Through the Decades – 2000s

As the 70^th anniversary of the sisters’ arrival in Wisconsin is celebrated this year, it is important to share the history and culture of the Benedictine Women of Madison. What brought the sisters to this area? What influences shaped the mission, vision and values? Who played key roles in what eventually became Holy Wisdom Monastery?

Highlights* of the growth, change and stability of the Benedictine Women of Madison will be reviewed in the weeks leading up to the 70^th Anniversary Celebration on July 9.

*These highlights only reflect the history of the sisters after their move to Madison in 1953.

In this issue, the focus is on the 2000s. The new century brought more changes for the Benedictine Women of Madison as well as recognition of their commitment to serving others and the land. The hard work of the sisters, friends and supporters resulted in many of their dreams and goals coming to fruition.

2000

• On March 25, 2000, Sister Joanne Kollasch recommended to the Sisters’ Chapter that Lynne Smith be accepted to make her first profession in the ecumenical monastic community. Lynne had completed two years of novitiate formation. She became the first professed Protestant member of the Benedictine Women of Madison on June 2nd. “In junior high I told my mother I thought I wanted to be a nun. She told me that was ridiculous because I wasn’t Catholic. But here I am, a Benedictine sister,” explained Sister Lynne. She served as an ordained minister in Presbyterian churches in Iowa and Kansas for 16 years before coming to the monastery in 1998 in search of an ecumenical Benedictine community where she could become a sister.

2002

• The sisters received the Virginia M. Kline Award for Excellence in Community-based Restoration, one of two new Leopold Restoration Awards sponsored by the Friends of the University of Wisconsin Arboretum. The award recognized groups that dedicated their efforts to returning and preserving natural communities. Sisters Mary David Walgenbach, left, and Joanne Kollasch, right are pictured above with Virginia Kline.

2004

• On October 4th, Sister Lynne made her final profession, having completed four years of first profession. At the ceremony she promised stability, obedience and fidelity to the monastery way of life for the rest of her life. Present at the ceremony were members of the Ecumenical Board, Sunday Assembly, Oblates, staff, volunteers, neighbors, family and friends.  

2005

• On July 6th, the Federation of St. Gertrude Chapter, comprised of two delegates and the prioress from each of the 14 autonomous monasteries, met at the Monastery of St. Gertrude, Cottonwood, Idaho, and established a category of affiliation for monasteries that were noncanonical, in anticipation of Benedictine Women of Madison becoming an ecumenical noncanonical monastery.

2006

• In February, the Benedictine Women of Madison became an independent, ecumenical monastery, the first of its kind in the United States.  
• The sisters renamed their monastery Holy Wisdom Monastery. The name was chosen in part from what Sister Donald Corcoran, OSB, Cam., member of the sisters’ Ecumenical Board, wrote in 1995: “’Wisdom hath built herself a house…’ – here in Madison, in order to give a place for the growth of a Christian interdenominational monastery, a place of shared life, worship and spiritual discipline – inspired by the ancient and living wisdom of the Rule of St. Benedict.”
• Because of their new non-canonical status, the Bishop of the diocese would no longer allow a Roman Catholic priest to preside at the Eucharist.

2007

• After years of struggling to find creative uses for the aging, energy inefficient Benedict House (formerly the main retreat and conference building), the sisters decided to replace it with a building that would better suit their space needs, mission and vision.  
• The sisters contracted with Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction of Appleton, Wisconsin, to decommission Benedict House and construct a new Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) designed building that would utilize geothermal heating and cooling, solar energy generation and reduce water usage and site runoff.

• Offices were relocated and a decommissioning ritual of the chapel was held in September.  
• Sunday Assembly found temporary space for worship at the Waunakee Community Center. 
• Hoffman started the deconstruction process in October of 2007 and concluded in March of 2008, saving as much construction materials as possible for reuse in the new building. In all, 99.75% of Benedict House was diverted from the landfill. The subbasement of Benedict House remained intact for use as the maintenance building. 

• The 2008 Federation of St. Gertrude Chapter meeting was held at Our Lady of Grace Monastery, Beech Grove, Indiana, in July. The membership accepted Benedictine Women of Madison as an affiliated ecumenical monastery of the Federation.

2009

• The new monastery building was finished in August. Sunday Assembly worship services resumed in the new building on August 30th.  
• The sisters, Sunday Assembly members, Oblates and guests celebrated the dedication of Holy Wisdom Monastery on November 14 and 15. Events on Saturday, included a public reception, concert by Father Robert Koopman, OSB of St. John’s University, and a presentation by Sister Joan Chittister, OSB of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, PA (pictured above with Sisters Mary David, Lynne and Joanne). On Sunday, Sister Joan gave the homily at the dedication service. Nearly 500 people attended the two-day celebration.  

What’s coming up?

Next week the focus will be on the 2010s. The focus on the environment and sustainability continued into the second decade of the new century. The new monastery building earned a platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, a generous gift from Pleasant Rowland was received and a grant from the Lilly Endowment Foundation supported mid-career Christian pastors as they were refreshed and renewed at Holy Wisdom Monastery.