Madre Tierra

Madre Tierra – exhibit by Issis Macias

Janet NeurauterArt exhibits, Hospitality 1 Comment

Submitted by Janet Neurauter (she/her),Mission Advancement Consultant Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Issis, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, was taught that education was the path to a secure future. “My parents instilled the values of hard work, building a stable career and being self-sufficient,” she said. As a result, Issis attended UCLA, majoring in Political Science before earning a Master’s in Public Administration. She worked as a water resources manager for a municipal utility in Anaheim, California, where she upheld the belief that water is life and conservation is critical to sustaining communities. During a period of personal …

Experiences at Holy Wisdom Monastery

Holy Wisdom MonasteryCare for the Earth, Friends of Wisdom Prairie, Hospitality, Justice, Prayer & Worship, Sunday Assembly, Volunteers 2 Comments

Our mission is to weave prayer, hospitality, justice and care for the earth into a shared way of life. Here are some of the ways we invite you to live our mission with us. Prayer Holy Wisdom Monastery offers opportunity for spiritual growth every day of the week. Offerings include engaging in communal prayer, spending time in nature, attending a program or joining one of our spiritual communities, Oblates of Holy Wisdom Monastery, Center for Clergy Renewal or Sunday Assembly. Hospitality Our Benedictine tradition of hospitality means that all people are welcomed here as Christ. We invite you to experience this …

Reflections from a Summer Steward

Holy Wisdom MonasteryHospitality, Living in Community, Monastic Life, Prayer & Worship, Summer Stewards, Weekly Wisdom, Women Exploring Community 2 Comments

Submitted by Hannah Keziah Agustin In the beginning of our day, there is silence. We center ourselves on the presence of God in the basement of Holy Wisdom Monastery’s main building at 7:30 in the morning, our chairs facing toward each other as we pray. Outside of the windows, the prairie sprawls with the bloom of a Wisconsin summer – bergamot, coneflowers and butterfly milkweed decorate the fields in the day’s early sun. Here, Benedictine sisters, retreatants and community members gather for the hearing of the liturgy, the singing of worship and the reading of God’s word. Here, we come …

Binoculars Available to Borrow While Exploring at Holy Wisdom Monastery

Amy AlstadCare for the Earth, Friends of Wisdom Prairie, Hospitality Leave a Comment

Friends of Wisdom Prairie is pleased to share a new opportunity: Holy Wisdom now has binoculars available for all to borrow. Bird watching is a lovely activity that perfectly complements Benedictine spirituality. It invites you to appreciate the beauty of creation. It pairs well with silence, stillness and contemplation, and connects you to the many birds flourishing here as a result of our work caring for the earth. To borrow a pair of binoculars, visit the front desk in the Monastery building and speak with the porter (front desk volunteer). Binoculars are available Monday-Friday starting at 10:00 am and must …

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 …

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 Creating Interactive Meditation Trail

Holy Wisdom MonasteryCare for the Earth, Hospitality Leave a Comment

Holy Wisdom Monastery is known by mindfulness and meditation practitioners for its quiet, contemplative retreat center. It is also known by outdoors enthusiasts for its walking trails through 130 acres of restored prairie, wetland and oak savanna. Soon Holy Wisdom might be known for its one of a kind meditation trail which brings meditation and land restoration together. Holy Wisdom Monastery is installing small decks for meditation in different restored plant communities around their property, all connected with a walking trail. Toby Grabs, director of operations, elaborated, “There will be six platforms total, one in a pine woods, another in …

Healthy Hospitality goal met!

Car McGinleyHospitality, Support Leave a Comment

The pandemic has highlighted genuine concern about safety, cleanliness and social distancing in all our daily lives. With swift action and in less than 90 days, we are excited to announce that we met our $25,000 fundraising goal for the Holy Wisdom Monastery Healthy Hospitality Initiative. Generous donors provided the resources needed to invest in essential equipment and advanced technology. The enhancements will help create a safe space for you and your family for years to come, including plumbing upgrades and efficiencies, which will reduce water and energy consumption. Equipment and technology enhancements include: 3 electrostatic sprayers for 360-degree disinfection of …

Ep 4, Podcast Cover

‘Becoming Ecumenical: The New Spirit of Vatican II,’ The Holy Wisdom Podcast

Holy Wisdom MonasteryBuilding Community, Hospitality, Interfaith Relations, Living in Community, Looking Back, Monastic Life, Podcast, Rule of Benedict Leave a Comment

Want to be the first to hear every new episode? Click here to sign up for email notifications! In this continuation of Ep. 1, Becoming Ecumenical: Bringing Christians Together, we sit down once more with Sister Mary David Walgenbach and Sister Joanne Kollasch. Starting in 1966, the sisters take us along the hurdles and fundamental moments of growth into an ecumenical community throughout the 60’s, 70’s, and Vatican II. From welcoming retreat groups for many different Christian denominations to hosting the Dalai Lama, the sisters have embraced the hospitality of St. Benedict, calling it “the everyday path to God that …

Podcast Cover Ep 3 ECCSR

‘A Space for Clergy Renewal,’ The Holy Wisdom Podcast

Holy Wisdom MonasteryCCR, Hospitality, Interfaith Relations, Podcast, Retreats, Rule of Benedict Leave a Comment

Want to be the first to hear every new episode? Click here to sign up for email notifications! Where can pastors and clergy leaders go for spiritual renewal and support? Being a leader in a faith tradition isn’t easy, and it can sometimes be difficult to find peers with the same calling. This need for connection and community naturally led to the formation of one of the newest communities at Holy Wisdom Monastery: The Ecumenical Center for Clergy Spiritual Renewal (ECCSR). Join us in this inspiring dive into the creation and meaning of the ECCSR experience with co-directors Reverend Nancy …