Formation of the ecumenical community of Holy Wisdom Monastery

In 1953, the Sisters of St. Benedict from Sioux City, Iowa, were invited by Bishop William P. O’Connor, the first bishop of Madison, Wisconsin, to come and start a high school for girls in Madison. Three sisters arrived in Madison and purchased a parcel of open pastureland overlooking Lake Mendota and the city of Madison, Wisconsin. The property included a 10,000-year-old glacial lake. On this land, the sisters built a priory to serve as their new home. Then, in the fall of 1959, they opened the Academy of St. Benedict, a girls’ high school.

The Vatican Council II, held from 1962 to 1965, brought about important reforms aimed at refreshing Catholic religious life to better meet the needs of modern society. Among the key outcomes of this council were two significant documents for Women Religious: the “Decree on Ecumenism” and “Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life.” The “Decree on Ecumenism” highlighted the necessity of cooperation among Christians, reflecting their shared bond and embodying the servant qualities of Christ. This document stressed the importance of unity and collaboration within the Christian community. On the other hand, the “Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life” document called on religious communities to reconnect with the original spirit and charism of their founders. It promoted a renewal process that seeks to balance a return to foundational principles with the need to adapt practices to meet contemporary societal challenges. The main message of this document is a call for religious communities to “return to their roots” while maintaining their relevance in today’s world.

Following the decrees of the Second Vatican Council, numerous religious communities, such as the Sisters of St. Benedict, experienced substantial transformations in their mission and methods of ministry. Considering the call for renewal and the need to adapt to modern society, the Sisters of St. Benedict encountered a crucial juncture in 1966, leading them to make the bold choice to close their school. As recounted by Sisters Mary David Walgenbach and Joanne Kollasch:

“In 1966 the journey took on a new dimension. No longer was it strictly geographical. The journey became global – both in terms of embracing global values of inclusivity, ecumenism and interfaith understanding, and in recognizing and reaching out to Benedictine women throughout the world. The first step was inspired by the decrees of the second Vatican council and the larger protestant community of Taizé, France. Then our local sisters and brothers of various faith traditions asked us to become an ecumenical place where all could pray together, meet and listen to each other and see that we all are on a similar journey – if not the same journey.”

(“The journey for a lifetime”, Benedictine Life foundation Newsletter, Madison, WI, February 1999, p.1,)

The sisters recognized the shifting needs of the community and the world and felt called to focus on new forms of ministry aligned with the spirit of Vatican Council II and the world.

In place of the school, the sisters opened an ecumenical retreat center – a space dedicated to spiritual growth, reflection and renewal. This retreat center became a sanctuary for individuals and groups seeking a deeper connection with God, hospitality and respite from the everyday hustle. The sisters offered retreats and hospitality to diverse groups, including the Lutheran World Ministries (LWM) Summer Institute for Mission, which started holding a 5-week program at the Saint Benedict Center in 1972. This program was designed to prepare individuals called to Lutheran missions abroad. The program had a significant impact on both the participants and the sisters, as the LWM director noted:

“We almost consider the Summer Institute for Mission synonymous with Saint Benedict Center. When we think of Summer Institute for Mission, we think of St Benedict Sisters Mary David and Joanne and all the sisters who have been there. So, over the last 14 years the Lutheran missionaries have gone abroad under the sponsorship of the Lutheran churches but with the blessings of Saint Benedict Center.”

(Expressions Madison Benedictines – July/August 1984)

For 14 years, Lutheran missionaries, sponsored by Lutheran churches, traveled abroad with the blessing of the sisters and coworkers of Saint Benedict Center.

While interacting with these Lutheran missionaries, the sisters learned many new things. They joined the Lutheran missionaries in prayer and meals and attended their prayer services. These activities had a profound impact on the sisters, helping them cultivate an ecumenical spirit within their community. Through this program, which ran from 1972 to 1987, the two groups strived to share, learn, love and support one another.

The sisters welcomed not only groups, but also individuals in need of a home. For instance, they welcomed Suman Vyas, who had arrived from India in 1977 with her two daughters, Reena and Meena who needed a temporary home. The family resided with the sisters for four years, during which one time Sister Joanne remarked:

“The beautiful way they lived with us broadened our horizon, and added a new dimension to our lives because of the children”

(Expressions Madison Benedictines – July/Aug 1984)

          Interacting with a variety of groups and individuals expanded the sisters’ perspective on ecumenism. These diverse experiences allowed them to learn and delve into the genuine essence of being ecumenical and welcoming those who are different from them.

          Driven by their shared experiences and genuine passions, Sisters Mary David and Joanne continued to seek out different groups. In the 1980s, they founded a Community of Benedict with the aim of sharing their monastic charism through an ecumenical approach. While this was not seen as a conscious attempt to grow the sisters community, they recognized the importance of enriching their own monastic life and supporting lay individuals – both women and men, whether single or married – from various Christian traditions who wished to embrace a Benedictine-inspired way of living.

The sisters began to reflect on their future, contemplating whether they were being called to establish an ecumenical monastic community of Benedictine sisters. In 1990, the Sisters of St. Benedict took a deep look into their future and their role in society. This reflection brought up essential questions about the paths available to them, as Sister Joanne noted.

“How do Benedictines want to enter the twenty-first centuries? Before any planning process could continue, this question must be answered.”

(“The journey towards Holy Wisdom with Benedictine women of Madison” – A narrative history of its ecumenical board, by Richard H. Bell)

In 1992, the sisters initiated a visioning process to explore this question. They invited Benedictine women and men, as well as ecumenical religious leaders, to join them in discerning their future life and ministries. Through these conversations, their vision for an ecumenical community emerged – one that would welcome women from any Christian denomination as members. To help guide the formation of this community, an ecumenical board was established in 1994.

The Ecumenical Board was established on February 14, 1994. The founding members include Mary David Walgenbach, OSB, Prioress; Joanne Kollasch, OSB; Richard H. Bell, a professor in the Philosophy Department at the College of Wooster in Ohio; Robert Bright, a member of the University of Wisconsin’s Family Living Program; the Very Reverend P. Linwood Urban, an Episcopal priest and Professor Emeritus from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania; Reverend Jude Weisenbeck, SDS, Director of the Office of Ecumenism in Louisville, Kentucky; and Donald Corcoran, OSB Cam., from the Transfiguration Monastery in Windsor, New York. The board initially met four times a year but later decided that three meetings a year was preferable.

The sisters and the Ecumenical Board met several times a year to turn their ecumenical vision into reality. Their dream was greatly enhanced by the arrival of Sister Lynne Smith, which marked a significant turning point and lifted the spirits of the sisters in the community. A young Presbyterian minister from Columbus Junction, Iowa, she initially came to the Monastery of St. Benedict Center for retreats. However, she soon felt a strong urge to take a further step and explore the possibility of joining this emerging ecumenical community. After a period of discernment, she made the important decision to embark on this new chapter in her life. Both the community and the ecumenical board were filled with excitement, recognizing that real progress was being made, rather than just having ongoing discussions about community and ecumenism. Sister Lynne officially joined the community in mid-1998, made her first profession in 2000, and made her final profession in 2004, solidifying the reality of a truly ecumenical community.

In 2005, the Federation of St. Gertrude created a special category for the affiliation of ecumenical monasteries. This initiative not only offers support to these monasteries but also enables the Federation to embrace a welcoming approach to ecumenism. Holy Wisdom Monastery was the first monastery of this kind within the Federation of St. Gertrude and North America.

The community became fully ecumenical in May 2006, after the sisters successfully completed the transfer of assets to the newly established public corporation of Benedictine Women of Madison and agreed to rename the former Saint Benedict Center Monastery to Holy Wisdom Monastery.

After 14 years of dedicated effort, the community achieved its goal of becoming fully ecumenical. On May 12, 2007, they marked the first anniversary of Holy Wisdom Monastery’s official establishment. This celebration brought together friends of the community who had contributed to the discernment and reflection during the visioning period that began in the early 1990s. Attendees included Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Order, Notker Wolf, OSB. Federation members, members of the oblate community, Ecumenical Board members, and local supporters from Madison and the Sunday Assembly, all linked to the former Saint Benedict Center, now known as Holy Wisdom Monastery.