At Holy Wisdom Monastery, many of our ministries are sustained through the generous support of our donors. Our supporters breathe life into our mission. Through the end of November, we received over $300,000 from over 600 households and businesses. The last month of the year is always a busy time with incoming gifts pouring in from our supporters. It’s a fun time to check the mailbox and to reconnect with some donors that we only hear from once a year. It’s also a time to reflect on the generosity of so many people who donate every month and even every week. During this time …
Support our mission and ministries
November 2012 Dear friends and supporters: The end of the year is a time to reflect on the blessings from the past year, and to focus on what is to come next year. I am grateful for all the people who have come to visit us who are seeking balance and meaning through our mission of weaving prayer, hospitality, justice, and care for the earth into a shared way of life as an ecumenical Benedictine community. I hope you will consider supporting the Benedictine Life Foundation with a year-end gift. This past August, we welcomed our first participants in Benedictine Sojourners, a new ministry …
Memorial Gifts at Holy Wisdom Monastery
We lost some genuinely special people this past year at Holy Wisdom Monastery. In April, we mourned the loss of Jim McCarthy (April 6), Rev. Ed Beers (April 16), and Judy Schoennherr (April 21). We were honored to host all of their memorial services at the monastery, where the consolation was the opportunity to welcome so many longtime friends and family members into our space. All of their memories live on in various ways here at the monastery. Jim’s wife, Joan, remains an active member of our Sunday Assembly worship community, as well as a member of Benedict Society. Near the end of October, …
Nature Notes – Autumn 2012
After coming through one of the worst droughts since the dust bowl years of the 1930s, we have finally gotten some rain. Clearly it is still inadequate to compensate for the precipitation deficit, but plants and I’m sure many animals are benefiting from the rare moisture. One of the interesting things that you might note from looking at the prairies at Holy Wisdom Monastery is that most of the plants have survived and look much better than the corn and soybeans in the fields of Dane County. Prairie plants have “learned” through evolution that drought conditions happen now and …
Call for Donations to Support Benedictine Sojourners
It has truly been a gift to welcome Nancy Melin and Linda Steg here as the first Benedictine Sojourners to participate in the ministries and life at Holy Wisdom Monastery. I have had opportunities to pray with them at daily prayer, worship with them at Sunday Assembly and interact during the workday at the monastery. It has been wonderful to have new faces and new energy here on a daily basis. The sisters have been generous in subsidizing the costs of participants in Benedictine Sojourners by providing room and board, a monthly stipend, books for learning about monastic spirituality and …
Scholastica Sustainers Group Launched at Holy Wisdom Monastery
By Sister Mary David Walgenbach and Mike Sweitzer-Beckman This hot summer has dried up the prairie at the monastery, and we are doing our best to keep up with the uncontrollable heat. We’re fortunate to have several people helping to maintain the prairie: a couple participants in our annual Volunteer in Community program this past summer, two new participants in Benedictine Sojourners, a few dedicated volunteers that come every week, and our longtime groundskeeper, Paul Boutwell. The dry heat we’ve been enduring for the last month reminds me of the story of Saint Scholastica, the twin sister of Saint Benedict …
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 …
The Genesis of the Sonata Art Exhibit
Our Sonata exhibit artists gather to proof and critique each other’s work (L-R: Gregory Bleck, Donna Carnes, Blair Mathews, Kent Sweitzer) Last autumn, I discovered that one of our neighbors and biggest fans, Donna Carnes, was involved with an art exhibit at the Pyle Center on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The exhibit featured her poetry, paired with poetic works by Blair Mathews, matched up with watercolor paintings by a local artist. I had never met Blair before, but quickly discovered that he is well-known in various circles at the university through his career as a fitness instructor and poet, …
How Event Sponsorships Can Help Your Business!
The Benedictine Life Foundation is pleased to sponsor several events this summer. On June 8, 2012 we will welcome four artists for the Sonata exhibit, featuring poetry by Donna Carnes and Blair Matthews, and photography by Greg Bleck and Kent Sweitzer. On June 28, 2012 we will welcome back Trevor Stephenson and the Madison Bach Musicians for our annual Prairie Rhapsody fundraising concert. More information on these events will be available in future editions of Benedictine Bridge and on our website. We’ve already had several individuals and businesses agree to sponsor these events, but we need more to make the …
Saving the Land and Hearing Great Music Make for an Outstanding Double-header at the Prairie Rhapsody Benefit Concert
By Jacob Stockinger, former music reviewer for The Capital Times Excerpts reprinted with permission from his July 19, 2011 blog It would be hard to imagine a better way to meld classical music and land conservation than the Prairie Rhapsody benefit concert . . . at the Holy Wisdom Monastery . . . The musical performers were period musicians Madison-based keyboardist Trevor Stephenson, who played the fortepiano, and several musicians from Chicago: violinist Brandi Berry, cellist Anna Steinhoff and soprano Emily Birsan. Several things made the event, which included light dinner and desserts plus wine and other beverages, a success. …