All are welcome to Hospitality Sunday, following 9:00 am Sunday Assembly worship on the last Sunday of the month, for a time of fellowship and food. You are invited to bring refreshments to share. Please provide a small sign if your treat includes nuts or alcohol.
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. Skills this class will teach: Palate development (learn how to taste food and understand how to food taste) Seasonal cooking skills ...
Mindfulness can be a powerful tool to identify your physical, mental and emotional habits and needs. Becoming more familiar with your own mind and its patterns can help you relate more directly to whatever is happening in your life – including difficulty and pain – and discover greater balance and ease. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) was created in 1979 and has been widely taught and scientifically studied around the world; research has shown positive improvements in physical and psychological symptoms. Good news: you don’t need to “clear your mind.” You don’t need special equipment. This class will focus on practice; ...
Join us for the opening reception of artist David Mngodo's exhibit, Be Still, at Holy Wisdom Monastery on Friday, October 2, 2026 from 6:00-8:00 pm. Mngodo is a self-taught artist whose abstract paintings in acrylics invite the observer to see things we encounter every day in a brand-new way. When painting animals and birds, his use of color and negative space tell a story and evoke deep feelings for the subject. Light refreshments will be served at the reception and David will talk about his art at 6:30 pm. Schedule 6:00 pm – Reception opens. Light refreshments are available and the artist ...
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 ...
Join the Social Justice Committee for Getting ready for the November 3rd election presentation/discussion. Topics include getting out the vote in November, what to know about the three amendments on the ballot and information about mail-in ballots. This event takes place after Sunday Assembly worship in the monastery boardroom. All are welcome.
Sacred Thresholds is a contemplative prayer gathering. We are living through a unique chapter in American history when our most cherished values seem threatened, indeed, our whole way of life. Each of us, in our own way, is asking, What can I do?, and the answers, so far, seem woefully inadequate to the challenge. It is in that same spirit of humility that we are offering Sacred Thresholds as our answer to that question. Woefully inadequate, yes, small, but genuine, offered in a communal spirit, coming together to make a circle, to pray, in old ways and in new ways, ...
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 ...
The mission of Holy Wisdom Monastery is to weave us together in a shared way of life. These conversations are an opportunity to learn more about Benedictine spirituality, about the Rule of Benedict, and to talk with others about the gifts and challenges of living a Benedictine life. During the time together, we will contemplate short readings about silence, have an experience of it, and learn the practices that help to deepen the experience of it. We grow together in our shared life way of life through small and large group conversations. Participants can expect a flow of silence, reflections ...
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. October 11 – The Gift of Trees Trees are alive all year round. Explore woodlands and savanna. Find out how trees shelter all kinds of critters from winter cold and snow. Listen to the forest. Where to some butterflies, bees, and toads spend the winter? How are ...
In the current political and social realities, people of faith are increasingly feeling called beyond the walls of the church to stand courageously alongside people facing oppression and injustice, but how do we sustain that effort over time? Join the Center for Clergy Renewal at Holy Wisdom Monastery for a lunch and conversation with Rev. Joseph Ellwanger. Pastor Joe began a prophetic public witness during the first Civil Rights Movement alongside Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., continued that witness through community care and advocacy work at his second congregation, Cross Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, and at 93, is still ...
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 ...
The mission of Holy Wisdom Monastery is to weave us together in a shared way of life. These conversations are an opportunity to learn more about Benedictine spirituality, about the Rule of Benedict, and to talk with others about the gifts and challenges of living a Benedictine life. During the time together, we will contemplate short readings about silence, have an experience of it, and learn the practices that help to deepen the experience of it. We grow together in our shared life way of life through small and large group conversations. Participants can expect a flow of silence, reflections ...
A changing landscape palette...the final harvests from the garden...the departure of migratory creatures...these seasonal milestones are reminders to notice and integrate past growth, honoring it for its role in nurturing future growth. This fall retreat invites you to pause and mark transitions – on the prairie and in your own life and heart. It will hold space for attention to both. Conversations about the season, walks on the prairie, naps, art, movement, journaling, great meals and welcoming accommodations will all be a part of what you can expect when you arrive. A renewed connection to nature and to yourself, along with ...
Join us on Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 10:15 am (CDT) for the Holy Wisdom Monastery community-wide Annual Meeting. We invite you to attend virtually via Zoom, or in-person in the monastery dining room. Coffee and pastries will be available for in-person participants. Whether you are a member of one of our communities or a curious supporter, we welcome all to join us. You will hear from sisters and coworkers about Holy Wisdom's mission, financial position, future priorities and other projects around the monastery. Schedule 9:00 am - Sunday Assembly (all are welcome) 10:15 am - Annual Meeting begins 11:45 am ...
The mission of Holy Wisdom Monastery is to weave us together in a shared way of life. These conversations are an opportunity to learn more about Benedictine spirituality, about the Rule of Benedict, and to talk with others about the gifts and challenges of living a Benedictine life. During the time together, we will contemplate short readings about silence, have an experience of it, and learn the practices that help to deepen the experience of it. We grow together in our shared life way of life through small and large group conversations. Participants can expect a flow of silence, reflections ...
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 ...
Join us Oct. 22 for the annual Wisdom Prairie Fall Tour – one of four free, guided seasonal prairie tours at Holy Wisdom Monastery, one of the most peaceful places near Madison, WI. Whether you’re an experienced nature enthusiast looking to discover a new trail with a beautiful view of Lake Mendota and the Wisconsin State Capitol, seeking to deepen your relationship with this land or wanting to add more grounding, outdoor activities to your mental wellness routine, there will be something for you on this unique tour! Environmental education on each guided nature walk will be tailored to the ...
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 ...