A Monastery That Heartens The Soul In Soulfully Disheartening Times
Last week was one of those times when my usual inner well of optimism dipped dangerously low.
First came the news of more civilian deaths in Gaza, the result of yet another “tragic mistake” in that increasingly brutal war. That innocent bystanders were killed with weaponry likely provided by the U.S. added another layer to my sorrow. The U.N. warned that Gaza is on the verge of famine. Elsewhere, five million people are already starving in conflict-ridden Sudan. Images of the skeletal bodies of Sudanese elders and children are beyond heartbreaking.
All of that would have been enough to drive one to despair. There was also the spectacle of a presidential candidate convicted by a jury of his peers on all 34 felony counts for which he was accused. Donald Trump received the same rights afforded to any defendant, and then some. Unlike so many on trial, he could afford to hire highly experienced defense counsel. He had the bully pulpit of his candidacy in which to profess his innocence. Still, when the verdict didn’t go his way, he trashed the entire justice system.
In the Trumpian world view, if you don’t get the outcome you seek — the election, the trial, whatever — it is all somehow “rigged.” Maybe Mr. Trump’s next endeavor should be another TV series, this one titled, “The Biggest Sore Loser.”
With thoughts of the world’s tumult swirling in my head, I left to guide a retreat for the lay associates (known as oblates) at Holy Wisdom Monastery outside of Madison, Wisconsin. The minute I stepped onto Holy Wisdom’s restored prairie with its oak savanna and pine-filled woods, I felt a calm wash over me. I came away from the retreat not only refreshed but renewed in hope.
Holy Wisdom is a unique and fascinating place. While it follows the traditional Benedictine monastic Rule — with a focus on living in community and praying the daily Liturgy of the Hours - it is the nation’s first ecumenical Benedictine monastery. In fact, its current prioress used to be a Protestant minister. This emphasis on inclusion has transformed Holy Wisdom into a place where people who feel either unwelcome or marginalized in other faith communities can find a spiritual home.
The Holy Wisdom oblates who came to my retreat reflect that diversity. A large number come from various Protestant traditions in addition to Catholicism. One oblate shared how much her inter-faith studies of other world religions has strengthened her Christian faith.
If you read the news, you might be tempted to think Americans are ready to fight in the streets over their politcal divisions. At Holy Wisdom, you encounter people who treat others with kindness, who think all are deserving of respect, and that our mission is to build community, not to separate ourselves into categories of those who are in and those who are out.
One of Holy Wisdom’s oblates described the community there as a sacrament: a visible sign of God’s invisible grace in the world. I saw that in action.
The Sunday worship service is called the “Sunday Assembly.” The liturgy is similar to the Catholic Mass — with some meaningful differences. As a lifelong Catholic, it was refreshing for me to see a woman preside so elegantly and effectively at the altar. Another woman gave the homily and provided the best exegesis I’ve ever heard of why Jesus would present the Eucharist as both his body and blood, given the importance of blood covenants in the Jewish tradition.
Only four sisters currently make up the monastic community, which makes what Sister Lynne, Sister Mary David, Sister Joanne and Sister Everline do there even more remarkable. The sisters have made their campus a model of conservation in the way they care for their 130 acres which include a restored Wisdom Prairie, a glacial lake, woodlands, gardens, an orchard and many hiking trails.
With so few sisters, the fate of the monastic community is uncertain, as it is at many other monasteries and abbeys across the country. Fortunately, Holy Wisdom has a vibrant oblate group, a strong coterie of volunteers who help conserve the land and a growing number of worshippers who attend the Sunday service, drawn by the traditional Benedictine hospitality of the sisters.
The sisters have said they want theirs to be “a monastery for others.” That mindset just might prove to be Holy Wisdom’s salvation given the unknowns of the future.
For anyone in or passing through the Madison area, Holy Wisdom is well worth a stopover. It is a soulfully heartening place in these soulfully disheartening times.
To learn more about Holy Wisdom Monastery, please visit: https://holywisdommonastery.org/
