Submitted by Lynne Smith, OSB (she/her), Prioress Two weeks ago, Sisters Lynne Smith, OSB, Mary David Walgenbach, OSB, Everline Jeruto, OSB and Barb Dannhausen, OP, had the opportunity to visit The Ridges Sanctuary, in Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin in Door County. Through a connection made by Sister Barb’s nephew, Miles Dannhausen, Jr., we were invited into a conversation with The Ridges staff about our respective conservation work and possibilities of partnering in the future. Sister Mary David’s sister, Roleen Walgenbach and her friend, Ruth Palmer accompanied us, helping drive, navigate, find restaurants and fun activities. The time we had together was a mutual …
A shared intangible
Written by Anne Beffel (she/they), 2026 Vicky Tzoumerka Knoedler Artist in Residence When I teach, or work as a public artist with communities, I try to enter into currents and relationships already in place. At best, I make decisions in response. Even before I left home to serve as the Vicky Tzoumerka Knoedler Artist in Residence at Holy Wisdom Monastery, I understood the public art project I’d described in my application was merely a thought experiment. It was disconnected from Monastery communities. Connection could develop fully only in closer proximity with the land and its inhabitants. As a kind of …
Community of Joy: Pamela Johnson
Written by Rachel Young Binter (she/her), Director of the Center for Clergy Renewal (CCR). When I met with Pamela at her home in West Madison I came with three questions: How did you find Holy Wisdom Monastery?; what has Holy Wisdom given you?; and what are your hopes for Holy Wisdom in the future? Here is what she told me. Fifteen years ago Holy Wisdom came to Pamela as a direct invitation in a dream during the Friday night before Palm Sunday. She woke in the middle of the night having heard a gentle voice asking: “Why are you not …
Summer Intern Reflection by Isaac
Before arriving at Holy Wisdom, I already knew that I loved environmental conservation work, but I hadn’t had a real, solid working experience in land management. As endlessly discussable and loveable a prairie is, there’s only so much learning that I can do in a classroom. This has been a summer of rapid growth for me as I built my hands-on skills. Thanks to this community’s support, I now know the buzzy, bright rush I feel when I’m waist-deep in the prairie, different species popping out as I scan the landscape for their unique shapes and shades of green. I …
Summer Intern Reflection by Benjamin
When I started at Holy Wisdom this summer, I had a lot of ‘I don’t know’s. I didn’t know any prairie plants. I didn’t know how to use a single tool. I didn’t know if I would like working outside or if it would be a long slog through the summer. In our world, ‘I don’t know’ can be scary place. We are, of course, supposed to know how to do things, to know what comes next, to know why we want something. In that regard, to admit that we don’t know is to express a failing. This summer, I …
Holy Wisdom, Holy Grief by Eric Hannem
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?
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
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
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?
(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 …