(Contributed photo)
After more than 10 years of planning and fundraising, the Nuns at Valley of Our Lady Monastery have moved from Prairie du Sac to a new monastery near Hollandale.
The majority of the move took place during the first full week of March, when a group of more than 40 volunteers worked with a moving company and with the Nuns in moving items from the previous monastery just north of Prairie du Sac to the new monastery on Urness Rd., just off of Cty. Rd. K, between Hollandale and Barneveld.
Groundbreaking at the 229-acre site was in early 2022, as the building site was prepared for construction of the 54,000-square-foot monastery. Actual construction began in August of 2022 and is still in its final stages. Completion is scheduled for May of this year.
Day Host-Jablonski of Madison, who was project manager for the move, said 22 Cistercian Sisters will live in the monastery, which was built to house up to 30 women. The Nuns come from all over the world — interestingly none are originally from Wisconsin — and range in age from 27 to 92. Their primary source of income is producing communion wafers for churches across the country.
Mike Ashmore, a member of the Ridgeway/Barneveld Knights of Columbus, worked closely with Host-Jablonski to coordinate the move and seek out local volunteers to help. Michelle Lancaster, a member of St. Bernadette Parish from Barneveld, developed an online signup form that resulted in volunteers coming from Barneveld, Ridgeway, Hollandale, Blanchardville, Dodgeville, Mount Horeb, Mineral Point, and Madison.
Members of the Blackhawk Knights of Columbus Council in Sauk City helped with the move at the site of the previous monastery, while members of the St. Patrick Knights of Columbus of Hollandale, the Knights of Columbus Council in Mount Horeb, the Father Samuel Mazzuchelli Council in Mineral Point, and the Ridgeway/Barneveld KC Council were involved on the Hollandale end.
Volunteers vital in the moving process
The new Valley of Our Lady Monastery includes a chapel for Nuns and guests; quarters and parking for guests; living, working, and other liturgical and ceremonial spaces for the Nuns; an altar bread-production building; a garage; and other outbuildings.
The bread-production machine — which last year produced 13 million wafers — originated in France. In January a crew came from France to move the machine, known as the Communion Wafer Workshop, from Prairie du Sac to Hollandale. The nuns were able to resume production on March 11 after the machine was moved and reassembled.
The residential moving committee included Reverend Mother Anne Marie and Sister Mary Benedicta.
The Communion Wafer Workshop move was coordinated by Sister Christina Marie.
Host-Jablonski said the move would have been difficult without the large group of volunteers.
“The Nuns are hugely grateful for the help of the volunteers and their neighbors, new and old, for their friendship and ongoing support,” she said.
The volunteers helped move items from the trucks to the various rooms, provided snacks, assembled furniture, put up curtains, and cleaned the building when the move was complete.
Host-Jablonski said once construction on the chapel is finished in May, regular Masses at the monastery will be open to the public.
A longstanding history
According to the Valley of Our Lady website, in 1098, a small group of Benedictine monks in France founded a new monastery where they could live their vows more fervently. As they grew, they founded many more monasteries throughout Europe. The Cistercian Order now has houses all over the world in which monks and Nuns continue to embrace a simple but intense life liturgy, manual labor, and the search for God through deep contemplative prayer.
In 1957, Bishop William P. O’Connor of Madison asked the Cistercians to send contemplative Nuns to the newly formed Diocese of Madison. Six Nuns answered the call, establishing the Valley of Our Lady Monastery in Prairie du Sac.
The Nuns plan to plant a garden and raise animals on their property to be as self-sustaining as possible.