Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

Where can I find God’s presence? What signs can I count on? How will I know when I’ve found God? These questions have been hidden deep inside my heart for as long as I can remember. They’ve meant different things to me over the years, but the questions haven’t changed all that much. When I was a child I was confused by the preaching I heard Sunday after Sunday. God seemed like a powerful judge, and I was errant at best. One answer I grasped at a fairly early age was that I could immerse myself in “God-friendly” activities. It wasn’t until many years later that I discovered the most God-friendly activity was being my own best self, not someone else’s idea of what it meant to be good, and definitely not undermining my own self by living in fear. The great thing about this discovery is that it’s something I can live into for the rest of my life, and I can count myself in the crowd of all the wrong people Jesus chose to show the scope of his love! Learning to live in love has shown me the ...

Every day here in Southeast Alaska I am surrounded by incredible natural beauty--majestic, snow-covered mountains, winding waterways, and scores of eagles, gulls, and other birds. But since this area is made up of islands it can be a challenge for a faith community to meet on a regular basis. In Juneau we have four Masses every weekend, but I recently flew to Petersburg to facilitate a retreat morning with a group of women. This community shares its pastor with a parish about 50 miles away, so every other week the pastor travels by ferry to Wrangell and stays the week. Therefore, two weekends every month parishioners lead Communion services which are well-attended. St. Catherine’s parish is truly alive in its faith! I was inspired by each parishioner’s commitment and willingness to share responsibility for all the activities that make this such a vital parish. It was a joy for me to share my faith with them. Sr. Marie Lucek, OP

Greetings from Mobile, Alabama, where everything is in bloom! As you can see from the picture, I work with children. What isn't obvious is that I 'm not in a school setting. I teach at a place called "the Art Instructional Center" in Lavretta Park for the City of Mobile Department of Parks and Recreation. Ministry can happen anywhere, even in a beautiful park! I think a lot about what it means to teach art to children. We, all of us, are hardwired for artistic expression in one form or another. It is one of God's great gifts to us. The wonderful thing about working with children is that they have not yet learned to fear this gift. They love coming to the Art Center and I love creating opportunities for unleashing their creative potential. What they make (usually) adds to the beauty of our world. Making art teaches children how to work toward a goal. No kits. The outcome is not immediately evident, and skills have to be learned in small increments. Lots of problem...