Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

A while back, sisters posting to this blog were asked to think about the "perks" of life as a Sinsinawa Dominican. A big one for me is Dominican hospitality. I claim it as a big part of our charism. I have practiced it as a virtue and pleasure, and enjoyed its fruits throughout my Dominican life. The summer before I became a Dominican, I traveled to California with Sister Ginger Phillips. We were the beneficiaries of something Ginger took for granted, but which captured me. Doors and hearts were opened to us in Minneapolis, Cheyenne, Oakland, Los Angeles and beyond. I came to understand in new ways what being part of a family is all about.These days, I count on the warm welcome, animated conversation, great food and drink, and unconditional love I receive from my sisters Georgia and Geri, my half-way stop between Alabama and Wisconsin. Here in Mobile, we think we have an unbeatable combination to offer: Dominican Hospitality + Southern Hospitality! Dominican hospitality goes...

I have never been a coffee drinker. I am an unabashed lover a tea since childhood and enjoy this time in which tea seems to have gotten great favor because of the varieties available. I trust that St. Catherine Cafe includes a fine offering of global teas. I have had the opportunity to travel and study throughout the Middle East where it is not unusual to be offered a cup of "chai" - the word used by peoples of the Middle East for all teas. From Bedoin tents to priory or convent of Dominicans Sisters or Friars in that part of the world, the offering of chai was a wonderful adventure. Hospitality is an important part of Arabic culture with certain attributes that can be seen even in Old Testaments stories. Abraham and Sarah welcomed three strangers, offering them the best their household could provide. In those days, to be a sojourner gave the opportunity to welcome the stranger who had the potential to become a friend. When a woman considers our vowed life, she provides us t...