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Volunteers take a break near Lost Lake at the Community Workday on May
22, 2010, a day where over 100 volunteers helped keep the monastery and
grounds green. The next Community Workday will be on October 2, 2010.
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Benedictine Bridge
A monthly newsletter of Benedictine Women
of Madison
Weaving prayer, hospitality, justice and care for the
earth
into a shared way
of life as an ecumenical Benedictine community
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BENEDICTINE WOMEN
OF MADISON
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Myth
#63: Monastic life is out of touch with the world we live in
Not at Holy Wisdom Monastery, where we have built an
environmentally-friendly monastery as an extension of our care for the
earth.
Stability in and harmony with all of God's creation are basic to
Benedictine monastic life. The sisters at Holy Wisdom Monastery have
recently made a bold statement of these commitments in the construction
of their new, and highly
awarded, monastery building.
Where will this kind of bold vision take us next? With faith in God and
the help of other single, Christian women who share a similar vision,
we seek to continue to weave prayer, hospitality, justice and care for
the earth in a shared way of life. We invite YOU to explore this way of
life with us.
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PRAYER & WORSHIP
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All are
welcome to join us for daily prayer, Sunday worship or special
liturgies. For more information contact Lynn at llemberger@benedictinewomen.org
or (608)
836-1631, ext. 138.
Click on the following links for prayer and worship schedules:
The annual summer picnic honoring the feasts of Saints
Benedict and Scholastica returns to our new monastery!
All are welcome to join the Oblate and Sunday Assembly communities for
worship on Sunday, July 18, 2010 at 9:00 am, and food and fellowship
afterward. Beverages and entrée provided; bring a side dish or dessert
to share. For questions about the picnic, please contact Lynn at llemberger@benedictinewomen.org or (608) 836-1631, ext.
138.
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RETREATS
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I
Hear Voices: A Journey of Faith, Family & Freedom
A day retreat
with public radio talk show host Jean Feraca on Saturday, July 24, 2010
at Holy Wisdom Monastery. Jean will share her experiences of
Benedictine hospitality and how it helped her become an authentic,
loving presence to all whom she encounters. 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Click here for
more information or contact Jerrianne Bland at jbland@benedictinewomen.org,
608-836-1631 ext. 158.
Summer: A Season of Fullness
August 20-21, 2010
Explore the fullness of summer and your own potential for fullness
of life through reflections, poetry, conversation, time in nature,
silence and meditation. Facilitated by Claudia Greco and Jerrianne
Bland, spiritual guides and Oblates of Benedictine Women of Madison.
For information or to register, contact Jerrianne at jbland@benedictinewomen.org,
(608) 836-1631, ext 158, or visit our website.
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LIBRARY
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Can
you help our Collections Manager find books that have strayed away from
our library?
Once a year, Nancy Sandleback checks the library database against the
books on the shelves. When she completed the "shelf read"
last month, she noted that a number of books have wandered away from
the monastery library. Would you please check to see if errant books
have found their way into your home and onto your bookcases? No
questions will be asked when you return them. Please don't reshelve the
books in our library--just place them on the library card catalog so
that Nancy knows that they have returned from their travels. If you
have any questions, you can reach Nancy at (608) 836-1631, ext. 105 or nsandleback@benedictinewomen.org.
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BENEDICTINE LIFE FOUNDATION
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Please
join us on Thursday, September 16, 2010 for
the return of the annual fundraising concert, Prairie Rhapsody!
"From Celestial Harmony to Conscience & Coffee" is an
entertaining musical journey through the Renaissance and Baroque with
master musician Trevor Stephenson and members of the Madison Bach
Musicians. The $50 per person ticket includes an hors d' oeuvres and
wine reception. To download a flyer and registration form for this
concert, please click here.
HELP US with the building campaign and purchase a limited
edition, hand bound collection of poetry written by Holy Wisdom
Monastery volunteer and poet, Michael Belongie.
Learn more or
contact Mike at mikesb@benedictinewomen.org, (608)
836-1631, ext. 124 today!
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OBLATES
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Retreat
open to the public!
James Finley
delivers a powerful message at his silent retreat Little Things That Fill the
Whole World: Gospel Metaphors of Spiritual Awakening and
participants leave feeling centered and at peace. Learn why
participants keep coming back for more Finley, September 17-19, 2010 at
Holy Wisdom Monastery. Click here to
learn more.
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CARE FOR THE EARTH
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Habitreks
Nature Walks at
Holy Wisdom
Monastery!
Join us for Prairies
in Bloom, our next Habitreks nature walk, on Tuesday
evening, August 17. Conservation biologist Susan Foote-Martin,
will lead this trip through Holy Wisdom Monastery prairies. Future
walks include: "Indian Mounds, Geology and History" on
September 7 and "Fall is in the Air" on October 5. The walks
begin at 6:00pm and finish by 7:30pm. Meet at the new monastery
building entrance, 4200 County Road M,
Middleton, WI, to begin the walk. Click here for
more information or contact Jan at
jlottig@benedictinewomen.org, (608) 836-1631, ext. 123.
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BUILDING NEWS
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Holy
Wisdom Monastery earns 63 out of 69 points on LEED-NC v2.2 scale!
Here are a few samples of recent
media coverage on the LEED certification:
For more information on the LEED certification,
please visit our website.
Tours
Tour the 'green' Holy Wisdom Monastery! Take a self-guided or guided
tour. The next tour is on Sunday, August 22 at 10:30 am with Bill
Rosholt. Click here for
more information or contact Mike at mikesb@benedictinewomen.org,
(608) 836-1631, ext. 124. To download a printable flyer of upcoming
tours, click here.
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HOLY WISDOM MONASTERY
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The
new Holy Wisdom Monastery is
spiritual
· home to Benedictine Women of Madison, North
America's first monastic community for single women of any Christian
denomination and a spiritual resource for all
environmental · built
to be one of the "greenest" buildings in the country
featuring geothermal heating and cooling, bamboo floors, green roofs,
natural lighting, water conservation and more
open to
all · public Sunday worship at 9 am, group
and individual retreats, meetings, nature walks, weddings, tours...
local · 4200 County Rd M,
Middleton, WI just 20 minutes from downtown Madison
Contact Debby at ddelciello@benedictinewomen.org or (608)
836-1631, ext. 141 for more information about reserving space at the
Monastery.
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Benedictine Women receive
LEED Platinum Certification
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Sisters Joanne, Lynne and Mary David receive the
LEED Platinum plaque from US Green Building Council board member
Punit Jain.
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What do
you get when you combine vision, mission, purpose, passion,
commitment, creativity, risk-taking and a little divine intervention
sprinkled in along the way? You get an inspirational story on
God's hill, because that's what happened here.... This sacred
place tells so many wonderful stories, this beautiful and
awe-inspiring monastery is a testimony that really debunks the myth
that "green", well not just "green" but
"really, really green," can be accomplished and it doesn't
have to cost more. In fact it can cost the same or less than a
conventional building.... This building is the Benedictine Women of
Madison's mission in action. It's a healing place, a teaching
place, and a shining example for others to follow.
Paul
Hoffman, Hoffman, LLC
Excerpt from his
speech delivered at the LEED Platinum Award Ceremony at Holy Wisdom
Monastery on
June 24, 2010
For more photos and
audio clips from the LEED Platinum Award Ceremony, please visit our website.
We will also be screening the 45-minute video of the entire award
ceremony on Sunday, September 12, 2010 after Sunday Assembly. All are
welcome.
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Life-Changing Journey:
Sarah's Story
By: Sarah Qian
I have been living in America for 15 years. I want to share my
journey with you: a journey that started when I met Sr. Mary David 16
years ago in Meihekou City, China. Looking over the past years, I see
my life filled with countless adventures and blessings. I was blessed
to be a part of the Sisters of St. Benedict community in Madison,
Wisconsin, a loving family who provided an opportunity for education
and supported my choice of nursing as a career.
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Sarah with Joanne Kollasch, OSB.
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I was a middle
school teacher when I met Sr. Mary David in China. There were several
sisters from the United States, Korea, Germany, and Philippines in
the city to found a clinic that could benefit local people. My main
role as a volunteer with the Missionary Benedictine Sisters was to
teach them Chinese and run errands for them. I was honored to be able
to contribute my time to this great undertaking. However, it was a
huge struggle to communicate with the sisters since I did not speak
English. The only way I could communicate with them was through the
Korean sisters who spoke limited English themselves. When Sr. Mary
David visited, Sr. Antonia from Korea introduced me to her and
explained that she was looking for a way to help the middle school
where I was teaching. Sr. Mary David met the principal who informed
her that "the school is in desperate need of English
teachers." Sr. Mary David immediately offered to invite teachers
to America to learn English. The principal believed that I would be a
good candidate to come to America and then return to the school as an
English teacher. I could then help in their work in China. I could
not believe what I was hearing. I was excited yet skeptical since I
knew how hard it was to get a visa to go to America.
This was only the beginning of the journey. I could not have imagined
the middle and end.
An invitation arrived less than a month after Sr. Mary David returned
to Madison. I could not believe my eyes when I reviewed the letter.
At the same time, reality started to sink in. My heart started racing
with excitement and also fear for the unknown future. I knew it was a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me but it meant that I would have
to quit my job and leave my family for a long time. I decided to
follow my heart since I could offer so much more to my Meihekou
community and the sisters' mission in China. It took me three months
to get the visa and leave China. During that time, many things
happened in addition to the hurdles of getting the
government stamps to leave, and approving my visa. My grandfather
passed away from a long battle with liver cancer, and three days
later I married my longtime boyfriend, Abraham.
On December 15, 1995, I arrived in Madison with warm welcomes from
many people including the sisters, staff, and everyone from Sunday
Assembly. I lived in the monastery with the sisters. It was very
hard in the beginning since I did not speak much English--much
harder than I anticipated. The hardest thing of all was being home
sick, since it was my first time leaving my family. Many nights
I cried myself to sleep. When Srs. Mary David and Joanne learned of
this, they decided to bring Abraham to America as well. Since then,
the sisters helped us learn English and further our educations.
Along the way our son Daniel was born, and was showered with love
from many "sister grandmothers."
It has been 15 years since I left China, but it feels like just
yesterday. In these 15 years I have grown through the education I
received, deepened my faith, and became a mother of a now 12-year-old
son. I returned to China briefly in 1998 to help the Benedictine
sisters with the opening of the Ai Min Hospital they founded and to
become an English teacher. I was full of ambition and dreams when I
took the plane to China: I intended to stay. However, the opening
ceremony of the hospital was stalled due to the local government's
plan to take over the hospital. I was accused of being brain washed,
a religious spy, and denied the opportunity to return to the school
and teach. My only choice was to return to America and start my new
life under religious asylum.
I went back to school in Madison and studied nursing, thinking a
career in the medical field would open up another opportunity to work
with the Missionary Benedictine sisters in the future. Until now,
this was impossible. After graduating from Madison Area Technical
College, Abraham started a trucking business and worked hard to
support me through nursing school.
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Sarah Qian at her 2006 graduation from Edgewood
College (Madison) with Sisters Lynne, Joanne and Mary David. Sarah
now works on the critical care floor at a hospital in the Twin
Cities.
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During my journey,
the sisters from Holy Wisdom Monastery have been my cheerleaders and
offered tremendous support. They have given us unconditional love and
provided us a place we can call home in America. They took us under
their wings, nurtured us, mentored us through tough times and guided
us to make better and wiser decisions. They also have been awesome
grandmas for my son Daniel. On Daniel's first trip to China, he was
confused that he had more grandmothers other than Grandma David,
Joanne and Lynne. Last December, we moved away from the sisters to
Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was very sad because we won't see the
sisters as often as we want, but deep down in my heart, I know they
will be there for us no matter how far apart we are.
Sometimes I wonder why I was given this overwhelming blessing, which
completely changed my life. Sometimes I feel that my life is destined
for something special, but I don't yet know what that is. For
now, I can live my life to the fullest, and spread my blessings to others.
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Calendar of Events
September 12, 2010
Screening of LEED Award Ceremony DVD
following Sunday Assembly
September 16, 2010
Prairie Rhapsody
A Benefit Concert for Holy Wisdom Monastery
with Trevor Stephenson and the Madison Bach Musicians
GreenFest and Community Workday
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Save 15%
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Holy Wisdom Monastery is offering a 15 percent discount on
guest rooms in our Retreat and Guest House weekdays during the
summer. This coupon is for one overnight guest room and should be
presented at the time the reservation is made. This offer will continue
until August 31. Please come and let us share the beauty of the
monastery and its grounds with you. We welcome the
opportunity! To redeem this coupon and make a room reservation,
please contact Gloria at (608) 831-1631, ext. 101 or monastery@benedictinewomen.org.
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Offer Expires: August 31, 2010
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