Celebrate the joy of Christmas with worship on Christmas Day, Thu., Dec. 25, at 9:00 am. This service takes place in the monastery building assembly room. All are welcome!
Christmas Eve Worship
Celebrate the joy of Christmas with worship on Christmas Eve, Wed., Dec. 24, at 4:00 pm, starting with prelude music sung by the choir. This service takes place in the monastery building assembly room. All are welcome!
Awareness
Submitted by Kathleen Owens (she/her), Manager of Clergy Programming and Communications for the Center for Clergy Renewal at Holy Wisdom Monastery James Salimes was struggling with disillusionment when he heard about the Contemplative Renewal Immersions at Holy Wisdom Monastery. As part of his disillusionment, he left ministry as a non-denominational pastor and started serving as a chaplain. James entered the immersions hopeful the experience would help him “work through my disillusion, but with an open mind to see where it would lead me.” As a part of the fourth cohort of Contemplative Renewal Immersions, he found a community of pastors …
Grounded
Submitted by Kathleen Owens (she/her), Manager of Clergy Programming and Communications for the Center for Clergy Renewal at Holy Wisdom Monastery Stef Coleman was six months into a new call in the city of Chicago when a colleague who had come to Holy Wisdom Monastery for a Deep Breath, suggested checking out what is available through the Center for Clergy Renewal. Stef remembers feeling like “I was always being poured out” when she found Contemplative Renewal Immersions on the website. The idea of being part of a cohort of pastors in similar life positions or ministry contexts was appealing. “I …
Monastic Monologues: Sharing Joy
Monastic Monologues: Sharing Joy Step Into the Magic! Are you ready for an afternoon bursting with wonder, adventure, and unforgettable stories and songs? Join our community for an inspiring gathering of storytellers, musicians, and singers—an event where the power of words and music truly comes alive. From heart-pounding journeys to faraway places, to laugh-out-loud moments, soulful tales and music that touch your heart, our performers will take you on an unforgettable ride. This isn’t just a performance, it’s an experience. One that brings people together, celebrates creativity, and weaves a kind of magic that sparks your imagination and strengthens our …
Family Gathering
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 …
Feast of St. Scholastica – A Reflection on Prayer
Feb. 10 is the Feast Day of St. Scholastica. Scholastica is the twin sister of her more famous brother Benedict of Nursia. They grew up in a wealthy family and they both founded monasteries in the sixth century. Everything we know about them comes from a book written by Gregory the Great after Benedict’s death. Scholastica is mostly known for her great love of the spiritual life and for her fervent prayer. The famous story is that these siblings would leave their monasteries once a year to meet for spiritual conversation. On the last occasion of their meeting, they spent …
Lectio Divina: Prayerful Reading of Scripture Part Two
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
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 …
Prayer and work
It was 73 degrees in Middleton on Monday, April 8, 2019. Since Monday is a day of leisure for the sisters, I spent a large part of the day outside. I raked up the sticks dropped by the oaks during the winter in the front yard at Bingen House and listened to the birds. This will be the last week of free meals for the birds. The squirrels have learned how to climb down onto the feeder from the roof of the house, hang from the upper perches by their back feet and eat their fill from the lower seed …