All families with children are invited to Family Gathering on Saturday, April 18, 3:00-6:00 pm.

Join us for a Family Gathering to experience the joy of anticipation in community. At this event, school-age children will gather to learn and play together, and childcare for the littlest ones is provided. Parents and caregivers will have some free-choice time to enjoy all the Monastery has to offer. The gathering will conclude with a shared meal.

Children ages 6-9 are invited to join Sarah Wilkin Gibart for prayer and creative work time.

Parents, this is an opportunity to enjoy the monastery and catch a breath in this busy season! You may choose to join in the children’s program, or take in the art exhibit, relax in the library, bring a project of your own, or simply have time for coffee and conversation.

Registration cost includes a simple entree prepared by the culinary team using fresh, seasonal offerings (families may also wish to bring a side dish or dessert to share).

Schedule

3:00 pm – Gather
~3:30-5:15 pm – Programming/free time
5:15 pm – Dinner
6:00 pm – Adjourn

Leader

Sarah Wilkin Gibart is a teacher of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd who leads regular Children’s Prayer during Sunday Assembly worship. Nichole Rasmus (formerly Nichole Fromm), our Childcare and Support Specialist, will provide childcare for the younger children.

Cost

$25/family

Questions

Please contact Sarah: sjwilkin09@gmail.com or Nichole: nrasmus@holywisdommonastery.org with any questions.

Registration

Please register by April 8, 2026.

The post Family Gathering appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

All families with children are invited to a special Lenten Family Gathering, Saturday, March 7, 3:00-6:00 pm.

Join us for a Family Gathering to experience the joy of anticipation in community. At this event, school-age children will gather to learn and play together, and childcare for the littlest ones is provided. Parents and caregivers will have some free-choice time to enjoy all the Monastery has to offer. The gathering will conclude with a shared meal.

Children ages 6-9 are invited to join Sarah Wilkin Gibart for prayer and creative work time. We will explore the rich theme of Lent.

Parents, this is an opportunity to enjoy the monastery and catch a breath in this busy season! You may choose to join in the children’s program, or take in the art exhibit, relax in the library, bring a project of your own, or simply have time for coffee and conversation.

Registration cost includes a simple entree prepared by the culinary team using fresh, seasonal offerings (families may also wish to bring a side dish or dessert to share).

Schedule

3:00 pm – Gather
~3:30-5:15 pm – Programming/free time
5:15 pm – Dinner
6:00 pm – Adjourn

Leader

Sarah Wilkin Gibart is a teacher of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd who leads regular Children’s Prayer during Sunday Assembly worship. Nichole Rasmus (formerly Nichole Fromm), our Childcare and Support Specialist, will provide childcare for the younger children.

Cost

$25/family

Questions

Please contact Sarah: sjwilkin09@gmail.com or Nichole: nrasmus@holywisdommonastery.org with any questions.

The post Family Gathering appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

Event Schedule

Session 1, Feb. 5: Philosophy behind the 9 Phases plus learn and practice Phases 1-5
Session 2, Feb. 12: Review Phases 1-5 and learn Phases 6-9
Session 3, Feb. 19: Integrate the 9 Phases of Qi Cultivation with intention and affirmations

Consider extending your experience by staying longer and attending optional prayer and/or lunch at the monastery. There is a fee for lunch if you decide to stay.

• 11:45 am – Midday Prayer: All are welcome to join the sisters’ community and guests for communal prayer in the Oratory (lower level of the monastery building). Click to learn more about prayer at Holy Wisdom Monastery.
• 12:00 pm – Lunch ($19): Enjoy a delicious meal prepared fresh by our chefs. Email retreats@holywisdommonastery.org to reserve your meal 48 hours in advance. Please specify which date/dates you wish to stay for lunch.

Instructor – Sandy Salvo

Sandy Salvo is a Senior Faculty and Teacher-Trainer for the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi, a certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher and founder of Centered-Connections.com. She enjoys sharing her love of Qigong and the mind-body-spirit benefits it can offer all who seek them.

Cost

$40/person

Register

Register by Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, with the button below. The registration fee is non-refundable.

The post Nine Phases of Qi Cultivation: A Progressive Qigong Series for Home Use appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

All families with children are invited to a special Advent Family Gathering, Saturday, December 20, 3:00-6:00 pm.

Join us for a Family Gathering to experience the joy of anticipation in community. At this event, school-age children will gather to learn and play together, and childcare for the littlest ones is provided. Parents and caregivers will have some free-choice time to enjoy all the Monastery has to offer. The gathering will conclude with a shared meal.

Children ages 6-9 are invited to join Sarah Wilkin Gibart for prayer and creative work time. We will explore the rich theme of Advent in the spirit of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

Parents, this is an opportunity to enjoy the monastery and catch a breath in this busy season! You may choose to join in the children’s program, or take in the art exhibit, relax in the library, bring a project of your own, or simply have time for coffee and conversation.

Registration cost includes a simple entree prepared by the culinary team using fresh, seasonal offerings (families may also wish to bring a side dish or dessert to share).

Schedule

3:00 pm – Gather
~3:30-5:15 pm – Programming/free time
5:15 pm – Dinner
6:00 pm – Adjourn

Leader

Sarah Wilkin Gibart is a teacher of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd who leads regular Children’s Prayer during Sunday Assembly worship. Nichole Rasmus (formerly Nichole Fromm), our Childcare and Support Specialist, will provide childcare for the younger children.

Cost

$25/family

Questions

Please contact Sarah: sjwilkin09@gmail.com or Nichole: nrasmus@holywisdommonastery.org with any questions.

The post Family Gathering appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

Submitted by Sister Joanne Kollasch, OSB

The following is excerpted from an article entitled “Churches join in celebration of ‘Revelations of Divine Love’” by Madoc Cairns in the May 20, 2023, issue of The Tablet. I am touched by this ecumenical celebration of the English mystic, Julian of Norwich, and the Pope’s prayer for consolation and strength based on her writings.

“Julian, an anchorite, or enclosed hermit, living in Norwich in the fourteenth to fifteenth century, began receiving visions of Christ’s Passion in 1373 when she was 30 years old. The Revelations of Divine Love is the oldest surviving work by a woman writer in the English language.

A Papal message and blessing marking the 650th year since the medieval mystic Julian of Norwich received her Revelations of Divine Love has been sent to all those participating in commemorations. The Pope’s blessing, sent to both the Catholic Bishop of East Anglia and the Church of England Bishop of Norwich was read out at a special service in Norwich Anglican Cathedral [on] Sunday, 14 May.

In a joint statement, Bishop Peter Collins and his Anglican counterpart, Graham Usher, stated they were ‘very grateful’ to the Pope for his blessing and ‘delighted that Catholics, Anglicans and Christians of other denominations will be coming together to pray and be inspired by Julian’s life and witness’.

Referring to Julian’s famous apprehension in a vision that ‘all manner of thing shall be well’, the Pope added that he prayed ‘all who face the pressing challenges of war, injustice, ecological disaster or spiritual poverty, may be consoled and strengthened by these enduring words of wisdom’.”

The post Churches join in celebration of ‘Revelations of Divine Love’ appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

Want to be the first to hear every new episode? Click here to sign up for email notifications!

How do you imagine one becomes a monk? Is it something you plan or something you discover? Do you have to be religious your whole life before joining a monastery?

Truth be told, there is no one answer. Our own sister’s community at Holy Wisdom Monastery have an array of unique stories that led them to their lives here in Middleton.

In this episode, we sit with Sister Denise West and listen to her journey from a non-secular home in Tennessee to her life in New York as a teacher and eventually, through her search for spirituality, becoming a sister at our monastery.

Sister Denise’ story is a beautiful example of the unexpected turns in life that can lead us to our place in the world. Listen in to this episode and tell us in the comments below: What are the unexpected parts of your journey that have led you to where you are today?

Where to Listen?

You can listen to The Holy Wisdom Podcast at any of these online locations:

Our Blog, under the “Podcast” Category

Anchor.fm

Apple Podcasts

Breaker

Google Podcasts

Spotify

RadioPublic

PocketCasts

The post How Did You Become a Sister?, Ft. Sister Denise West appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

Because we have always been a small community and because we value collaboration and community building, we have consulted with and involved others in our ministry and decision-making through the years. In the early 90s the sisters brought together a group of people to help them vision for the future. The result of that process was that the sisters’ community decided to explore becoming ecumenical.

In 1998, Sister Mary David Walgenbach, sensing the interest in Benedictine spirituality among people who came to the monastery, called together Father Ken Smits, OFM Cap who was serving us in liturgy and spirituality, Jody Crowley Beers, the director of spirituality at the monastery, and a group of people who wanted to develop Benedictine spirituality in their lives. After a year of meeting together, the oblate community was born as the first class made their promises as oblates. In 2019, the oblates will celebrate their 20th anniversary as a community.

Sunday Assembly grew out of the people who came to the monastery beginning in the 70s to celebrate the Eucharist with the sisters. When we were in the process of becoming ecumenical 30 years later, the sisters held listening sessions after the Eucharist to hear how the people wanted to go into the future as we became ecumenical. They told us they wanted to continue worshiping at the monastery because of the open and welcoming community and the inclusive language used in the service.

More recently, Friends of Wisdom Prairie was born from the growing desire of many people to be involved in and support caring for the earth at the monastery. With the establishment of the Ecumenical Center for Clergy Spiritual Renewal, another community of people will be added to those who journey with us.

At the end of my presentation to the Servant Leadership class, Carolyn, a member of the class, commented that this was an evolutionary way of moving into the future. Indeed, it is. The Benedictine values of prayer, listening, humility, seeing Christ in the other, collaboration, openness to change and community building are the guiding practices that will continue to lead us as we evolve.

Carolyn also noted that what we offer at the monastery is the wholeness that so many people are seeking in their divided and fragmented lives. As we offer the opportunity for integration through Benedictine practices, people will continue to be drawn to participate in the life of the monastery.

Years ago when I was talking with Sister Joanne Kollasch about the uncertainty of the future, she said to me, “We don’t have to know what we are going to do in the future. The important thing is to know who we are with.” I take comfort and hope in those words. We sisters are with wonderful people: our coworkers, oblates, Sunday Assembly members, Friends of Wisdom Prairie members, retreatants, guests, friends and other seekers.

As we stay faithful to Christ and the Benedictine values that guide us, we will be led step by step into the future. During this month of Thanksgiving, I am grateful for the people with whom we journey.

The post Knowing who we are journeying with appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

The sisters have been reading Joan Chittister’s commentary on the Rule of Benedict at our morning chapter meetings for the past several weeks. I’ve been thinking about the perspective on life that the Rule offers, especially compared to the tone of the current debates going on in this country.

A few days ago, we read chapter 70 of the Rule: “The Presumption of Striking Another Monastic at Will.” The title gives me pause. One might assume that a monastery would be the last place for fisticuffs. However, Benedict must have experienced this problem in his monastery. Otherwise, there would be no need for this chapter.

It appears that Benedict is not thinking primarily about fistfights. Here is the line that caught my attention:

“If any member, without the command of the abbot or prioress, assumes any power over those older or, even in regard to the young, flares up and treats them unreasonably, let that one be subjected to the discipline of the rule.”

This is not just about hitting someone but about letting our anger or our sense of authority get the best of us. It’s been a long time since I’ve hit anyone. But I do occasionally flare up and treat the person in front of me unreasonably. In our culture, where it seems increasingly acceptable to flare up and demean another or let one’s anger/fear/authority take one so far as to strike or kill another, we need the perspective of the Rule.

Joan writes in her commentary: “Benedict simply does not allow a culture of violence. Benedictine spirituality depended on personal commitment and community support, not on intimidation and brutality.”

This perspective could be helpful in our own day. It is easy to get caught up in a culture of flaring up at one another because it feels good to let off steam or to exert my authority over another. But that tears at the fabric of society. When I am triggered by something and feel the inclination to flare up at someone, it is helpful to step back and get some perspective on the situation.

Taking time to look up into the trees at Holy Wisdom can offer a new perspective

The practice of centering prayer, meditation or mindfulness, aids in the ability to observe one’s reactions and step back before deciding how to respond. Making a retreat, sitting by the lake, walking through the prairie or the woods or going to the top of the hill to look out over the city where one lives can provide another viewpoint on life.

Benedictine life puts an emphasis on community and interdependence. Each member of the community is responsible for the life and health of the whole. We are encouraged to take into account the other’s perspective and consider what is best for her or him. This attitude of personal commitment and community support could contribute to a building up of the common good today.

____________________

Read other blog posts in Lynne’s series, Building Community.

Read other Living in Community blog posts, by various community members.

The post Gaining perspective in contentious times appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

Paz and I both left Wisconsin for Christmas, and it was the first time being away from the monastery community. I wondered how much of the way I’d been living would ‘stick’ once I went out into the world. Would I resort to my typical ways of dealing with life’s struggles, namely stubborn avoidance and immersing myself in distractions, or would I be able to act in a more meaningful, mindful way? Has this life in community been merely a comforting veneer, or has something new actually taken root?

What better way to test these questions than to spend time with family over the holidays? I knew that my defenses tended to go up when I was with family, and after a few days I typically retreated to a safe place within. Having grown up with family members who struggle with mental illness, it was hard to ‘be myself’ in the face of what felt like unrelenting demands to take care of others.

Denise (far right) shares a winter hike near the monastery with her sister, Camille (center), and monastery coworker LaRae Gavic.

Happily, I noticed some concrete results from my sojourner experience. From the start, I felt more at ease with my sister when she visited me here at the monastery. For one thing, I could so much more freely express my emotions—what a concept!—instead of keeping things bottled up.  I let her know what was going on with me. We both felt more intimacy during this visit and were grateful for that.  We experienced conflict, but it wasn’t the scary event that I usually try to avoid—I could speak my truth without being overwhelmed by fear.

Another palpable result of my stay is how I related to my mother, who has some dementia and is quite frail. In my family I always took it upon myself to try to make everyone happy, to make light of a bad situation with humor or by finding something I could control; I just wanted to feel in control. The alternative was intolerable. It’s been hard watching Mom fade over the years from being active and chatty to fearful, silent and often unexpressive.

At first it was tempting to try to fix the situation, to make her better and happier, but she says she’s pretty content.  Soon enough I found I was able to sit with her in silence, or read some passages of scripture. I took her out for long drives when she was up for it, but I didn’t need to liven her up for my sake. I could be with her and accept her as she is. I felt sad that we live so far apart and sad that I can’t see her more frequently. Visiting her assisted living community, I felt a lot of sadness. I tried to let it in, to witness the lonely end of life that many experience and just be present.

The Reverend Michael Dowd spoke at Holy Wisdom in the fall and something he said has stuck with me: “The secular word for God is Reality, and the secular word for Jesus is Integrity.” More than anything, since I’ve been here I feel that I’m more able to experience the world as it is, instead of how I wish it to be. From my own shortcomings to the suffering of others, living in community with the Benedictine sisters has nourished my ability to believe that in the midst of confusion, fear and pain, there is a ground of being that is loving and worthy of my trust. It’s okay to be vulnerable, to begin to let go of the need to control or be in control.

A recent passage I read by Henri Nouwen also conveys a sense of the power of being vulnerable.

Ministry is entering with our human brokenness into communion with others and speaking a word of hope. This hope is not based on any power to solve the problems of those with whom we live, but on the love of God, which becomes visible when we let go of our fears of being out of control and enter into his presence in a shared confession of weakness.

He calls this “the fellowship of the weak.” This is where I’m beginning to find myself, becoming able to live in vulnerability, in closer intimacy with others, meeting in the place where our hearts can break.

_______________________

Read other posts from Denise in her series, Far from home.

The post A new thing appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

Now I can relax, I thought. The semester had been long and challenging in unexpected ways. It wasn’t the schoolwork so much as navigating new relationships, adjusting to an unfamiliar environment (rural Minnesota) and church culture (Roman Catholic), learning to transition from being a novice to a sister (still figuring that out!). The school year had been full of many quick changes. I was looking forward to being in one place with people I know and love. I needed time for quiet reflection, bending back over the experiences of the year, rooting down and integrating what I have learned along the way.

But it took days before I could let go of the semester’s anxieties and let in the experience of being home for the holidays. As I prepared for the Christmas Eve homily, I struggled to say what was in my heart. I miss Sunday Assembly fiercely. Having spent most of the 2015 Advent season away, I returned to Holy Wisdom full of gratitude for this place which is my home, the formation I have received, the life I have found here. My time apart has helped me value and appreciate the gifts of this community more. The last time I stood at the ambo at Holy Wisdom was to make my first monastic profession. Now I was returning to the very same spot to preach a Christmas message. I had come full-circle. How could I possibly communicate how meaningful, how overwhelming at times, this journey has been?

As I look at the Christmas story this year, I find renewed inspiration in the example of Joseph and Mary. To register for the census, they had left their hometown of Nazareth where they might have had the support of family and friends when it came time for Jesus to be born. Instead, they were in Bethlehem, where they knew no one who would take them in. When Mary went into labor, they were caught between places, dislocated, improvising—taking shelter in a cave, making a nursery out of a barnyard feeding trough. Despite the discomfiting circumstances of Jesus’ birth, like all parents, they quickly adjusted to a new reality. They made themselves “at home” in their openness to God’s plan. Maybe I could take a page from their book.

During the week between Christmas and New Year’s, the retreat and guest house is closed. The monastery is quieter than usual. The hustle and bustle of guests during the week slows down. We gather for prayers in the oratory regularly and the remainder of our day is free for leisure. I had time for reading, journaling, conversation and quiet reflection. It was just what I needed.

Winter break is nearly over. As I prepare to leave this week for another semester of school, I have mixed feelings. Although I will be sad to go, I know how much my theological education and my experience of living in a different community is stretching my mind and heart. I am gradually learning the deep-down meaning of the Benedictine promise of stability: how to be “at home” wherever God has me. It can often be challenging, but I’m grateful to keep coming home.

________________________

Read other blog posts from Sister Rosy in her series, Letters home.

The post Home for the Holidays appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.