• Welcome & Presence: A Courage & Renewal® Weekend

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    Welcome & Presence: A Courage & Renewal® Weekend The renewal weekend will include creating a quiet, focused and enlivened space – a Circle of Trust® – where personal, inner wisdom can be heard. There will be a mix of time spent in large group, small group and individual reflection along with poetry, teaching stories, wisdom traditions, nature and activities for exploration. We will use these experiences and other rich metaphors to symbolize and discover and explore life questions. Together, we will experience creating spaces in our lives to tend and nurture our desire to live fully with courage and resilience. ...

  • Kids on the Prairie

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    Explore nature’s beauty and surprises! Kids on the Prairie (KOTP) is for children and their adult family members. Experienced volunteer educators and guides will facilitate a short hike to learn about nature and explore the grounds and trails. This free event is open to members of Holy Wisdom communities and the general public. August 10 – Butterflies and Bugs Get up close to insects on flowers. Look for monarchs and other insects. Find out what they are doing on different common plants.

    Free
  • Eco-Contemplative Creative Writing Retreat

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    Three Creative Writing Workshops in One Day Join three talented workshop facilitators who will guide you through contemplative and nature-based creative writing practices to inspire and generate your writing. No experience necessary, join us for a nourishing and creative day. Lunch is prepared by our chef, a simple yet nourishing meal from our gardens and local farmers. An optional guided prairie tour is included. Schedule 8:30 - 9:00 am – Arrival and Coffee 9:00 - 9:30 am – Opening Circle and Intentions 9:30 - 11:00 am – Writing and Wellness with the Land – Megan Sharpless 11:00 - 11:45 am ...

  • Conversations About Our Benedictine Life: Humility

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    Deepen your understanding of Benedictine spirituality by joining us for one or more of the Conversations About Our Benedictine Spirituality: Humility sessions. These gatherings offer time for reflections, for the reading of short pieces on humility from the Rule of Benedict and other authors, an exploration of how Benedictine humility differs from our every day understandings of it, and conversations about the gifts and challenges of living this Benedictine value in our lives. These sessions are open to any adult who relates to any of the Holy Wisdom Monastery communities.

    Free
  • Flower Identification Walk

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    Practice your wildflower ID skills! Friends of Wisdom Prairie volunteers Sylvia Marek and Julie Melton are offering a new series of guided hikes through the summer prairie focused on identifying what's in bloom. You can expect a leisurely walk, approximately one hour long, on grassy trails. These informal tours will be offered monthly on the third Thursday of the month for the remainder of the growing season. No registration necessary. Meet at the kiosk at the top of the monastery building parking lot (stay to the right at the fork in the driveway). If you'd like to receive reminders about ...

    Free
  • Walk Into Wonder: Shinrin-Yoku for the Weary

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    Want to have nothing to do?  Join us for rest, beauty and community as we stroll on the trails of the beautifully restored Holy Wisdom prairie and woodlands. This fully guided walk is led by trained forest therapist, Valerie Vervoort. The guided walk will include intermittent invitations for optional activities such as deep breathing and using your senses. Purposefully slow and meditative. We will walk a mile or a mile and a half through moderate trails. Forest therapy has been proven to lower blood pressure, increase natural killer immune cell activity and restore a sense of well-being. Schedule Walk starts ...

    $35
  • Embracing the Mystery: The Soul of Aging Retreat

    Zoom Connect to the program with computer or phone., WI

    “I don’t want to fight the gravity of aging. It’s nature’s way. I want to collaborate with it as best I can, in hopes of going down with something like the grace of that setting sun.” ~Parker Palmer   An Opportunity for Reflection, Renewal & Gracious Harvesting Sep. 4-6, 2025 An Online Circle of Trust® Retreat Embracing the Mystery is a retreat inspired by Parker Palmer’s book, On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old (2018). Parker writes, “There’s no antidote for the gravity that takes us to the grave. But there is a countervailing force called ‘levity.’” Together, we ...

    $170
  • Conversations About Our Benedictine Life: Humility

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    Deepen your understanding of Benedictine spirituality by joining us for one or more of the Conversations About Our Benedictine Spirituality: Humility sessions. These gatherings offer time for reflections, for the reading of short pieces on humility from the Rule of Benedict and other authors, an exploration of how Benedictine humility differs from our every day understandings of it, and conversations about the gifts and challenges of living this Benedictine value in our lives. These sessions are open to any adult who relates to any of the Holy Wisdom Monastery communities.

    Free
  • Kids on the Prairie

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    Explore nature’s beauty and surprises! Kids on the Prairie (KOTP) is for children and their adult family members. Experienced volunteer educators and guides will facilitate a short hike to learn about nature and explore the grounds and trails. This free event is open to members of Holy Wisdom communities and the general public. September 14 – Apple Picking, Cider Tasting and Seed Collection Taste the goodness of organically grown Monastery apples. Learn about seeds and collect prairie seeds to renew the prairie. Each family will get some seeds to take home.

    Free
  • Conversations About Our Benedictine Life: Humility

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    Deepen your understanding of Benedictine spirituality by joining us for one or more of the Conversations About Our Benedictine Spirituality: Humility sessions. These gatherings offer time for reflections, for the reading of short pieces on humility from the Rule of Benedict and other authors, an exploration of how Benedictine humility differs from our every day understandings of it, and conversations about the gifts and challenges of living this Benedictine value in our lives. These sessions are open to any adult who relates to any of the Holy Wisdom Monastery communities.

    Free