Holy Wisdom, Holy Grief by Eric Hannem

Holy Wisdom MonasteryWeekly Wisdom 4 Comments

Submitted by Erin Trondson (she/her),Executive Director Dear Holy Wisdom Community, I wanted to introduce you to another community member and friend who has become part of our community. I met Eric Hannem at one of our programs over a year ago at Holy Wisdom. He was in a period of deep grief and shared that he found healing in the land, the sisters, and our hospitality. We have struck up a correspondence over the months, see each other whenever he is on retreat, and he recently shared a poem he wrote that I absolutely wanted to share with the full community. …

What would the bunny do?

Holy Wisdom MonasteryWeekly Wisdom 8 Comments

Submitted by Everline Jeruto, OSB (she/her), Sisters’ Community This year, I’ve noticed something strange.  Bunnies.  Everywhere.  I don’t know if they got a group discount on my neighborhood or if Zillow listed our yard as “Ideal Bunny Community,” but they’re multiplying.  I can’t walk outside without seeing one.  And here’s the thing – they’re not even trying to hide.  They’re just sprawled out under bushes like they pay property taxes.  The other day it was ridiculously hot. I walked outside, and there was one bunny lying under a shrub.  Not hopping.  Not eating.  Not doing bunny things.  Just…marinating.  I thought, “Is it okay?”  So, I walked a little closer.  …

Community of Joy: Christina Roberts

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Where is the closest monastery? While that probably isn’t the top Google search when moving to a new city, when I moved to Madison in 2009, that question was at the top of my list – right alongside practical questions like the nearest bank and grocery store. I had just begun exploring contemplative spirituality, and little did I know what a lifeline Holy Wisdom would soon become. Shortly after moving, we began the long and stressful process of adopting our second child and I knew that I needed something deeper than my once a year “self care” retreat at the …

Community of Joy: Quinn Casey

Amy AlstadCommunity of Joy 6 Comments

Submitted by Amy Alstad as an article to the May 29, 2026 issue of Weekly Wisdom. Dear Holy Wisdom Community, It is a real pleasure for me to feature Quinn Casey in this next installment of our ‘Community Joy’ series. Erin conceived these articles as a way to lift up what is good, true and joyful, as well as highlight community members whose contributions and connections to Holy Wisdom might not be visible to many. Quinn’s grandparents, Biby Gubler-Casey and Bob Smith, will be familiar to many in the Sunday Assembly community. For the past couple years, Quinn has been …

Why was Jesus executed?

Holy Wisdom MonasteryPrayer & Worship, scripture, Scripture commentaries, Spirituality Articles, Weekly Wisdom 5 Comments

(Written by Jerry Folk, Sunday Assembly member, for submission to Weekly Wisdom) John Dominic Crossan, an historical Jesus scholar, believes Jesus’ execution was not about martyrdom or atonement but about nonviolent resistance.  Dom Crossan proposes that Jesus stepped into a tradition Jewish leaders had been developing for decades. Relying on the writing of first century Jewish historian Josephus, he describes a remarkable development in Palestinian Judaism between two violent revolts against Rome in 4 BCE and 66 CE. During these 70 years, Jewish religious leaders experimented with programmatic, strategic and deliberate nonviolent resistance to Roman power and oppression.  This nonviolent …

Community of Joy: Stephanie Redinger

Holy Wisdom MonasteryCommunity of Communities, Community of Joy, Weekly Wisdom 3 Comments

Can you tell us about your journey into the culinary world and how you came to join the team at Holy Wisdom Monastery?  My first job was in a summer camp kitchen, and the majority of my jobs have been in food service since. I was looking for a job that aligned with my values, this last spring, and was led to Holy Wisdom Monastery. I am so thankful to have found a place that is filled with so much joy and light!  What does a typical day look like for you in the culinary department, from meal preparation to interacting with guests or …

Community of Joy – Phyllis Lobdell

Erin TrondsonCommunity of Joy 9 Comments

It is a warm feeling to know that someone is expecting you and that they are glad you came. It was a beautiful fall day when I had the pleasure of meeting Phyllis in the courtyard of the Retreat and Guest House. I was honored to spend the hour with her and learn more about her life and connection to Holy Wisdom. Phyllis discovered Holy Wisdom as a personal retreatant from Illinois back in 2011. “I was sole care-giver for my mother and I needed to find a place for some respite. I found Holy Wisdom Monastery on the internet …

Community of Joy – Al Heggen, Helen Christiansen and Aman Cara

Holy Wisdom MonasteryCommunity of Joy, Uncategorized 3 Comments

Dear Holy Wisdom Community, During these harrowing times, when the news often leads us to feelings of despair, I am determined to also keep our focus on what is good, true and joyful. Often, at Holy Wisdom, it is no surprise that what is good, true and joyful is often our community members. Please watch for articles into 2026 that highlight our community, who they are, how they are involved and what they find at Holy Wisdom. As a community of communities, I often see my job as finding the overlap on the Venn Diagram as to where the many …

Center for Clergy Renewal staff transition

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Submitted by Nancy Enderle, director, Center for Clergy Renewal Dear Holy Wisdom community members, I am writing to let you know about changes in the leadership of the Center for Clergy Renewal (CCR). As we round the corner into our sixth year of helping pastors thrive in ministry, I feel called to set down the director responsibilities that accompany this growing and important work. Depending on the timeline after the search for the next director is complete, I may transition out of the director role sometime in the fall, then conduct the winter immersion for Cohort 5 in January of 2025 …

This Precious Community

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Submitted by Erin Trondson, executive director I started at the Monastery on January 15th, 2024, and made it a goal to meet with as many community members as were willing in my first 100 days. At that same time, I had been reading the Rule of St. Benedict who, on the first page, instructs us to listen with the ear of the heart. I had the privilege of listening with the ear of my heart while more than 100 community members spoke of this beloved community. It is a time I will not soon forget and has planted seeds in …