I was born in Arkansas and grew up in Waukegan IL where I grew to know and love the “realness” of Sinsinawa Dominicans in grade-school.  I joined them after high school graduation in 1963 and feel “right at home” with our mission to “participate in building a holy and just society” and the wonderfully diverse ways we blend contemplation and action to “bring it to life.”  My three younger brothers and my  parents live in Ohio and Virginia. 

I earned a BS in elementary Ed. and religious studies from Edgewood College, Madison WI and an MA in liturgical instruction from Notre Dame.  I’ve done post-grad studies in spirituality and participated in a wide variety of conference, workshops and continuing study opportunities.  Recently I completed the Hesychia certificate program in Interfaith Spiritual Direction in Tucson AZ.  I have pastoral experience on parish and diocesan levels in education, liturgy, preaching and congregational leadership, from the hectic pace of the urban Bronx to the vast wilderness of the Alaskan bush.    

Currently living in Madison with three other Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, I engage in interfaith spiritual direction, companioning and exploration and create interactive spirituality opportunities and groups in Madison and beyond.

My spiritual practice includes an Earthling’s contemplative way of BE-ing in the NOW, continuing lively work in quantum awareness and honoring the Oneness of the diversity of all life.  As an intuitive, color-blind, left-handed, sci-fi-loving, night person, I often bring a different viewpoint, perspective, insight and outlook. 

In 2008 I joyfully joined Maureen and Paula as a co-director of Wisdom’s Well Interfaith Spirituality Center, Madison.  I’m also a regular presenter of classes in spirituality at Madison Senior Center. 

I’m very interested and involved in opportunities for interfaith interaction.  I join monthly gatherings of Madison Interfaith Dialogue, am a member of Greater Madison Interreligious Association and was on the Steering Committee of Madison’s Pre-Parliament event, Come to the Waters, on the Edgewood campus, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008.  I believe that:

Integral spirituality emphasizes the unity of spiritual experience underlying the diversity of religious expressions of faith-wisdom traditions and spiritual practices.  This exploration connects folks from a wide variety of religious traditions as well as those who come to spirituality outside the personal experience of a “church” background.  In today’s global society and Earth’s ecological state, we can decide and discover how to respect our differences as assets, not view them with suspicion.  We can learn to cooperate for the common good and not just stay on our own side of the street and hope “the others” do the same.  We can create the future “together” by how we choose to live HERE and NOW day by day.  We can connect what we believe with how we live.  We can explore our interfaith world not in theory, but with people!          

 Lynn Lisbeth, OP