Most of us can probably name on one hand the number of people in our lives who have really made us stop and take notice. One such person in my life is Joan Chittister. My feelings about her are not easy to explain. Her inner self, her passion and conviction radiate through the pages of her writing and through her speaking. She can light up a room in a flash. Her infectious smile is her soul speaking to the weary and those who have lost hope. She is the voice of women who are looking for an equal place at the table and a voice for all who suffer the indignities of oppression in a world of greed and power.
          Joan has a deep love for her Catholic faith. At the same time she values and appreciates other faiths. She can weave the common threads of compassion and love of neighbor into a beautiful garment for peace and justice in our world. more

    
            As a new Ecumenical Board member familiar with academic administrative settings, I remember being surprised by our first meeting.  Why? Because without even knowing it, I had become accustomed to a culture where there were as many competing agendas in the room as there were people. But here at Holy Wisdom, people were not waiting until another person finished so they could make their point. The people around the table were listening to each other. Actually Listening. Hearing. Attending. And only then, responding--responding with thoughtfulness and caring. This way of hearing and responding arises from the very first sentence in the Prologue to the Rule of Benedict, in which Benedict asks us to not simply let his voice wash over our ears, but to become attuned to his offering, to what he has to say. As Greek Orthodox monks intone before reading Scripture, so that we know to stand straight and perk up our ears: "Wisdom--let us attend."
          Given his pious, or potentially pious, readership and the expected prosaic nature of this text, Benedict had no need for an intriguing introduction. But the Rule he writes is more inspiring than list-like. And right away, from the very first words, he makes the exciting move of plunging us into a particular way of being that the Rule requires. This way of being might be called attunement, or it might answer to the name of responsiveness.  more

    

          It wasn't until early in the 17th century, when Galileo stated that the earth revolves around the sun, that humans began to understand the power of the sun. Now, centuries later, not only do we realize we have the ability to harness the sun's energy, we also know we must harness it in such a way that does not further damage the universe. As the design of the new monastery building evolved, a great deal of attention was paid to the sun and its effect on heating, cooling, lighting and shading the building.
          Solar heat gain refers to the increase in temperature in a space, object or structure that results from solar radiation. The amount of solar heat that a building gains increases with the strength of the sun and the ability of any intervening material to transmit or resist the radiation.
          When sunlight strikes an object like a roof, for example, the roof absorbs the short-wave radiation from the sunlight and re-radiates the heat at longer infrared wavelengths. This effect is often referred to as the greenhouse effect because it is like the heat gain that is experienced within a glass greenhouse. The greenhouse effect is a well-known contributor to global warming. more

Another Milestone:
A 25th Work Anniversary for
Bookkeeper Barb Pulvermacher 

 

          Barb Pulvermacher responded to a job ad in the newspaper, sent her resume off to P.O. Box 5070 and kept wondering why that post office box number sounded so familiar. With a smile on her face, she explains that her husband, George, who owned a meat processing business, had processed meat from the husband of Frances Zander (then a cook at Saint Benedict Center). The sisters purchased meat from the Zanders so Barb (then bookkeeper of her husband's business) had been sending invoices to Sister Mary David Walgenbach at P.O. Box 5070. When George gave up meat processing, it seemed Barb's destiny that she work for these Benedictine sisters.
          When Barb was hired as the bookkeeper in 1984, the hours she worked at Saint Benedict Center suited her well as a mother of four children, ages 10 to 18. Her children have grown and now have children of their own, but accounting still suits her well. On August 10, 2009 Barb celebrated her 25th work anniversary. more

          

          On July 9 members of Holy Wisdom Monastery's AcreMaker Club enjoyed a mostly organic and locally grown breakfast and a tour of the new monastery building. They especially enjoyed all the "green" features of the building, including geothermal heating and cooling, green roofs, solar panels, natural ventilation and more. AcreMakers are a group of special friends who have contributed $5000 or more to the environmental endowment at the monastery. These gifts build upon the ecological restoration and maintenance initiatives that the Sisters' began back in 1990. These initiatives include: