I have to admit, I was hoping to draw a simpler scripture for my first homily. Maybe a parable or something really easily hopeful considering how heavy the world feels right now. But here we are. An initial reading of these three scriptures is a little grim. We start with the stoning of Stephen and then move into two scriptures that pull pretty heavily on house imagery – which probably feels more hospitable outside of our current safer at home situation, when many of us are longing to be anywhere else. Plus, we get a familiar clobber verse in John …
Holy Wisdom Monastery announces next CEO
Middleton, WI, May 8, 2020 – The Benedictine Women of Madison Board of Directors at Holy Wisdom Monastery is pleased to announce the appointment of Charles P. McLimans as the organizations next Chief Executive Officer. He will join Holy Wisdom Monastery on July 1, 2020. Charles McLimans currently serves as president and CEO of The River Food Pantry where he oversees all organizational strategies, while facilitating collaborative opportunities to achieve a fully nourished community. Prior to The River, McLimans served as the president and CEO of anti-hunger organizations including Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin—Wisconsin’s largest food bank—and Loaves and Fishes Community …
Living our intention
“Ceremony focuses attention so that attention becomes intention. If you stand together and profess a thing before your community, it holds you accountable.” Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, p. 249. On July 15, 2018, we celebrated the first profession of Denise West as a sister at Holy Wisdom Monastery during the Eucharist on Sunday morning. Denise has been with us about three years, and this is the next step in making a commitment to community life with the sisters at Holy Wisdom. Benedictines are good at ceremony; we call it liturgy or ritual. In the profession ritual, Denise stood before …
We are the Body of Christ
One of the experiences that profoundly shaped my life as a sister at Holy Wisdom Monastery was the listening sessions we held in October of 2005 with members of Sunday Assembly to hear your input and concerns about the future of Sunday Assembly. The issue we were grappling with was how we would conduct Sunday worship as an ecumenical community. The sisters had discussed this matter for several years with our Ecumenical board. We laid several options on the table. Each sister could go to her own denominational church. We could go as a group to churches of various denominations …
Sisters at Holy Wisdom endorse statement from LCWR on gun violence
The Benedictine sisters at Holy Wisdom Monastery endorse the following statement from Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR): Mourning is Not Enough: LCWR Calls for Action to Prevent Gun Violence February 23, 2018 On February 14 a very troubled 19-year-old took an AR-15 assault rifle to Marjory Stoneman High School and opened fire killing 14 students and three staff members. The shooting was a horrible tragedy that has become all too familiar to students, teachers, and parents across the country. The heartbreak in Parkland, Florida is far too common. A recent study of World Health Organization data published in the American …
Icons at Holy Wisdom Monastery
How many icons can you find at the monastery? In the weeks leading up to Sunday, November 12, 2017, I was finding this out as I helped the sisters’ community to prepare for a class on icons for the Youth Ministry of Sunday Assembly. This was not the only thing I learned during the preparation. Being Protestant, I knew only a little about the symbols in icons that are necessary to be able to ‘read’ the story presented or the identity of the person. Our focus for the class was to give the students a basic understanding of the common …
New opportunities in Sunday Assembly
by Joyce Wodka, Sunday Assembly Council chair One of the duties of the Sunday Assembly Council is to oversee and participate in the work of the committees that carry out the mission, vision and aims of Sunday Assembly. At the winter general meeting that was open to all participants of Sunday Assembly, the Council shared information on some of the great programs that are happening at the monastery. Through these informational meetings, the Council was not only able to present information and recruit volunteers to help in some of the new ministries, but to also brainstorm with some of the …
Filling the pot—strengthening community life
Colleen Hartung (second from right in the foreground), gives back to the worshiping community through her work with the children of Sunday Assembly. In January, Coleen Hartung and I were talking about her dissertation on the liturgy at Sunday Assembly. In the course of the conversation she told me how much it meant to her and to her family to participate in Sunday Assembly these past 10-plus years and to be involved with the people at Holy Wisdom. Coleen, her husband Kent, and the children were welcomed warmly from the first day they arrived. They appreciated the inclusive language used …
Join the conversation
“Holy Wisdom is a joyful, spiritual home where we can worship with everyone and feel inspired and uplifted by a thoughtful message. We were drawn in by service opportunities on the prairie, and couldn’t help but join this amazing family.” –Cassandra and Ryan Hall, recent members of Sunday Assembly Membership in Sunday Assembly is established through regular worship with Sunday Assembly and through becoming known and getting to know the community. The Sunday Assembly new member orientation committee is providing a number of opportunities for new and continuing members of Sunday Assembly to get to know one another in a …
Holiday Fair and Angel Tea
by Monica Jefcoat, event and accounting assistant The Holiday Season is getting close and the Holy Wisdom Monastery has two very special events planned to kick-off the season in festive fashion. Mark your calendars now for Sunday, November 8, 2015, because you won’t want to miss them! The Holiday Fair provides an opportunity for shoppers to select amongst a wide variety of items at prices guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of even the most frugal. Christmas ornaments, home décor, handmade items, jewelry, collectibles, original artwork and many more items may be perfect for you or someone on your shopping list. Scrumptious …