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Contact
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Contact Information
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State
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Description
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Sr. Mary David Walgenbach, prioress
Neal Smith, Executive Director, Administration
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Monastery of Saint Benedict Center,
Box 5070
Madison, WI 53705-0070;
608-836-1631;
monastery@sbcenter.org;
nsmith@sbcenter.org |
WI
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Saint Benedict Center covers 130 acres and includes a 10,000-year-old glacial lake, wooded nature trails, restored prairie, gardens, and a created wetland detention basin. Lost Lake, originally more than nine acres in surface area that had been reduced to less than two acres due to sedimentation, has been restored to near its original depth and area and now functions as a natural detention basin and water filter. This was chosen as a demonstration project for the Lake Mendota Priority Watershed in 1996. Sisters of Saint Benedict are returning much of their land to pre-settlement conditions of upland prairie with about 90 acres restored with donated seed or seed collected by volunteers. A wetland preserve was created on the prairie with naturally occurring run-off sustaining wetland plant species and waterfowl and providing ideal nesting areas for birds and other prairie life.
The land includes the monastery and hermitages for solitary retreats near woods and prairie sporting coyotes, fox, deer, great blue heron, indigo bunting, yellow-throated warbler, bluebird, cardinal, wood fern, Queen Anne's Lace, blackberries and mulberries. Reverence for creation is a deeply-held Benedictine value. The Sisters of Saint Benedict and partners seek to create an oasis of quiet beauty where all can come and experience God's presence. [2004]
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| Sr. Betty Wolcott, OSF (Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi) |
The Woodlands,
N 47475 Woodland Lane,
Osseo, WI 54758;
715-597-2711;
bwolcottosf@triwest.net. |
WI
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* This remote 85 acre tract of rolling hills, woodland, grassland with trails and flower and herb gardens near Eau Claire is a project of OMNI (Old Messages New Insights) Associates, a non-profit organization including the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi and friends, to promote a positive relationship between humans and the environment. The Woodlands is a retreat and learning center for nature, organic gardening and composting, food preservation, permaculture, and workshops on Thomas Berry’s Universe Story. [2003] |
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