We have two upcoming opportunities as we finish our planting preparations in the Memorial Courtyard. Donate your cardboard or lend a helping hand for our volunteer workday on the 26th
Nature Notes Summer 2015
Although I just turned 72, when I think of summer, visions of getting out of school and having months to run around outdoors and also work alongside my parents in field and garden come to mind. How glorious to have such freedom to be outside. At the monastery, many volunteers, Paul Boutwell and I will be enjoying that freedom together—being outside and looking after the sisters’ bounty of land and nature. It’s truly a great adventure implementing this grand plan to restore all of the fire communities of southern Wisconsin at Holy Wisdom Monastery; prairie, savanna and oak woodlands. To …
Volunteering in the Garden
Early last summer we were out of town for over a week and returned to find pumpkin vines proliferating in our garden. I had not planted any pumpkin seeds—or so I thought! When I traced the giant vines back to their source I found one, single volunteer—a plant that grew from the seeds of last year’s Halloween pumpkin casually tossed into the garden as compost. Such garden volunteers can be a wonderful surprise! Equally surprising might be the benefits of volunteering in the garden, orchards and prairie at Holy Wisdom Monastery. Gardening is a life-giving pursuit in so many ways. Selecting …
Friends of Wisdom Prairie
Educating Community Workday volunteers about the birds at Holy Wisdom Monastery on an early morning bird watching hike. Care for the earth is an important part of the mission at Holy Wisdom Monastery. This reverence for creation is a Benedictine tradition. Our efforts and the commitment of all those who help us preserve, maintain and restore this place go beyond green trends. For us, it is a way of life. We strive to use only what we need so that resources can be preserved for others. The sister’s recently embraced the idea of forming a Friends of Wisdom Prairie support organization to facilitate …
Many Ways to Volunteer at Holy Wisdom
Benedictine Sojourner volunteer Brenda Lisenby (left), makes beds with housekeeper Val Bunville. Do you have a few extra hours each week to help out at Holy Wisdom? Current volunteer needs for guest services include: Monastery receptionist, Fridays 10:00 am – 1:00 pm, includes greeting visitors, completing projects assigned by staff, making copies and more. Guest services assistant, Monday – Friday 10:00 am – 3:00 pm, assist hospitality and event coordinator by scheduling personal retreatants, preparing envelopes for retreatants, adding data into our database (must be computer literate), filing and other projects. Kitchen assistant, Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm …
What Does it Mean to be a Volunteer in Community?
Volunteers in Community Hershey Mallette (left) and Stephanie Borger (right) join Sister Lynne Smith in the monastery garden. This summer between June 10 and July 6, 2013 the sisters will welcome single women from various backgrounds to experience life in the monastery as Volunteers in Community. In the six years we have offered this program over 30 women have prayed with us, worked on the monastery grounds, and shared their stories with us. We have been challenged and enriched by the vitality and the faith they bring. If you know a woman who might be interested in becoming a volunteer this year, …
Benedictine Life in the 21st Century
Young adult volunteers at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Wisconsin connect with God through nature and community by Elizabeth A. Elliott Originally published May 8, 2012 at www.BustedHalo.com, reprinted with permission Connection. It is something everyone desires and in today’s world it seems to happen 24/7 through the Internet and social media. But there are people who yearn for a different, deeper connection — with God, with nature, and with each other. Sara Jo Emmerich, a 30-year-old who lives in Washington, D.C., found that connection at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton, Wisconsin. It was there, as part of the Volunteer in …
Volunteer Opportunity – Repair Oak Dining Chairs
Are you handy with wood? Volunteer(s) needed to rebuild monastery chairs. Holy Wisdom Monastery has many oak dining chairs that need repair. These chairs will last another few decades if we can find help to rebuild them. Several volunteers have already re-built some chairs and have developed a good set of instructions, as well as a list of needed tools (rubber or dead drop hammer, power screw driver, drill, clamps, etc). Volunteers should have the necessary tools and a place to work on the chairs. Interested? Contact Jan at (608) 836-1631 x123.