Lenten Lunches

Holy Wisdom Monastery presents four Lenten Lunches in 2019

Learning about Suffering from the Major Faith Traditions

Suffering is a dominant theme in the Christian tradition during Lent. In this Lenten series, we will explore the theme of suffering in the major faith traditions of Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam to support our journeys of spiritual understanding and transformation.

Barbara Brown Taylor says, “We need a God who knows about pain… It is not all that popular an idea, even among Christians. We prefer a God who prevents suffering, only that is not the God we have got. What the cross teaches us is that God’s power is not the power to force human choices and end human pain. It is, instead, the power to pick up the shattered pieces and make something holy out of them—not from a distance but right close up.”

Come and learn from these inspirational speakers what the major faith traditions say about suffering and “picking up the shattered pieces and making something holy out of them.”

Come for one or more Lenten Lunches on Wednesdays at Holy Wisdom Monastery:

March 20, 2019: Christianity led by ELCA Bishop Viviane Thomas-Breitfeld (register by 3/13/19)

Rev. Viviane Thomas-Breitfeld was elected Bishop of the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin on May 6, 2018. Prior to her election she served congregations in the Greater Milwaukee Synod and in Beloit, Wisconsin. She currently serves as the co-chair of the Task Force on Women and Justice, ELCA; the Executive Board of the Women of the ELCA; and serves on the South-Central Synod of WI Racial Equity Team.

March 27, 2019: Islam led by Alder Samba Baldeh (register by 3/20/19)

Common Council President Samba Baldeh was first elected to the City of Madison’s Common Council in 2015. He was born in Choya in the Gambia and since being an Alder, has been an advocate for all disenfranchised communities in the City. Alder Baldeh has been at the forefront of fighting Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism in a current climate where policies and rhetoric have led to a spike of hate crimes and xenophobia across the country.  For Alder Baldeh, the fight against racial, religious and immigrant discrimination is personal and part of his narrative as a Gambian American.

April 3, 2019: Buddhism led by Paul Knitter (register by 3/27/19)

Paul Knitter taught theology at Xavier University in Cincinnati for some 28 years before he moved, in 2007, to take the Paul Tillich Chair in Interreligious Dialogue at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Most of his publications and speaking explore how the religions of the world can work together in promoting human and environmental well-being. He and his wife Cathy Cornell have lived in Madison since 2013.

April 10, 2019: Judaism led by Rabbi Renee Bauer (register by 4/3/19)

Rabbi Bauer is the director of chaplaincy and outreach at Jewish Social Services of Madison, where she provides spiritual care for unaffiliated Jews in the community and leads advocacy and education efforts for the agency’s refugee resettlement program. Rabbi Bauer was ordained as a rabbi by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2005 and has lived in Madison ever since.

Cost

$30/person/lunch
The Ayer Enrichment Fund (AEF) has made $25 scholarships available for those who would like to attend, but for whom the $30 fee is not affordable. The AEF was established to promote Benedictine values through programs that support reflection, dialogue and action.  If you are requesting scholarship support, download the registration form and return it to the monastery with your $5. We are unable to give scholarships through online registration.

Schedule

11:30 am – Registration
11:45 am – Midday Prayer
12:00 pm – Lunch
12:30 pm – Program

Registration

Register one week before the Lenten Lunch(es) you will attend.
Registration is non-refundable, but transferable.

• Online registration
• Download registration form
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  Lenten Lunches
  Holy Wisdom Monastery
  4200 County Road M
  Middleton, WI 53562