New England aster with rigid leaf goldenrod

September phenology

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by Sylvia Marek Phenology is a science focused on observing and recording biological events from year to year and their relationships to the change of seasons and climate. These are the “normal” phenology events we expect to see here and in the Madison area this month. We would love to hear about what you are seeing on the grounds of Holy Wisdom Monastery. Please comment on this post with what you are observing, where at Holy Wisdom and the date you observed the event. September Phenology “The tint of autumn – mighty flower garden blossoming under the spell of an enchanter …

Terry Larson’s Homily from Aug. 3, 2025

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The preacher in Ecclesiastes & Jesus are challenging us to ask ourselves: Is life about possessing? The vanity, and yes the frustration of trying to possess life is, as the preacher writes & as Jesus says, foolish! But that doesn’t prevent us from trying to possess life rather than simply live life in the present. Maybe you live with a Godly indifference to possessing, grasping, or seizing life? I don’t do that hence these scriptures are a real gift! They so richly contrast our foolish desire to possess life instead of being rich toward God….Jesus’ words of challenge which ended …

Leora Weitzman’s Homily from Aug. 17, 2025

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“I came to bring fire to the earth…” “Is not my word like fire and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?…” “Not peace, I tell you, but rather division!” On each side, we are certain, certain, that the hammer of righteousness belongs to us alone. These Gospel words about family conflict could be read as a teaching about priorities —a call, as Saint Benedict would say, to “prefer nothing to Christ.” But wait. Doesn’t Benedict also tell us to treat everyone as Christ? Isn’t love of neighbor—meaning love of everyone—one of Jesus’s core teachings? Can this same …

Honoring who you are

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Submitted by Kathleen Owens (she/her),Manager of Clergy Programming and Communications Center for Clergy Renewal at Holy Wisdom Monastery Jennifer Shimota’s hope for the Contemplative Renewal Immersion experience was that the scaffolding of the extended immersions would create space for her brain to be quiet. In her experience, “A brain with strong ADHD is always scurrying even if the body is still.” The Immersions met this need. The rhythm of the monastery gave her the scaffolding she sought to explore practices like Centering Prayer and silence that are very difficult for her. She was moved by practices such as statio. “To say we …

Jacob Lawrence Shares Reflections on Summer Internship with Land Management

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(Left to Right) Emma Kloes, Jacob Lawrence, Amy Alstad and Cortez Mitchell This week, we say goodbye to Jacob Lawrence, who spent the past 10 weeks at Holy Wisdom as the summer prairie intern. He was a fantastic addition to the coworker community in general, and the land management team in particular.  Next week, he returns to Yale Divinity School to finish the final year of his  Master of Arts in Religion with a concentration in Religion and Ecology. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors, and can’t wait to see where his curious and compassionate spirit leads …

Patti LaCross’ Homily from Aug. 10, 2025

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Genesis 15:1-6;  Hebrews 11:1-3,8-16; Luke 12-13:9   I imagine that many of us have taken one or another trip in the past few months, and found refreshment.  For those who will soon be traveling, I hope you do also! For whatever reason, in the whirl of packing and putting things in order before our own travel last month, our summer of 1992 came to mind. Over a few years’ discernment, I had hammered out a new position as pastoral associate of Our Lady of Guadalupe, with the retiring pastor, new bishop, and a feisty, quad-lingual group of 35 immigrant farmworkers and …

Vicky Tzoumerka Knoedler Artist in Residence at Holy Wisdom Monastery

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Purpose: provide the quiet and sacred time and space for artists, writers, musicians and performers of exceptional promise and demonstrated accomplishment to focus, create, advance or complete their work. We use the word “artist” broadly to include those working in visual, literary and performing arts, as well as individuals whose work doesn’t fit neatly into one of those categories. Overview: Residencies occur for three to four consecutive weeks during the summer months in the hermitage of Holy Wisdom Monastery. The dates will be determined by the guest services staff the year prior. The rent and meals are included in the …

Argiope spider

August phenology

Holy Wisdom MonasteryCare for the Earth, Friends of Wisdom Prairie, Phenology 2 Comments

By Sylvia Marek Phenology is a science focused on observing and recording biological events from year to year and their relationships to the change of seasons and climate. These are the “normal” phenology events we expect to see here and in the Madison area this month. We would love to hear about what you are seeing on the grounds of Holy Wisdom Monastery. Please comment on this post with what you are observing, where at Holy Wisdom and the date you observed the event. August Phenology “…the time of flowers from now until autumn…there would be every few days and …

Pam Shellberg’s Homily from July 20, 2025

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Genesis 18: 1-15; Colossians 1:15-28;   Luke 10:38-42 In 2020 Netflix released a drama series titled “The Queen’s Gambit,” a fictional story about a young American woman named Beth Harmon and the arc of her life as she became a chess champion who faced off against some of the best chess players in the country. In the series finale there was a climactic showdown in Moscow, Russia, where she confronted some of the world’s best chess players. During those matches, a commentator remarked: “The only unusual thing about Beth Harmon, really, is her sex. And even that is not unique in …

David McKee’s Homily, July 13, 2025

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Some weeks ago, I was asked if I would offer the homily today:  the Feast of Saints Benedict and Scholastica.  In addition, I was told that we would be celebrating the 25th anniversary of Sr. Lynne Smith’s monastic profession and the 1st anniversary of her installation as prioress of our monastery.  The challenge and the honor were quite a shock at first.  The shock passed–well, somewhat–but a good deal of my anxiety has persisted over the intervening days.  I asked Sr. Lynne if there would be any special readings for this Sunday.  Like a good Benedictine, she said that we …