Centering Prayer Groups
2026-03-04 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-03-10 14:30 - 15:30 (America/Chicago) | Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, 53562, United States
Centering Prayer Groups
All are welcome to join our two centering prayer groups which meet on alternating Wednesdays. Both incorporate a short reading and time for silent prayer or meditation.

1st and 3rd Wednesdays

7:00-8:00 pm
Retreat & Guest House Room 10
Includes a short walking meditation in between periods of seated meditation
For more information contact Barb Abbott, 608-284-7424

2nd and 4th Wednesdays

2:30-3:30 pm
Monastery Oratory –
Two, 20-minute periods of seated meditation with a 5-minute break
For more information contact Carole Kretschman, 608-233-7390

We feel the presence of the Holy One even more strongly than when we center by ourselves. … Our prayer has less outward distractions for that hour than if we center at home. … Having the group supports us in our prayer life.

Ancient Trails, Ancient Tales: The Archaeology of Madison
2026-03-06 12:00 - 14:00 | Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, 53562, United States
This talk will provide a sweeping overview of the last 14,000 years of human history in and around Tee Jope (The Four Lakes area of Madison). From caribou to dugout canoes, effigy mounds to ancient trails, Wisconsin’s archaeological sites have much to tell us about the past. Program also includes lunch by the Holy Wisdom culinary team.
Schedule

11:45 am – Doors open
Noon – Lunch
12:45 pm – Presentation “Ancient Trails, Ancient Tales”
1:45 pm – Q&A and wrap up

Speaker – Dr. Amy Rosebrough
Dr. Amy Rosebrough is the Wisconsin State Archaeologist, in the State Historic Preservation Office of the Wisconsin Historical Society. In her current position at the Wisconsin Historical Society, she manages archaeological and burial sites data, assists Wisconsin’s citizens with archaeological questions, and serves as a subject matter expert.
Cost
$47/person (in-person)
OR
$15 (recording sent after event)
Register
Please register with the button below by Feb. 26, 2026.

Family Gathering
2026-03-07 15:00 - 18:00 | Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, 53562, United States
All families with children are invited to a special Lenten Family Gathering, Saturday, March 7, 3:00-6:00 pm.
Join us for a Family Gathering to experience the joy of anticipation in community. At this event, school-age children will gather to learn and play together, and childcare for the littlest ones is provided. Parents and caregivers will have some free-choice time to enjoy all the Monastery has to offer. The gathering will conclude with a shared meal.
Children ages 6-9 are invited to join Sarah Wilkin Gibart for prayer and creative work time. We will explore the rich theme of Lent.
Parents, this is an opportunity to enjoy the monastery and catch a breath in this busy season! You may choose to join in the children’s program, or take in the art exhibit, relax in the library, bring a project of your own, or simply have time for coffee and conversation.
Registration cost includes a simple entree prepared by the culinary team using fresh, seasonal offerings (families may also wish to bring a side dish or dessert to share).
Schedule
3:00 pm – Gather
~3:30-5:15 pm – Programming/free time
5:15 pm – Dinner
6:00 pm – Adjourn
Leader
Sarah Wilkin Gibart is a teacher of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd who leads regular Children’s Prayer during Sunday Assembly worship. Nichole Rasmus (formerly Nichole Fromm), our Childcare and Support Specialist, will provide childcare for the younger children.
Cost
$25/family
Questions
Please contact Sarah: sjwilkin09@gmail.com or Nichole: nrasmus@holywisdommonastery.org with any questions.

Hidden Glimmers: Weaving Contemplative Photography and Haiku
2026-03-13 18:00 - 20:00 | WI
Sandy Wojtal-Weber and David McKee have known each other since the early 1990s and are pleased to share how their artistic endeavors in the visual and written word come together in this exhibit. This exhibit, ‘Hidden Glimmers: Weaving Contemplative Photography and Haiku’ is a collaboration of their individual talents.
Event Schedule

6:00 pm – Reception opens
6:30 pm – Sandy and David will share their thoughts about their work, collaboration, and answer questions
8:00 pm – Reception concludes

Light refreshments will be provided by the artists.
Artists – Sandy Wojtal-Weber and David McKee
Sandy Wojtal-Weber is a professional fine arts photographer and retired clinical social worker. She founded ‘On the Borderline Project’, a self-esteem building photography program for adolescent girls which ran for ten years in Madison earning her the ‘North Star Community Award’ for outstanding contributions to the Northside community of Madison, WI. She currently teaches a contemplative photography program through UW Health Mindfulness Program. She has exhibited her work extensively in Madison and at the Chicago Field Museum.

David McKee is a haiku poet and retired psychotherapist living in Madison. He is an oblate of Holy Wisdom Monastery and serves as lead shepherd for the Oblate formation program. His haiku have been published in various journals including Modern Haiku, Frogpond, Acorn, Kingfisher, Bones, Presence and Password. His work has also been anthologized in a variety of publications and he was invited to join a group of 17 haiku poets in sharing large selections of their haiku in the ‘New Resonance’ series published by Red Moon Press.

The exhibit is on display in the Monastery Gathering Area from February 4 – May 5, 2026. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm (excluding holidays) and Sunday 10:00 – 11:00 am.
Registration
Please register by March 6, 2026, in order to have enough refreshments.

Holy Week Silent Retreat
2026-04-02 16:00 - 2026-04-05 11:30 | Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, 53562, United States
Anyone who would like to experience a deep and sustained silence in the quiet companionship of others is invited to the Holy Week Silent Retreat. For some, this retreat will be an opportunity to contemplate and participate in – with greater intention – the texts, liturgies, and prayers of Holy Week. For all, it is an invitation to live the rhythms of monastic life in an extended retreat experience. Optional contemplative engagements (e.g. journal prompts, walking meditations and opportunities for artistic expression) will add depth to the experience, as will opportunities for lectio divina and shared reflections on the meaning and mystery of these days.
Retreat Schedule
Thursday, April 2

4:00 pm
Orientation
Retreat & Guest House (RGH) 110

4:30 pm
Brief introduction to the weekend and to each other
RGH 110

5:00 pm
Dinner and continued orientation
Members of Sunday Assembly and other guests at tonight’s liturgy will be sharing a meal in the Monastery Guest Dining Room. We will go through the serving line and eat in the smaller Community Dining Room. We will meet the sisters, complete the orientation and then have some time to gather – if you wish to do so – with the other guests.
Monastery Community Dining Room

6:00 pm
Holy Thursday Liturgy
After this liturgy, we enter into silence until Sat. dinner
Monastery Assembly Room

8:30-9:30 pm
Companioned silence
RGH 222

Friday, April 3

Breakfast on your own
RGH 108

7:35 am
Centering prayer (optional)
Monastery Oratory

8:00 am
Morning prayer (optional)
Monastery Oratory

10:00 am
Lectio divina and contemplative dialogue to prepare for Good Friday liturgy
RGH 110

11:45 am
Midday prayer (optional)
Monastery Oratory

Noon
Lunch (in silence)
Monastery Guest Dining Room

3:00 pm
Good Friday liturgy
Monastery Assembly Room

5:00 pm
Dinner (in silence)
Monastery Guest Dining Room

7:30-9:30 pm
Companioned silence
RGH 222

Saturday, April 4

Breakfast on your own
RGH 108

7:35 am
Centering prayer (optional)
Monastery Oratory

8:00 am
Morning prayer (optional)
Monastery Oratory

10:00 am
Lectio divina and contemplative dialogue to prepare for Easter Vigil liturgy
RGH 110

11:45 am
Midday prayer (optional)
Monastery Oratory

Noon
Lunch (in silence)
Monastery Guest Dining Room

Afternoon
Afternoon spent in silence
RGH 110 for companioned silence

5:00 pm
Dinner (we break the silence)
Monastery Guest Dining Room

7:30 pm
Easter Vigil
Monastery Assembly Room

After Vigil
Refreshments
Monastery Guest Dining Room

Meet for companioned conversation about the retreat, and a closing ritual for those departing early
RGH 110

Sunday, April 5

Breakfast on your own
RGH 108

8:00 am
Morning prayer (optional)
Monastery Oratory

9:00 am
Easter Sunday Eucharist
Monastery Assembly Room

Immediately following Eucharist
A final gathering from which we take leave from one another
Community Dining Room

11:30 am
Departure

Facilitator – Pam Shellberg
Pam is the director of spiritual nourishment at Holy Wisdom Monastery. As a scripture scholar and educator, she is eager invite people into a deeper appreciation of the texts that shape the Holy Week liturgies. As someone with a contemplative spirit, she is eager to co-create with retreatants a rich and meaningful experience of silence.
Cost
$360/person, includes silent retreat, overnights on Thursday, Friday and Saturday; dinners on Thursday, Friday and Saturday; lunches on Friday and Saturday; and breakfasts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Registration
Please register by March 25, 2026.
There is a 75% refund for cancellations before the March 25 registration deadline, a 50% refund after the registration deadline until the start of the retreat on April 2.

Sacred Thresholds
2026-04-06 13:00 - 14:30 | Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, 53562, United States
Sacred Thresholds is a contemplative prayer gathering.
We are living through a unique chapter in American history when our most cherished values seem threatened, indeed, our whole way of life. Each of us, in our own way, is asking, What can I do?, and the answers, so far, seem woefully inadequate to the challenge. It is in that same spirit of humility that we are offering Sacred Thresholds as our answer to that question. Woefully inadequate, yes, small, but genuine, offered in a communal spirit, coming together to make a circle, to pray, in old ways and in new ways, to hold each other’s hearts and help one another to stay open. That is what Sacred Thresholds is all about. It’s a work in progress. Like all of us.

Please join us at 1:00 pm on the first Monday of the month in the Retreat and Guest House room 222 .

Upcoming dates

Nov. 3, 2025
Dec. 1, 2025
Jan. 5, 2026
Feb. 5, 2026
Mar. 2, 2026
Apr. 6, 2026
May 4, 2026
Jun. 1, 2026
