Brigid was associated with holy wells in Ireland and Scotland and the Celtic world, so during our retreat we will learn about the ancient spiritual practice of praying with water at holy wells, by learning to do the rounds and pray with rocks and rosaries. We will consider how holy water devotional practices can nurture our connection with our own local watershed. We will be accompanied by the story of the woman at the well in the Gospel of John and other scripture around water.

Brigid is also known for presiding over different types of fire—the forge, the hearth, and creative inspiration. And so we will also invoke the imagery of the flame, by meditating on the sacred heart of God’s life-force within each of us. Through journaling and contemplation we will seek new ways to connect with God’s desire for all beings to be creative and to flourish, placed within the unique desires of each of our hearts.

Throughout the retreat Julia will teach using singing, praying, story-telling, and ritual to draw on practices of contemplation and deep listening, as we each listen for God’s sacred flame within our heart’s desire and our various calls from God expressed through our passions and longings for justice.

Dates/Times/Schedule

Fri., Feb. 5, 6:00 pm – Sun., Feb. 7, 2027, 5:00 pm

Itinerary subject to change.

Friday, Feb. 5

Evening

• Julia will offer a public lecture, “Holy Water, Sacred Flame,” on the importance of re-membering, discovering and creating embodied Christ-centered, earth-based rituals. Lecture will include story telling about Julia’s family’s “Holy Water” pilgrimage, teachings on the history, mythology, and legacy of Saint Brigid, and reflections on the importance of embodied, earth-based ritual and Christ-centered ways to help us spark hope and renewal in our climate changed world.

Saturday, Feb. 6

Morning, 10:00 am-12:00 pm: Imbolc Sacred Flame Ritual

• A morning of devotional practice and ritual around Brigid’s sacred flame. Brigid was thought to be the midwife to the Christ Child, and Brigid’s feast day of Imbolc means “in the belly.” We will wonder—what seeds God has planted in our souls that Brigid might help us “midwife” into the world? We will tend to our own inner fire and passions in this cold season, and how our fire might connect us to the work of communal care for one another and the earth.

Afternoon, 2:00-4:00 pm: Imbolc Holy Water Ritual

• A ritual reenactment of praying at a holy well, with rocks and prayers and making the rounds, as is customary at Brigid’s holy wells in Ireland and Scotland. We will also make our own holy water, pray for connection to our local watershed, and connect to God through devotion to water.

Sunday, Feb. 7

Morning: Choose your own worship

• Attend Holy Wisdom worship; or Join Orchard Ridge UCC worship at 10am for an Imbolc-inspired communion service to celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Brigid.

Afternoon:

• Imbolc “Wild Church Circle” with Flicker Wild Church at 3pm.

Cost

$265 – Commuter
$465 – Residential

Register

The registration deadline for this retreat is January 28th, 2027, or when the retreat fills.

Cancellation policy – if you register but must cancel your registration, you can receive a 75% refund up until January 28th, 2027. After that, a 50% refund is available until the retreat starts on Feb. 5, 2027.

After you register, if you would like to request a double room with another retreatant or if you have other questions about accommodations, please contact us at retreats@holywisdommonastery.org.

About the Program Leader – The Rev. Dr. Julia Burkey

Julia is Senior Pastor of Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ (UCC) in Madison, Wisconsin. She is passionate about social justice and recovering and creating earth-based and embodied devotional practices within Christianity. Julia recently completed a Holy Water ancestral pilgrimage around Europe, learning about devotional water relationships from her ancestral lands. Julia is also a Wisconsin Master Naturalist, a trained birth doula & death doula, and sauna aufguss ritual master. Along with her spouse Rev. Daniel Cooperrider, Julia is a co-founder of Flicker Wild Church, where she volunteers as co-convener and ritual artist. Julia earned her Master of Divinity with a special focus on the Bible and Arts in Worship from Union Theological Seminary and a Doctorate of Divinity focused on interfaith relationships and church visioning from Hartford International Seminary.

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