Novice Denise West, Benedictine Sojourner Diane Ray, Sisters Paz Vital and Lynne Smith (left-right) spend some time together before Diane ends her sojourner stay.

As my last blog, I am writing to let everyone know about my plans after my sojourner experience (for the few of you I have not already told) and to thank you all for your part in my time at the monastery.

After I am done with this six-month program at Easter, I will be living in Madison for a few months. I have the honor and time commitment to be in two wedding parties, so I will stick around until they are done. After that, I hope to move to Illinois to start my Masters in Library Science, Archives and Special Collections at Urbana-Champagne, with the dream of working with Islamic Manuscripts.

I want to thank everyone with whom I spent time during these six months, all the co-workers, volunteers and guests that I have come to know. But I particularly want to thank the sisters for their openness in allowing me to share in their lives while I was here. I also want to recognize Nancy Sandleback (librarian and archivist) for all the interesting work she found for me in the library, and Robert Kauper (chef) for all the fantastic food—particularly the bread, that I may miss that the most! I hope that Holy Wisdom Monastery can continue to grow in community and presence in the Madison area. I will always remember my time here, and will try to stop in when I am nearby!

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