Peg Davey (right) helps chef Barbara Wright prepare veggies for freezing. Peg volunteers in the kitchen when large groups are at Holy Wisdom. Since January, 2013, Peg Davey has been helping monastery chef Barbara Wright when there are large groups and special events. “I’ve particularly enjoyed being a part of some very special events at Holy Wisdom. Several examples are the breakfast for over 200 in February when Sister Simone Campbell of “Nuns on the Bus” spoke at the Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice annual gathering, a wonderful buffet dinner accompanying a concert by the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society and …
Adult Spiritual Enrichment Opportunities at Holy Wisdom
Breakout sessions allow for a more intimate conversation during retreats and can lead to spiritual deepening. Photo by Sandy Wojtal-Weber. In late 2012, at the invitation of Sister Mary David Walgenbach and the Benedictine Women of Madison Board, a small group of volunteers started working as two committees to enhance the spiritual enrichment opportunities for adults at Holy Wisdom Monastery. The committees shared a common mission: to sponsor speakers and develop programs that would help deepen the spiritual life of members of Sunday Assembly as well as the broader Madison community. The two committees recently joined to become the Spiritual Deepening Council of Holy Wisdom …
Benedictine Hospitality in the Sisters’ Community
The sisters share their lives with Sojourners and Volunteers in Community who are exploring what it is like to live in community. Benedict tells us that guests bring blessings to the community. The sisters have been blessed by providing hospitality to a great variety of people over the years. Since the 1970s, in addition to our retreat and conference work, we have extended hospitality to women, men and families as guests within the sisters’ community. Refugee families from Guatemala, Vietnam, India and China lived in the monastery with us. This meant providing more than just a place to stay, but …
Volunteer Spotlight: Michael Belongie
Michael Belongie helps keep the monastery grounds looking groomed and well-tended. A long weekly drive hasn’t deterred Michael Belongie from volunteering at Holy Wisdom for the past 10 years. “The 96-mile round trip from Beaver Dam has proven more eye-opening and satisfying than 10 round-the-world trips I might have undertaken,” Michael related. Taking on tasks as varied as helping with controlled prairie burns, removing weeds from the gardens in front of the monastery and Retreat and Guest House, washing windows, taking out the trash and floor care keeps Michael busy when he’s here on Wednesdays. Prior to retiring from his …
Groups Enjoy Benedictine Hospitality
“All guests are to be received with sincere hospitality, ‘with the courtesy of love.” – Rule of Benedict 53:1 Benedict of Nursia determined this rule in Italy over 1500 years ago, and it still rings true today at Holy Wisdom Monastery as we host groups of all faith backgrounds, school and business groups, medical and meditation groups, state government agencies and many other groups. “If the group fits within the sisters’ mission of prayer, hospitality, justice and care of the earth we welcome them,” explained Sister Mary David Walgenbach. Group Health Cooperative meets in the sunny garden room in the Retreat and Guest House, …
Welcoming Volunteers in Community
Four of the five Volunteers in Community work in the vegetable garden. Much of the produce from this garden ends up being served to guests at Holy Wisdom Monastery. This month the sisters welcome five women as Volunteers in Community between June 10 and July 6, 2013. Noreen and Mary will be with us the entire month. Noreen comes from Princeton, New Jersey where she works in the area of media and marketing. She has participated in domestic and international missionary trips for her church. Noreen grew up on a farm in Michigan and has gardening experience to bring to her participation …
Volunteer Spotlight: Margaret Sommers
Most Wednesday afternoons you can find Margaret Sommers in the lower level monastery workroom printing, folding and collating 200 copies of the Sunday Assembly worship bulletin and inserts. Holy Wisdom Monastery is blessed to have a dedicated group of volunteers. Many of the volunteers help outside on the 95 acres of prairie. Margaret Sommers, on the other hand, almost always volunteers inside doing a variety of tasks related to Sunday Assembly worship. Margaret came to Holy Wisdom sometime in the early 1980s for Sunday morning worship. In the late 1990s she learned from Mark Johnson who was director of worship and music at …
2012 Annual Report
The Benedictine Life Foundation of Wisconsin, Inc. is pleased to unveil its 2012 annual report. It is always a humbling experience to see all the names of supporters in one place. There are a lot of people spread out over the country who believe in and support the sisters’ vision at Holy Wisdom Monastery through gifts of time, talent and treasure. It takes a village to support all the ministries taking place here. It’s also touching to highlight our long-term supporters—members of Benedict Society (those who have made planned gifts, such as bequests in a will, to support the sisters) and Scholastica …
Spring on Wisdom Prairie
The bluebirds have returned for the season! Robins, the harbinger of spring have also arrived. The jonquils and daffodils are blooming, the trees are budding and the sisters have started working in the vegetable garden. Spring has arrived at Holy Wisdom Monastery and on what is now known as Wisdom Prairie. “In the spring, we orient ourselves toward God’s creation – the sunlight, warmth and rain – after being inside all winter. A new season bursts forth,” said Paul Boutwell, groundskeeper and restoration ecologist. Sandhill cranes strolling up to the Mendota Prairie overlook. In addition to the welcome sight of …
Why We Care for the Earth
The sisters’ commitment to caring for the earth has deep roots in our Benedictine spirituality. Having made a promise of stability, we seek to work for the good of the place where we live. This refers to both the people and the land which is our home. Benedict tells his community members to care for the tools of the monastery as if they were the sacred vessels of the altar. By this he lets us know that all things are holy. Such a mindset leads us to care for creation by reducing, recycling and reusing whatever we can. A monk …