Holy Wisdom Monastery

Handmade Fresh Pasta Workshop: Exploring the Heritage of Fresh Pasta
2026-02-16 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Chicago) | Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, 53562, United States
Rescheduled from Jan. 19 to Feb. 16
Join Holy Wisdom Monastery’s own Chef Felipe Saint-Martin in a hands-on cooking class, where you will learn how to make authentic northern Italian recipes on your own. In the first of its kind at Holy Wisdom, the Handmade Fresh Pasta Workshop will use cuisine to explore the relationship between agriculture and grains, as well as the diverse cultural iterations of bread- and pasta-making.
Using fresh ingredients grown on the monastery grounds, participants will knead, roll and cut their way to a delicious and heartwarming experience exclusive to Holy Wisdom.

Menu
Appetizer – Winter Root and Kale Salad

Creating a maple-mustard vinaigrette from scratch, learn about flavor diffusion while working with seasonal Wisconsin produce.

Main Course – Cappelletti al Brodo

After kneading, rolling and cutting pasta dough from scratch, participants will learn how to shape and stuff cappelletti pasta with locally grown squash, ricotta, parmesan and fresh winter herbs.
Substituting vegetables for meat, learn how to make a sweet, nutty broth traditionally served during winter in northern Italy.

Mocktail – Spiced Cranberry Glow

Complementing the winter menu, enjoy a non-alcoholic spritzer made of sparkling water, fresh cranberry juice, honey-ginger syrup and a hint of cinnamon. Served over ice with an orange slice.

Leader – Felipe Saint-Martin
Felipe Saint-Martin is the esteemed Culinary Director and Chef de Cuisine at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton, Wisconsin, where he infuses Benedictine hospitality with innovative, sustainable cuisine. Originally from Brazil, Felipe’s culinary journey began in the vibrant kitchens of Rio de Janeiro before he immigrated to the United States, embracing new challenges with resourcefulness and perseverance. His career spans renowned establishments, including Claude Trois Gros Brasserie and Laguioli Lab in Brazil, and in New York City, where he refined his craft at acclaimed restaurants such as Gramercy Tavern and Eataly Market. In these fast-paced, Michelin-starred kitchens, Felipe mastered the art of blending bold flavors with refined techniques, working with top-tier chefs to create unforgettable dining experiences. Now at Holy Wisdom Monastery, Felipe crafts meals that celebrate the earth’s bounty, drawing from the monastery’s 130-acre restored prairie and gardens to create dishes that nourish body and spirit.

Cost and registration
$89/person.
Limited to 25 participants.
Wear closed-toe shoes that you feel comfortable standing in for about two hours, and have long hair tied back. Please be aware that this workshop cannot accommodate gluten-free or vegan dietary restrictions.

Grace & Reflection: A Courage & Renewal® Weekend
2026-02-20 19:00 - 2026-02-22 12:00 | Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, 53562, United States
Grace & Reflection: A Courage & Renewal® Weekend
Each 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.

Revitalize your commitment to the values that give meaning to your life.
Increase your ability to listen openly and be present.
Learn reflective practices to become more intentional.
Explore questions to build and sustain community.
Expand trustworthy and authentic relationships.

The Circle of Trust® approach is based on the work of Dr. Parker J. Palmer, Founder and Senior Partner Emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal, who is a world-renowned writer, speaker and activist. Explore the principles, practices and resources from the Center for Courage & Renewal: https://couragerenewal.org/courage-renewal-approach/
This program is being independently organized and led by a Courage & Renewal Facilitator(s) prepared by the Center for Courage & Renewal.
Schedule
Friday, February 20
3:00 pm – Check-in for Retreatants Staying in RGH
6:30 pm – Registration
7:00-9:00 pm – Session One
Saturday, February 21
9:00-10:15 am – Session Two
10:15-10:30 am – Break
10:30 am-12:00 pm – Session Three
12:00-1:30 pm – Lunch and Free Time
1:30-3:00 pm – Session Four
3:00-3:15 pm – Break
3:30-5:00 pm – Session Five
5:15 pm – Dinner
Sunday, February 22
10:00 am-12:00 pm – Session Six
Leaders – Mary Louise Peters, MSE & Amy Christianson, EdD

Mary Louise Peters is a Courage & Renewal® Facilitator, providing retreats and renewal experiences since 2010. She has worked as an educator and consultant at local, state and national levels to improve early childhood and special education for children and families, teaching practices and conditions for staff, and state educational systems.

Amy Christianson recently completed the Courage & Renewal® Practicum Program. Amy has been a participant in a number of seasonal and Circle of Trust retreats. She has a long professional career in education within early childhood, K-12 and higher education settings. Amy’s background includes educational leadership, organizational change and working with diverse populations.

Cost
$250 commuter; $435 residential
Register
Please register by February 13, 2026. The maximum number of participants is 24 and registration will close when full.
Cancellation policy – if you register but must cancel your registration, you can receive a 75% refund up until February 13, 2026. After that, a 50% refund is available until the retreat starts.

Upcoming Courage & Renewal Weekend
Save the dates for the next Courage & Renewal Weekend, May 29-31, “Wonder and Hope”

Lent Series: Contemplating Jesus as "I Am" (in-person)
2026-02-24 10:00 - 11:30 | Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, 53562, United States
The mystical symbols, sacred texts and wisdom traditions in the Gospel of John are designed to reveal the Holy One, the great “I AM,” through Jesus. Come explore with us these symbols and texts, enliven your spiritual imagination, be part of a contemplative community as your Lenten practice this year.
Schedule
Each 90-minute session will include a flow of teachings, readings, small group conversations, large group sharings and contemplative silence.
Dates/Times – Lent 2026
This is a 5-part series, offered in-person at Holy Wisdom Monastery on Tuesdays from 10:00-11:30 am, and online on Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00 pm.
In-Person at Holy Wisdom Monastery – 10:00 – 11:30 am

Feb. 24
Mar. 3
Mar. 10
Mar. 17
Mar. 24

11:45 am – Midday Prayer: All are welcome to join the sisters’ community and guests for communal prayer in the Oratory (lower level of the monastery building). Click to learn more about prayer at Holy Wisdom Monastery.
12:00 pm – Lunch ($18): Enjoy a delicious meal prepared fresh by our chefs. Email retreats@holywisdommonastery.org to reserve your meal 48 hours in advance. Please specify which date/dates you wish to stay for lunch.

Virtual – 6:30 – 8:00 pm

Feb. 25
Mar. 4
Mar. 11
Mar. 18
Mar. 25

Leader – Pam Shellberg

Pam Shellberg is the director of spiritual nourishment at Holy Wisdom Monastery, a student of sacred texts, an educator, and a contemplative. It is always a joy for her to be able to facilitate critical and contemplative readings of scripture as nourishment during sacred seasons.

Cost
$65 per person or screen for the series.
Register
Please register by Feb. 22, 2026 for the in-person or virtual Lent series. If you need to cancel your registration, there are no refunds, but you are welcome to share your registration with someone who could come in your place.

Lent Series: Contemplating Jesus as "I Am" (Virtual)
2026-02-25 10:00 - 11:30 | Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, 53562, United States

Wisdom Prairie Winter Tour
2026-02-26 13:00 - 15:00 | Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, 53562, United States
Join us for an experience for everyone to explore the seasonal beauty found on the monastery grounds in winter. Knowledgeable tour guides will share the story of caring for the earth and help participants deepen their relationship with this land. Tour will cover 1-1.5 miles on walking trails at a leisurely pace.
Meet at the kiosk in the monastery building parking lot (take the right fork in the driveway). Tours will take place in small groups. We will proceed with the tour in the event of light to moderate rain or snow but will cancel for thunderstorms or other severe weather.
Cost
There is no cost to participants for this tour. Donations to Care for the Earth are always welcome.
Register
Please register so we have enough tour guides and can contact you in case we need to cancel due to weather.

Ink and Insight Mindful Writing Circle
2026-03-01 10:15 - 12:00 | Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, 53562, United States
Join us for a quarterly gathering that blends creative writing and mindfulness in a supportive, inclusive space. Whether you identify as a writer or simply enjoy exploring your inner voice, this group offers you a gentle rhythm of reflective writing (with optional prompts), sharing in community, and contemplative practices like guided meditation and mindful walking outdoors, weather permitting.
Come as you are. No experience needed — just a willingness to pause, listen, and write. You’ll leave with new words, insights, and connections.
Dates/Times – Sundays from 10:15 am-12:00 pm

Jan. 25
Mar. 1
Jun. 7
Nov. 1

Schedule

10:15 am – Welcome, housekeeping, and settling in
10:30 am – Guided meditation
10:45 am – Writing session #1
11:00 am – Contemplative walking/break
11:15 am – Writing session #2
11:30 am – Sharing
12:00 pm – Close

Leader – Rebecca Jamieson

Rebecca Jamieson is the author of The Body of All Things (Finishing Line Press, 2017). She is the recipient of a 2025 Wisconsin Writers Award, the 2024 Tupelo Press Prose Prize, and is a Pushcart Prize nominee. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Rattle, The Offing, Mid-American Review, and Entropy, and she’s currently at work on a collection of personal essays. Rebecca lives on Ho-Chunk land in Madison, Wisconsin. When she’s not writing, you can find her hiking, baking, or cuddling her two cats.

Cost
$50/person
Registration
Limited to 30 people.

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.
