Sunday, November 11, 2007

Read the Te Deum blog in 18 Languages!

As you can see, this blog is undergoing some restructuring. As I have noted below, I am deeply desiring to give this cookie-cutter template a distinctly "Grotto" look, which will take time. You will begin to see some of the benefits of my having switched templates in order to take advantage of the simple functionality of Blogger enhancements. This post is about one of those enhancements.

Te Deum Laudamus! has readers from around the world. That is what makes the internet so fascinating is that I write something today, and tonight someone in the Philippines, Norway, Italy, Dubai, China, Nigeria or some other distant land can read it. I have seen hits from every continent, including distant islands and the most interesting of places.

While some people are one-time visitors, finding a particular topic through Google or other search engine, we have regular visitors from many foreign countries. Having made my Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary in 2005 not long before I started this work, I pray for my readers by entrusting them to her care.

I ask all of you to keep Catholics and Christians in countries hostile to our faith in your prayers. Some may be reading this blog at great risk to themselves. We should never take for granted the freedom with which we may worship or live our faith. When it seems difficult to get up and go to Mass, we need to ponder those souls who risk their very lives still today for a chance to meet Our Lord in the Eucharist. These people would be overjoyed to freely pack Assumption Grotto, in the cold, at the closing ceremony of the 40 Hours Devotion.

Thanks to Google Translator, this blog can now be translated in to 18 languages. You will see a "widget" in the sidebar under my profile. It seems to be taking a little longer to load upon first getting to this site.

However, Google Translator is not perfect. But, it will give foreign readers some help if they need it. Click on the drop down list and look at the list of languages. Click one of them and see what it does.

Here is another snapshot from the other night.




NEWS & BLOGGER FEEDS

Take some time to scroll through the sidebar and take note of what is there. I have added a feed which is linked directly to the blog of Fr. Z, revealing some of his latest headlines. I will be adding other news feeds from CWNews and Zenit. Unfortunately, my first attempt went bust.

NEW SECTIONS PLANNED FOR SIDEBAR

I am also going to begin a new section which will carry profiles of secular orders, apostolates, and confraternities. Catholics are increasingly becoming interested in these things - surely prompted by the Holy Spirit. There are some really fantastic, solidly Catholic secular orders and apostolates out there and I hope to make them visible should God be calling you to one or more of them.

I am also going to create a sidebar section for series, for which I have started, and not finished, many. This will keep them in the forefront as a reminder to me and give new readers a chance to see them.

Keep in mind that this is a blog - or web log, not a web site. Information is not laid out in compact horizontal ways, but in a long vertical way. There is nothing that can be done about this. But, it comes free so we can't complain. My suggestion is that when I am not posting or you see nothing new, take some time to scroll the sidebar and see what is available. Explore these sites and links.

I am reconsidering how I might be able to construct a more comprehensive site out of AdOrientem.com to collect certain things in a way that is easier to see. First, I need to make time, which seems quite scarce. I had a different vision for the site when I first put that temporary park-page up. I suspended it when news of the motu proprio broke because some of what I wanted to do would be moot. Thus, God takes it in a different direction than I had thought.


Deo Gratias!


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