In order to experience the multimedia -- sounds and animation -- you might need to "download", i.e., transfer files, from the INTERNET TOOLS (Plug-Ins) hyperlinks which are found at the hyperlinks listed below. (Don't worry, a little practice and you'll get used to it!)
Thanks for visiting!
Fr. Richard
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