Lectio Divina: Prayerful Reading of Scripture Part One 

Joanne Kollasch, OSBBenedictine Reflections 2 Comments

During Lent it may help to have a prayer in your pocket. One that you can pull out on a moment’s notice.  A prayer I keep close at hand, and “at heart” is Psalm 23, “A Prayer of David,” commonly called “The Good Shepherd Psalm.” This psalm can become a spiritual resource especially if it arises from the practice of lectio divina.  Lectio divina literally means divine or holy reading. This is a way of putting on the mind of God. By absorbing the Word of God we let the divine scripture penetrate deeply so that we may be transformed by divine …

Meals now served daily

Toby GrabsHospitality Leave a Comment

We are lucky at Holy Wisdom Monastery to have two talented chefs preparing delicious and nutritious meals. This has allowed Holy Wisdom Monastery to begin offering chef-prepared lunches and dinners on Sundays and Mondays. So now, retreatants, guests, members, coworkers, etc. are invited to make a reservation to have a chef-prepared lunch or dinner every day of the week. Lunches are $14.50 and dinners are $17.50. We haven’t always been blessed with two chefs at the same time. Chef Robert Kauper started in 2016 and chef Lisa Hoon started in late 2017 as an occasional kitchen event helper through a …

An Overdue Reflection on Advent

Denise West, OSBPrayer & Worship, Spirituality Articles 4 Comments

Lent is around the corner but I’m of a mind to look back on the wintry beginning of Advent. The gift – and torment – of the season of Advent is the quiet stillness that beckons us to turn inward, to perceive the darkness residing within. By December every year I’m aware of some niggling bit of unpleasantness that separates me from God, and I know that ‘now is the time’ to reckon with it. I always look forward to the peace and space, the early sunsets that make it easier to use the evening time for reading and reflection. …

Three people looking at the camera and having a meal at the monastery

How to Reserve a Meal Prepared by the Holy Wisdom Monastery Chefs

Toby GrabsHospitality Leave a Comment

Our earlier article about the amazing chefs of Holy Wisdom Monastery from Weekly Wisdom resulted in requests for more information on how to reserve a meal in the Monastery Building. Without further ado, here are answers to the questions as well as some additional information on reserving a meal at Holy Wisdom. We are taking numerous precautions such as bringing in a continual flow of fresh, warmed outside air into the dining rooms and allowing plenty of space for individuals to spread out while eating. Meals are eaten in either the large guest dining room or smaller community dining room …

Holy Wisdom Monastery’s Ecumenical Center for Clergy Spiritual Renewal Welcomes Scott Stoner as New Co-director

Holy Wisdom MonasteryCCR, Press release 2 Comments

Middleton, WI—The Ecumenical Center for Clergy Spiritual Renewal (ECCSR) offers Christian pastors contemplative renewal experiences into the monastic rhythms of Holy Wisdom Monastery, and an ongoing community of resources and support. As the ECCSR begins its fourth year of bringing experiences of contemplative renewal to early and mid-career clergy, it is blessed to announce that The Rev. Dr. Scott Stoner will begin his work as a co-director of the Center. “I was blessed to have been on the planning team for the ECCSR and have been a small part of the cohort programming from the beginning. Thus, I know firsthand …

Dick Wagner

Holy Wisdom MonasteryJustice, Sunday Assembly Leave a Comment

The sisters and Holy Wisdom Monastery community are saddened by the sudden death of Dick Wagner on Dec. 13, 2021. He was a community servant and gay rights leader for decades in Madison and beyond. Click here to read his obituary. At the monastery, Dick was a long-time member of Sunday Assembly. He championed LGBTQ+ rights and introduced many people to the monastery. He was involved in the monastery’s fundraising efforts and was a regular sponsor for many events. He wrote the case statement for the campaign to raise the money to purchase the 55 acres which is now Wisdom …

Evolution of Holy Wisdom’s Relationship with SARTHI

Holy Wisdom MonasteryJustice 1 Comment

By Raj Atalla, Sunday Assembly Member The relationship began during a time when our son Ian was travelling in India for language and cultural studies; it was the 2005 to 2006 academic year. Soon after he arrived there, he was walking the streets of Delhi and saw a young boy with a cleft palate who seemed to be quite timid in comparison to the other kids his age on the streets. Ian took the boy, whose name was Akshay, to a hospital nearby and asked what it would cost to have the cleft repaired. He was told it would be …

A Celebration of Community Living

Holy Wisdom MonasteryLiving in Community Leave a Comment

Benedictine Sisters at Holy Wisdom Monastery Celebrate Community and Breaking Barriers Middleton, WI September 21, 2021 — A small community of Benedictine Sisters at Holy Wisdom Monastery celebrates a combined 151 years of religious life this weekend, Sept. 24-26, 2021, at their Celebration of Community. In addition, they welcome a new Sister into their community on Sunday, as Novice Everline Jeruto makes her first monastic profession. The Sisters at Holy Wisdom live together in community and follow the Gospel and the Rule of Benedict. For 68 years they have lived out their mission of weaving prayer, hospitality, justice and care …

Featured volunteer – Phyllis Lobdell

Lara DulinVolunteers 1 Comment

When asked what first attracted her to Holy Wisdom, oblate and volunteer Phyllis Lobdell shares, “It’s the quiet and contemplative nature. What I was really attracted to when I read about it on the website was the Benedictine spirituality and having a certain rhythm to your life. And also kind of being accountable to a community.” Phyllis was living in Illinois at the time and became a regular retreatant at the monastery. Over time, she got to know the sisters and became an oblate candidate and started thinking to herself, “You know someday I’ll just move up there.” And so …

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‘Holy Week: Origins and Traditions,’ The Holy Wisdom Podcast

Holy Wisdom MonasteryMonastic Life, Podcast, Prayer & Worship, Sunday Assembly Leave a Comment

Want to be the first to hear every new episode? Click here to sign up for email notifications! This month, Sister Lynne Smith and Lynn Lemberger return to talk all about Holy Week. Lynn gives us an overview of the history, including a first-hand account from a woman’s travel journal of Roman celebrations. Learn why Palm Sunday is named after palms, and the significance of this week leading up to Easter. Meanwhile, Sister Lynne shares the traditions we normally hold throughout this week. Maybe you can bring some of these celebrations to life in your own home! Where to Listen? …