“It’s been a quiet week…” at Lost Lake (the small, glacial lake on the grounds of Holy Wisdom Monastery!) – both literally and figuratively. In the Retreat & Guest House we are hosting 40 Appamada practitioners for a silent meditation retreat. The days have been cool, and the skies have often been gray, and much needed rain has soaked the earth and brought down many fall leaves. Inside the pulse of life is felt and surrounded by the gracious space of quiet, Benedictine hospitality. We offered an Exploring Benedictine Community retreat last weekend, which included an extended stay during the …
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, …
The way we answer doors
The way we answer doors is the way we deal with the world. ~ Wisdom from the Tradition, Conference of Benedictine Prioresses How else can we bring a divided world together except by providing the open hearth where all feel warm and safe enough to speak their truths and listen from their hearts. ~ An Extravagant Love, Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB These reflections on Benedictine hospitality are found in Wisdom from the Tradition, written by the Conference of Benedictine Prioresses. Insights into the wisdom to be found within the Benedictine tradition were gathered from Benedictine women’s communities throughout the US …
Hospitality: All Are Welcome at Holy Wisdom Monastery
Hospitality is one of the core values that the sisters live at Holy Wisdom Monastery. One way they do this is by welcoming all to participate in the activities at the monastery. Among the many guests of the monastery, members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and queer (GLBTQ) communities in Madison and beyond find a place of spiritual comfort and refuge here. Sunday Assembly has a number of gay and lesbian members. Jim Green and Bill Diederich have been worshipping and attending retreats with the sisters since the early 1970s. Bill and Jim recently celebrated their 40th anniversary together …
Sister Asella Returns to Korea
In June 2009, Sister Asella Kim, a Missionary Benedictine from Seoul, Korea, came to live with the sisters at Holy Wisdom Monastery. She was here on a year’s sabbatical after serving a Korean and American parish in New Jersey for six years. Asella has known us since 1994 when she spent four years here learning English and continuing her education. Because Sister Asella is a kindred spirit we count her as part of our community. She especially enjoyed walking in the prairie and working in the garden. She even requested a three-month extension of her sabbatical so she could help bring in the produce …