Submitted by Nancy Enderle, director, Center for Clergy Renewal Dear Holy Wisdom community members, I am writing to let you know about changes in the leadership of the Center for Clergy Renewal (CCR). As we round the corner into our sixth year of helping pastors thrive in ministry, I feel called to set down the director responsibilities that accompany this growing and important work. Depending on the timeline after the search for the next director is complete, I may transition out of the director role sometime in the fall, then conduct the winter immersion for Cohort 5 in January of 2025 …
This Precious Community
Submitted by Erin Trondson, executive director I started at the Monastery on January 15th, 2024, and made it a goal to meet with as many community members as were willing in my first 100 days. At that same time, I had been reading the Rule of St. Benedict who, on the first page, instructs us to listen with the ear of the heart. I had the privilege of listening with the ear of my heart while more than 100 community members spoke of this beloved community. It is a time I will not soon forget and has planted seeds in …
CCR Pastors Reflect on Spiritual Renewal
Submitted from Nancy Enderle, director, Center for Clergy Renewal As part of their experience with the Center for Clergy Renewal (CCR), pastors submit written assessments about their spiritual renewal and how their time at Holy Wisdom helps them thrive in ministry. After their summer immersion, pastors reflect on the following questions: After their second immersion in the winter, pastors are invited to respond to the prompt: These assessments create opportunities for pastors to reflect deeply on their lives and share those thoughts with me (Nancy Enderle). I meet with each pastor individually to provide feedback and support as they think …
A Story About a Lake and a Prairie and an Array of Solar Panels
Submitted by Amy Alstad, director of land management & environmental education, presented at the inaugural Spring Solar Tilt on Apr. 17, 2024 I’m here to share a story about a lake and a prairie and an array of solar panels. At first glance, this may seem like an unlikely trio of characters to encounter together in a single story. I hope to weave these three dissimilar threads into a common story that sets the stage for us today. We’ll start with the lake. The glacial lake that we know today as Lost Lake gets its name from the oral tradition …
What is a pilgrimage?
Submitted by Carol Kretschman, Oblate This is the question we raised after our arrival at the Saint Columba Hotel on the Isle of Iona on September 16, 2023. We concurred that it wasn’t exactly like a retreat. And yet it was very similar. I remained perplexed. Then someone suggested that I read “The Art of Pilgrimage” by Phil Cousineau. He reminds the reader that the complete circle is the universal symbol for the soul – an image of wholeness – and the goal of the sacred journey is to become as whole again as possible. Our longing is the sign that …
How in the world do songbirds survive freezing cold?
By Julie Melton The short answer is that they find food and shelter. But there is more to it. Many songbirds grow a third more feathers in preparation for winter. Fluffing up feathers creates thousands of tiny air pockets that hold heat close to birds’ bodies. Outer feathers help hold the heat in. Birds have to keep their feathers oiled to maintain waterproofing. Insulation isn’t enough. Shelter is vital to survival. Birds can reduce their nighttime temperature to save energy. They still need protection from wind, snow and predators. Some birds huddle together in dense conifer boughs, shrubs, and under …
Reflections from a Summer Steward
Submitted by Hannah Keziah Agustin In the beginning of our day, there is silence. We center ourselves on the presence of God in the basement of Holy Wisdom Monastery’s main building at 7:30 in the morning, our chairs facing toward each other as we pray. Outside of the windows, the prairie sprawls with the bloom of a Wisconsin summer – bergamot, coneflowers and butterfly milkweed decorate the fields in the day’s early sun. Here, Benedictine sisters, retreatants and community members gather for the hearing of the liturgy, the singing of worship and the reading of God’s word. Here, we come …
5 Tips & Tricks for Year-End Planning
By Amy Ryan, director of mission advancement As the end of 2022 approaches, we hope this note finds you well and preparing for a fulfilling finish to another challenging year. While this is often a time of great activity, it can also be a time of important reflection. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your year-end giving: Determine your tax liability for the year. Before the hustle and bustle of the holidays takes over, consider pausing to calculate your income and determine your tax liability for the year. Did your income increase? Did you sell …
Woodchuck family makes Holy Wisdom home
By Howard Fenton, Friends of Wisdom Prairie Council At this time of the year a lot of different kinds of families are calling Holy Wisdom home. And there’s one in particular I’d like to tell you about; the woodchuck, or the groundhog to some, or the whistle pig to others. The woodchuck, which doesn’t actually chuck wood, or eat it, is in the Order of Rodents, a member (the largest in fact) of the squirrel family. It’s scientific name is Marmota monax. The genus name gives you a clue that the woodchuck is related to marmots, while the species name …