Author: Julie Melton Lost Lake is living evidence of the last glacier in southern Wisconsin. As the glacier melted, huge chunks of ice were separated from the receding edge. Rivers of melt water gushed around it depositing 30 foot deep layers of silt, rock, and gravel. Lost Lake was born when the ice melted leaving a depression in the landscape. Ground water, rain, and snow fed it. After the glaciers receded, life returned, eventually greening the landscape. Ancestors of the Ho-Chunk who lived throughout this area were attracted to the lake. This space was so sacred to them that they …
International Women’s Day
The Sisters at Holy Wisdom Monastery, Madison, Wisconsin welcome and celebrate International Women’s Day. We are a small community of Benedictine women who enjoy and benefit from an international world view. Our community is a member of the world-wide Benedictine order begun in the sixth century. Our interests and work focus not only locally but on sisters’ communities and work in Africa, Asia, South America and Europe. Travel to these countries prompts a desire and understanding for collaboration. After a visit with sisters in Korea, Korean sisters came to our monastery to learn English. They attended classes at WESLI – …
Monitoring Bird-Window Collisions at the Monastery
Since the Fall of 2021, volunteers from Madison Audubon and Holy Wisdom have been monitoring windows at the Monastery and Retreat & Guest House for bird collisions. The volunteers detected 21 window collisions during fall 2022. This was more than the combined number of collisions documented during the fall of 2021 and spring of 2022. The greatest number of collisions occurred at glass doors at the Retreat & Guest House courtyard. Dr. Amy Alstad, the Director of Land Management noted “This is a protected area with vegetation that is attractive to song birds. As soon as it warms up, we …
Father Kenneth Smits, OFM Capuchin – 1938-2023
Father Ken Smits, Capuchin, Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order, Detroit, Michigan, died on February, 4, 2023. He made a great contribution to the liturgical and ecumenical life of Holy Wisdom Monastery during the 14 years he worked at the monastery. Father Ken was hired as director of Benedictine life ministries in August of 1994. He served as the liturgist and program director at the Monastery of Saint Benedict Center (now Holy Wisdom Monastery) until 1998. That year he started dividing his time between the liturgy department (prayer & worship) and the spirituality department. Father Ken worked with …
Feast of St. Scholastica – A Reflection on Prayer
Feb. 10 is the Feast Day of St. Scholastica. Scholastica is the twin sister of her more famous brother Benedict of Nursia. They grew up in a wealthy family and they both founded monasteries in the sixth century. Everything we know about them comes from a book written by Gregory the Great after Benedict’s death. Scholastica is mostly known for her great love of the spiritual life and for her fervent prayer. The famous story is that these siblings would leave their monasteries once a year to meet for spiritual conversation. On the last occasion of their meeting, they spent …
Seeking Balance
By Pam Shellberg and Sister Denise West, OSB Sister Denise West and Pam Shellberg, director of spiritual nourishment at Holy Wisdom Monastery, enjoy regular conversations together about all things spiritual and Benedictine. In this blog post, they share a recent conversation and invite you to join them by leaving comments below. Sister Denise began the conversation: “If God does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor.” (Psalm 127) These lines grabbed my attention during midday prayer not long ago. It struck me that it had something to do not only with work but also with balance. Our …
Rex Piercy’s Homily from February 27, 2022
Homily for the Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus – February 27, 2022, preached at Holy Wisdom Monastery’s Sunday Assembly – Middleton, WI Texts – Exodus 34:29-35; 2 Corinthians 2:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-36 Back in early December while I was a away for a couple of weeks visiting friends and tying up the loose ends on my Hawaii church interim ministry gig, back at home, my husband took to some serious storage closet cleaning. He’s better at that kind of thing, or at least more committed to it than I am. He had, among other things, sorted and arranged a plastic …
We Glory in the Cross
Submitted by Sister Joanne Kollasch, Benedictine Women of Madison We glory in the cross, in Christ, the crucified. In him we die to sin and self and in God’s grace abide. We glory in the cross, in Christ, the risen One. In him we know the Spirit’s life and pow’r of Gospel word. The arms of Jesus’ cross encompass all the earth; in this embrace we find our peace and in this death, new birth. We glory in the cross, salvation’s shape and sign, the pledge of everlasting life, the span of God’s design. The folly of the cross is …
Lenten Fasting: A Meditation
By Pamela Johnson, Oblate and Sunday Assembly member I grew up in a religiously observant, ritual practicing Lutheran household where each Lent (and Advent) my parents and siblings gathered around our dining room table for family devotions. We lit candles, read scripture, and prayed around the table together – but we did not practice fasting during Lent or any other time of the year. And so I come uninitiated to fasting as a spiritual practice. I am entering into fasting this Lent. And because I was invited to do so, I share what I am noticing. I am noticing that …
Benedictine Practices for a Balanced Life
Benedictine spirituality aims at helping the sisters at Holy Wisdom Monastery live a balanced life. It provides time for prayer, work, leisure and study. We have time built into the day and week for solitude and time with others. The various activities of our days serve to integrate the body, mind, spirit and soul over the course of our lives. Manual labor and service to others keeps us from being in our head all day. Prayer keeps us from expending all our energy outward giving us time to go inward and reflect. Study stimulates our intellect and provides for growth …