Standing in front of Saint Benedict Center, you can see Downtown Madison. But upon entering the retreat and conference center, you are separated from urban life by more than a lake.

The Center is located on the northern shore of Lake Mendota, just off Highway M. Founded by the Sioux City, Iowa-based Sisters of Saint Benedict, it had its start as a private school for girls. As the ecumenical movement picked up steam in the 1960s, the Center became a popular destination for groups from various faith traditions. Responding to the evident need for a serene setting in which to gather, the sisters remodeled the school facility into the present multi-use center, which opened in 1966.

"It's a place of hospitality for groups and individuals who are seeking to come together for prayer, work, study and rest," says Kathi Koegle, one of the 30-plus lay persons who work at the center. "You don't have to be of the Roman Catholic tradition to come here. You don't have to be of any faith."

Many of the people who visit Saint Benedict Center are artists (see accompanying story). Writers and musicians check in to private rooms for solitary work time. An art group meets monthly for lectures and workshops. Bimonthly art exhibits are selected by the Center's art committee to be displayed in the entryway and dining area.

"The art exhibits are one of the ways that we reflect that (Benedictine) history of hospitality and welcome," says Koegle. Most of the artists are local and regional, and the committee looks for work that reflects at least one aspect of the Benedictine tradition. According to Koegle, Benedictine values include a reverence for nature, simplicity, contemplation, balance and spirituality.

The Benedictine reverence for creation has been made manifest on the Saint Benedict Center grounds. The 132-acre site includes Lost Lake, a 10,000-year-old glacial lake that was de-silted as part of the Center's environmental restoration plan. The five year plan also included clearing brush, re-seeding and removing non-native trees in order to return more than half of the Center's acreage to native prairie.

"It's all part of the Benedictine tradition," says Koegle. "Providing a place of natural beauty where people can find God."

Saint Benedict Center can be experienced in a number of different ways. In addition to the retreat center and grounds, with miles of nature trails, there are several hermitages — private, one-bedroom units that can be reserved by those wishing an extended period of solitude. Private or guided retreats are also available at the Monastery, adjacent to the retreat center. Even the Center's resident order, the Benedictine Women of Madison, is an ecumenical group. One of the three members is an ordained Presbyterian minister who has chosen to follow the Rule of Benedict in her daily life.

"I think that some people may not know that they don't have to be part of a group to come out here," says Koegle. "Twenty minutes from Downtown is this oasis. It's a green oasis for people."