On September 1, 2010, Benedictine Women of Madison welcomed Mary Lynn Adams as the first associate member of Holy Wisdom Monastery. An Associate Member seeks God by following the Rule of Benedict as expressed through the mission and values of Benedictine Women of Madison, and by participating in the common life of the monastery. The associate lives, works and prays at Holy Wisdom Monastery; she is not a professed member of the community. With the successful completion of a six month probationary period, the associate and community enter into a covenant, which can be renewed annually. Through this covenant, the …
Benedictine Life: A Journey of the Heart
In September of 1996, I read two ads and an article about the new ecumenical Benedictine women’s community, Benedictine Women of Madison, Wisconsin. By the time I saw the third ad welcoming women of any Christian denomination to join, I thought, “That means me. I have to check this out.” That’s how my journey in Benedictine life began. After months of visits and discernment with the sisters, I came to the monastery in June of 1998 and made first profession two years later. Benedict begins his Rule “Listen carefully, my child, to my instructions, and attend to them with the …
Leadership in a Benedictine Community
Respectful listening is the first and foremost quality for leadership according to St. Benedict. He begins his Rule with “Listen.” For anyone seeking to grow in relationship to God, self and others, attentive listening is key for a whole and holy life. Two premises support the understanding of leadership in the Rule of Benedict (RB). The first is that Christ is the ultimate authority and second that the abbot represents Christ in a special way for the community. The leader, either prioress or abbot, is chosen by the community and receives what Benedictines believe to be the grace of office. …
Benedictine Sisters Share Leadership at Holy Wisdom Monastery
In Sister Mary David’s preceding essay, she guides us in St. Benedict’s understanding of leadership. “Consultation, respectful listening and speaking humbly,” are values the sisters strive to practice in our ministry at Holy Wisdom Monastery. On Saturday evenings one of the sisters leads our communal practice of lectio divina: listening to the scripture together and sharing their meaning for our lives. We often have guests with us, so our leadership is important in helping them participate fully. On Sundays, we share leadership in worship with members of our Sunday Assembly. We serve as communion ministers, lectors, presider or homilists. Prayer is …
Sabbatical Time: Listening to the Spirit Within
I received a three-month Lilly Sabbatical grant for Pastoral Leaders in 2009. The time I chose was April 15 through July 16, closing with a family celebration for my mom’s 96th birthday. The purpose of my sabbatical was to take time to renew, to reflect and to remember: “to bend back” over my community’s journey of becoming the first ecumenical Benedictine monastery in North America. I accomplished my purpose. To begin, I had some special time, meals and conversations with Sisters Joanne, Lynne and Martha. Sister Martha is a retired member of our community who lives in Sioux City, Iowa; it’s always a blessing when the four of …
Great Friend, Great Gratitude to You
If you’ve heard the words nature, purpose, structure and function at a parish council, school board or curriculum committee meeting, chances are very good that Sister Barbara Dannhausen, OP (Order of Preachers), was involved in defining their organizational structures. All over Wisconsin and beyond, schools, churches, boards and religious communities have benefited greatly from the strategic planning skills of this Sinsinawa Dominican, but none perhaps as much or as long as Benedictine Women of Madison (BWM). During the early 1980s, Barbara worked with our sisters to assist in defining the focus of the retreat and conference center. Later in the 1990s, during a time of considerable discernment about …