For the third time, the Sauk City-based company Estate “The Tree Care Specialists” sent members of their staff out here to do some paid and donated work to help remove unwanted trees on the property. Periodically, it becomes important to remove trees that have died or non-native trees that don’t fit into the prairie landscaping at Holy Wisdom Monastery. “Estate is so helpful in providing professional services to remove trees that we don’t have the staff and volunteer capacity to remove,” says monastery groundskeeper Paul Boutwell. “I appreciate their donated labor and professional expertise.” This past March 12, several staff …
Holy Wisdom Monastery supports ARTICULTURE exhibit on Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Holy Wisdom Monastery is pleased to support the ARTICULTURE, an art exhibit reception hosted by Forward Community Investments that will celebrate local artists and chefs while highlighting sustainable agriculture. Monastery chef Barbara Wright will provide a dish of colorful vegetables from our monastery gardens, complemented by feta yogurt dipping sauce. You are invited to attend this exhibit! It will be at the offices of Forward Community Investments, located at 2045 Atwood Avenue in Madison, on Wednesday, April 17 from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm.
Gratitude to Fiskars for their in-kind donation of pruners
Holy Wisdom Monastery is grateful to Fiskars Brands, Inc. for their recent in-kind donation to the Benedictine Life Foundation of Wisconsin, Inc. for five hand pruners and five telescoping pruners. “These pruners will allow more volunteers remove invasive species from our property,” said Paul Boutwell, groundskeeper at Holy Wisdom Monastery. “Volunteers are integral to helping to maintain the nearly 100 acres of prairie that we maintain, and having the proper equipment for our volunteers is vital. We need volunteer help because we can’t do it alone.” Fiskars is an international company based in Madison that is a leading global supplier …
Reducing Phosphorous in the Lake Mendota Watershed
This morning, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Yahara Lakes Community Breakfast, sponsored by the Clean Lakes Alliance. There were a thousand people in attendance, from business leaders to elected officials to people who enjoy using the four lakes in the Madison area. Everyone there was concerned about the water quality in our lakes. An article in the Wisconsin State Journal describes in detail the Clean Lakes Alliance’s ambitious plan to reduce the amount of phosphorous in the Lake Mendota watershed by 50% in ten years. Holy Wisdom Monastery is doing its part to be a part of …
Feeding the Spirit and the Body at Holy Wisdom Monastery
by Barbara Wright, chef and kitchen manager For most of us food plays many important roles in our lives. It defines our culture and brings our families and friends together. Eating gives us pleasure, comfort and can entertain us as well. One of food’s most important roles is to provide us sustenance, to nourish our bodies, to give us the energy we need to accomplish what we do in our lives and to make us healthy and fit. Food provides a rich profusion of experiences for our senses and adds to our daily topic of conversation. As the chef at …
Madison Bach Musicians Return for Prairie Rhapsody Benefit Concert
For the third year in a row, the Madison Bach Musicians (directed by Trevor Stephenson) will return to Holy Wisdom Monastery to play at the annual Prairie Rhapsody benefit concert on the evening of June 28, 2012. This year, Trevor has put together a spectacular lineup of musicians to accompany him on the harpsichord, including Erin Cooper Gay (soprano) from Toronto and Chicago-based Anna Steinhoff (viola de gamba). Jacob Stockinger of The Well-Tempered Ear blog (and formerly the music critic for the Capital Times) wrote the following about last year’s concert, excerpted from his July 19, 2011 blog post: Several things made …
Recipes from the cooking demonstration on June 13, 2012 with Barbara Wright
Last night we hosted the first (but certainly not the last!) cooking demonstration with our monastery chef, Barbara Wright. We gathered in the kitchen at 6:00 pm and watched Barbara prepare a meal for 18 people, telling stories and giving out tips on where to shop for food and where to buy knives. Below are the recipes for the dishes that Barbara shared with us last night (click here to download a PDF file of these recipes). We hope to do more of these, perhaps as soon as this summer! To learn more about cooking demonstrations at Holy Wisdom Monastery, …
Benedictine Life in the 21st Century
Young adult volunteers at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Wisconsin connect with God through nature and community by Elizabeth A. Elliott Originally published May 8, 2012 at www.BustedHalo.com, reprinted with permission Connection. It is something everyone desires and in today’s world it seems to happen 24/7 through the Internet and social media. But there are people who yearn for a different, deeper connection — with God, with nature, and with each other. Sara Jo Emmerich, a 30-year-old who lives in Washington, D.C., found that connection at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton, Wisconsin. It was there, as part of the Volunteer in …
Take A Stake in the Lakes Days
Holy Wisdom Monastery is pleased to participate in Take a Stake in the Lakes Days, an event of the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission, in partnership with Clean Lakes Alliance. We are hosting a group of employees from Lands’ End on June 1, 2012 in our 100 acres of restored prairie so that we can continue to do our part to reduce run-off into the Lake Mendota watershed. One of the things that the Lands’ End group will be helping with is removing invasive species (such as garlic mustard and honeysuckle) from our naturally restored prairie. Restoring land, that used …
Honoring Hildegard of Bingen
Holy Spirit, giving life to all life, moving all creatures, root of all things, washing them clean, wiping out their mistakes, healing their wounds, you are our true life: luminous, wonderful, awakening the heart from its ancient sleep. ~ Hildegard of Bingen Illumination above by Hildegard of Bingen: Cultivating the Cosmic Tree Hildegard of Bingen was a Benedictine abbess, writer, musician and mystic. On May 10, 2012 the Vatican formally recognized Hildegard of Bingen by “inscribing her in the catalogue of saints.” Here at Holy Wisdom Monastery, she has been held in highest esteem for many years. Her …