• Expressions Community Art Exhibit Reception

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    Join us on Sunday, July 26, 2026 for the opening reception of Expressions, the newest art exhibit at Holy Wisdom Monastery. This exhibit features artwork by people involved with Holy Wisdom Monastery including painting, stained glass, colored pencil, pastels, photography, collage, fiber arts and block and monotype prints. In 2025, 32 people from a variety of monastery communities had their work showcased in the exhibit. Schedule The art exhibit will be installed on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. The opening reception will be held after the Sunday Assembly Worship Service on July 26, 2026 from 10:00 am-12:00 pm. Artists will be ...

    Free
  • Shinrin-Yoku: Walks for the Weary

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    Join us for a relaxing walk on the prairie at Holy Wisdom Monastery. It will be a slow-paced quiet walk guided by Valerie Vervoort, a certified Shinrin-yoku guide. The intent of this 90-minute walk is renewal through using our senses of sight, hearing, touch and taste. Invitations planned by your guide are easy and subject to each person's comfort level. Sharing and tea will be part of the experience. Participants will need to dress appropriately for weather conditions and be able to walk a mile and a half on trails that are sometimes uneven and include gentle slopes. Walking sticks ...

    $37 – $56
  • Festival on the Prairie

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    Event Description Join us for the Festival on the Prairie on Thursday, August 6, 5:00-8:00 pm. There will be music by Annie and the Oakies, three local food carts from FEED Kitchen with food for purchase, children's activities, garden and prairie tours, beer and soft drinks for purchase and free ice cream. Bring picnic blankets or camp chairs. Join us to celebrate a beautiful summer night with our community. All are welcome! Food Carts Sandwich Hub Las Islas Filipinas Afghan Kabul Cuisine Event Schedule 5:00 pm – Doors Open Food Carts Begin Serving Beer and Soft Drinks Available Free Chocolate ...

    Free
  • Wild Spirituality: Restoring Sacred Relationship with Earth

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    In this weekend eco-spiritual retreat, we gather to remember our heritage as humans in loving relationship with the wider beloved community of life. Earth groans for our full re-engagement as participants in what Thich Nhat Hanh called the web of interbeing. As the systems of our culture and planet unravel, this moment calls us to remember that we belong to an interconnected web of life – an intimate love story with an animate and living world. Centuries of dominating culture and religion have often separated spirituality from the rest of creation. Yet our souls remember that hawks, soil, thunder and ...

    $250 – $435
  • Kids on the Prairie

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    Explore nature’s beauty and surprises! Kids on the Prairie (KOTP) is for children and their adult family members. Experienced volunteer educators and guides will facilitate a short hike to learn about nature and explore the grounds and trails. This free event is open to members of Holy Wisdom communities and the general public. August 9 – Pollinators Everywhere Explore Wisdom Prairie. See what is blooming and buzzing. Look for flowers everywhere. How many different kinds can you find? What bugs do you see? Why are those Bumble Bees buzzing?

    Free
  • Wild Spirituality: Invitation and Conversation

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    "The old story is no longer effective. Yet we have not learned 'the new story.' We are talking only to ourselves. We are not talking to the rivers, we are not listening to the wind and stars. We have broken the great conversation." - Thomas Berry Victoria Loorz wrestled with this broken conversation as a pastor, mother, and climate activist, listening deeply and following its call for repair. Recognizing that intimacy with the rest of the sacred world is the foundation for ecological and spiritual regeneration, she has taken up the work of restoring sacred relationship with the land through ...

    $37
  • Contemplative Cooking Class: Summer

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    Join us for a beginner friendly cooking class that teaches how to cook with seasonal ingredients, while slowing down and being present to what we are creating. We will have fun learning from Chef Felipe and working together to create a delicious summer meal. The cooking class is mostly demonstrational, with a few hands-on opportunities for those that present themselves as more interested in a hands-on opportunity. The contemplative cooking classes are mindful, technique-focused cooking classes, celebrating peak-season ingredients. Together we will prepare a light, vibrant menu featuring Chilled Sweet Corn Velouté, a Tomato-Peach Salad, Sautéed Collard Greens with Boquerones, ...

    $65
  • Listening to Land, Listening to Self: An Eco-Contemplative Writing Retreat

    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    What does the land tell us when we truly listen? How does a pesticide-sprayed lawn or a restored oak savanna affect our bodies and minds? In this two-day contemplative writing retreat, we’ll explore the role of writers in this time of climate crisis and discover how to grieve what is lost while finding strength and joy in what is possible. We'll use creative writing, mindfulness practices and the land at Holy Wisdom Monastery to connect with the wisdom that arises when we listen deeply to ourselves or a place. We’ll use periods of mindful awareness, writing, sharing, reading and discussion ...

    $185 – $295
  • Centering Prayer Groups – 3rd Wednesday

    Centering Prayer Groups
    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    Centering Prayer Groups All are welcome to join our two centering prayer groups which meet on alternating Wednesdays. Both incorporate a short reading and time for silent prayer or meditation. 1st and 3rd Wednesdays 7:00-8:00 pm Retreat & Guest House Room 10 Includes a short walking meditation in between periods of seated meditation For more information contact Barb Abbott, 608-284-7424 2nd and 4th Wednesdays  2:30-3:30 pm Monastery Oratory – Two, 20-minute periods of seated meditation with a 5-minute break For more information contact Carole Kretschman, 608-577-3243 We feel the presence of the Holy One even more strongly than when we center ...

    Free
  • Summer Plant ID Walks

    Summer Plant ID Walks
    Holy Wisdom Monastery 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, United States

    Want to practice your plant ID skills this summer? Friends of Wisdom Prairie volunteers Julie Melton and Sylvia Marek are offering a series of guided hikes focused on identifying native prairie flowers. You can expect a leisurely walk with many stops. These tours will be offered monthly on the third Thursday of the month from 10:00 am-12:00 pm June through September. Upcoming walks – Thursdays, monthly, 10:00 am-12:00 pm June 18 July 16 August 20 September 17 Register Email Emma at ekloes@holywisdommonastery.org to save your spot for one (or many) of these walks. Registration via email is required as we are capping our walks at 20 ...

    Free