Pushing My Buttons

Holy Wisdom MonasteryBenedictine Reflections 12 Comments

By Leora Weitzman Putting a pebble in your shoe can still be found under Ten Simple Penance Ideas for Lent at CatholicLiving.net. By now, most pebbles have probably gone metaphorical. Still, what if your shoes are already too full of metaphorical pebbles to add any more? Maybe some pebbles already in our shoes can become our offerings. In my case, pebbles of anxiety and sadness about current events are becoming a focus to sit with more consciously in prayer—which means fasting from at least some efforts to numb those feelings. And as for almsgiving… Do you interact regularly with someone …

Limited in Time

Denise West, OSBBenedictine Reflections 20 Comments

“The life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent.” So begins Benedict’s brief chapter on the observation of Lent. We should always be preparing for the appearance of the risen Christ. We should always be seeking to rid ourselves of bad habits, practicing self-denial, realizing our faults and living each moment in gratitude for God’s abundant love that pours down on us just as we are.   Since few, however, have the strength for this, we urge the entire community during these days of Lent to keep its manner of life most pure and to wash away in this …

reSTORYation: Doctrine of Discovery

Holy Wisdom MonasteryreSTORYation Leave a Comment

Submitted by Sally Bowers and Julie Melton, Friends of Wisdom Prairie In this installment of reSTORYation, we invite you to consider the doctrine that allowed newcomers to this continent to forcibly remove the indigenous people that were already here. We learn the troubling stories of how doctrines and laws dehumanized indigenous peoples through the removal of their mind, body and spirit. We begin reSTORYation with conciliation. Conciliation occurs with truth telling. Conciliation without truth is like trying to bring health without comprehensive diagnosis. A lament emerges from the confrontational nature of truth and the honest response to the truth.1 The …

Breaking Out of Silence: An Invitation to Remember

Holy Wisdom MonasteryLiving in Community 12 Comments

By Mary Chiang With cups already full of all kinds of grief, it’s difficult for me to begin to express myself. Yet too many lives have been lost due to inaction, silence and distraction, I find myself unable to be as I have been, a “safe” and distant observer. I must begin somewhere even if I will stumble along. Because of the caring nature of the Holy Wisdom community, I hope to offer my experience of racialized trauma* from the Atlanta shootings last year. I invite you to honor the lost lives of the following victims of anti-Asian hate, gun …

Lectio Divina: Prayerful Reading of Scripture Part Two

Joanne Kollasch, OSBBenedictine Reflections 1 Comment

As we choose spiritual practices for Lent, we might consider the practice of lectio divina, the prayerful reading of Scripture. (See part 1) This slow reflective reading may be done alone or within a group. The method of lectio divina is often referred to as fourfold: lectio (reading the text), meditatio (reflecting and meditating on the text), oratio (praying from the text) and contemplatio (deep contemplation of the text). “Reading as it were, puts food whole into the mouth, meditation chews it and breaks it up, prayer extracts its flavor, contemplation is the sweetness itself which gladdens and refreshes.” (Guigo …

Lectio Divina: Prayerful Reading of Scripture Part One 

Joanne Kollasch, OSBBenedictine Reflections 2 Comments

During Lent it may help to have a prayer in your pocket. One that you can pull out on a moment’s notice.  A prayer I keep close at hand, and “at heart” is Psalm 23, “A Prayer of David,” commonly called “The Good Shepherd Psalm.” This psalm can become a spiritual resource especially if it arises from the practice of lectio divina.  Lectio divina literally means divine or holy reading. This is a way of putting on the mind of God. By absorbing the Word of God we let the divine scripture penetrate deeply so that we may be transformed by divine …

Meals now served daily

Toby GrabsHospitality Leave a Comment

We are lucky at Holy Wisdom Monastery to have two talented chefs preparing delicious and nutritious meals. This has allowed Holy Wisdom Monastery to begin offering chef-prepared lunches and dinners on Sundays and Mondays. So now, retreatants, guests, members, coworkers, etc. are invited to make a reservation to have a chef-prepared lunch or dinner every day of the week. Lunches are $14.50 and dinners are $17.50. We haven’t always been blessed with two chefs at the same time. Chef Robert Kauper started in 2016 and chef Lisa Hoon started in late 2017 as an occasional kitchen event helper through a …

An Overdue Reflection on Advent

Denise West, OSBPrayer & Worship, Spirituality Articles 4 Comments

Lent is around the corner but I’m of a mind to look back on the wintry beginning of Advent. The gift – and torment – of the season of Advent is the quiet stillness that beckons us to turn inward, to perceive the darkness residing within. By December every year I’m aware of some niggling bit of unpleasantness that separates me from God, and I know that ‘now is the time’ to reckon with it. I always look forward to the peace and space, the early sunsets that make it easier to use the evening time for reading and reflection. …

Three people looking at the camera and having a meal at the monastery

How to Reserve a Meal Prepared by the Holy Wisdom Monastery Chefs

Toby GrabsHospitality Leave a Comment

Our earlier article about the amazing chefs of Holy Wisdom Monastery from Weekly Wisdom resulted in requests for more information on how to reserve a meal in the Monastery Building. Without further ado, here are answers to the questions as well as some additional information on reserving a meal at Holy Wisdom. We are taking numerous precautions such as bringing in a continual flow of fresh, warmed outside air into the dining rooms and allowing plenty of space for individuals to spread out while eating. Meals are eaten in either the large guest dining room or smaller community dining room …

Holy Wisdom Monastery’s Ecumenical Center for Clergy Spiritual Renewal Welcomes Scott Stoner as New Co-director

Holy Wisdom MonasteryCCR, Press release 2 Comments

Middleton, WI—The Ecumenical Center for Clergy Spiritual Renewal (ECCSR) offers Christian pastors contemplative renewal experiences into the monastic rhythms of Holy Wisdom Monastery, and an ongoing community of resources and support. As the ECCSR begins its fourth year of bringing experiences of contemplative renewal to early and mid-career clergy, it is blessed to announce that The Rev. Dr. Scott Stoner will begin his work as a co-director of the Center. “I was blessed to have been on the planning team for the ECCSR and have been a small part of the cohort programming from the beginning. Thus, I know firsthand …