by Janine M Veto, oblate class of 2012 I came to Holy Wisdom seeking a framework and a community within which I could deepen my spirituality. I am, by nature, an ecumenical and eclectic seeker: scraps of Buddhism, Jung, a host of writers and artists are all layered thickly over the static, patriarchal Catholicism of my youth, which I emphatically exited in my teens. My professional life since moving to Madison nine years ago has been in the environmental field, while my 25 years in New York was steeped in the arts, my first and most enduring vehicle for …
Guest evaluations help to provide a higher level of hospitality
Like restaurants, hotels and many other places which offer customer service, the guest services team at Holy Wisdom Monastery wants to hear your opinion about your personal retreat or group meeting, retreat or event. In order to procure that opinion, we provide a paper evaluation to personal retreatants and group leaders with our check-in materials. The evaluations garner input on hospitality, guest rooms, meeting rooms, meals and special areas such as the assembly room, oratory and library. We also want to know what guests enjoyed about their time at Holy Wisdom and what might have made this a better experience …
Prairie naturalist and teacher
by John A. Van Dinter, Friends of Wisdom Prairie council member Wisdom Monastery is committed to maintaining native prairie and savannas and we’ve been aided by a special person who has a tremendous background and knowledge in local native species and habitats. Nancy Schlimgen, a longtime resident of Westport, has helped the state of Wisconsin, Dane County, Westport Township, Holy Wisdom Monastery and many others restore and rebuild our natural habitats. (She is pictured above, left, as former staff naturalist at Holy Wisdom, working with student interns.) Nancy’s master’s thesis focused on a unique plant, prairie bush clover, which is an …
Sharing rich experiences in Chicago
“Are you going to share with us what you learned in Chicago?” I’ve been hearing this often since returning from attending the Institute of Religious Formation at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. It’s hard to sum up nine months of learnings! Much of what I learned I’ll be using and sharing as I go about my work at the monastery. The following provides some highlights of my experience. Religious formation addresses the intellectual, psychological, emotional, spiritual and relational development of women and men as they enter life in a religious community. Living in a religious community requires self-knowledge and inter-personal …
Beginning again
by Collette Jones, oblate class of 2015 My year-long period of formal oblate formation ended in April of this year. Our class shared our personal rules with each other and the sisters. We made our vows of commitment as an oblate during the beautiful and meaningful service at Holy Wisdom Monastery. (Collette is pictured on that day, right, photo by Kathleen Wessels) Now what??? Now comes that inevitable shift in energy and focus after a significant and long anticipated event, a shift that leaves us feeling a bit disoriented and adrift. After something like a graduation or a holiday or …
Spring with the Friends of Wisdom Prairie through a camera lens or two
This spring the Friends of Wisdom Prairie learned about wildflowers at Abraham’s Woods near Albany, Wisconsin. The Friends also burned 85 acres of prairie, removed hedgerows to ready the land for an oak savanna, planted 10 acres of native prairie, searched for birds on the grounds of Holy Wisdom Monastery and were educated about Wisconsin wildlife by University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Scott Craven. You are invited to join the Friends on one of their upcoming outings, dinner lectures, workdays and tours this summer. Help care for the earth at Holy Wisdom and learn about sustainable practices you can use where you …
Madonna della Sedia
By Lila Hemlin, Sunday Assembly member and oblate My husband Rich Hemlin and I are members of Sunday Assembly and the oblate community. We feel so blessed to have finally found our spiritual home at Holy Wisdom Monastery.While visiting my family in Vermont over the years, we would go to worship and spend time at the Weston Priory, which has a wonderful music ministry. Rich asked the abbot, Fr. Leo Rudloff, OSB, who was an old German monk, if he knew Fr. Philip Fischer, OSB. He said he knew him and he was an exemplary monk. Since then, Fr. …
Buddhists and Christian monastics share much in common
Pictured above: Mary David Walgenbach and Joanne Kollasch (back row, 4th and 5th from the right) joined members from a variety of Buddhist and Christian monastic traditions for Gethsemani Encounter IV at Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky in May. Photo by Rev. Heng Sure. Bells ringing in a Benedictine monastery throughout the day are an unmistakable call. They mark the time for the community and guests to gather for common prayer, the Liturgy of Hours. Saint Benedict in his Rule titles this prayer “The Work of God,” and devotes several chapters to it. For the monks and guests at Gethsemani Abbey in …
Wild Rowing Into God
By Sister Gail Worcelo and Sister Gabriele Uhlein Rowing, it’s a great art. It’s the finest art there is. It’s a symphony of motion. And when you are rowing well, why it’s nearing perfection. And when you are nearing perfection, you’re touching the Divine. What is the spiritual value of rowing? …..The losing of the self entirely to the cooperative effort of the crew as a whole. ~George Yeoman Pocock People around the world are gathering in hubs, circles, and contemplative networks, attempting to embody a new possibility for our emerging humanity. Words like Resonant Fields, Divinized Humanity, Global Communion are arising in conversations everywhere. …
What happens when women come to explore?
What happens when five women—unknown to each other and to the monastery—spend less than 48 hours together with the community during an Exploring Benedictine Sojourners Retreat? New doors open…new insights are gained…new friendships develop…new paths unfold. We are grateful to Denise, Jill, Linda, Liz and Paz who took the risk to come for a weekend to learn more about our Benedictine Sojourner program. These women were open, sincere, faithful and filled with a variety of gifts, interests and backgrounds. We shared our story and they shared their stories. As one woman put it, “Telling my story was a way of …