Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

If there is ever a phrase that sounds like finger nails on a chalk board – for me it is the title of this blog entry.  It is right up there with the words spoken to someone grieving the death of a loved one:  “S/he is in a better place.” When someone says this to me or about their life situation or the life events of third party, I ask as gently as possible, what are some reasons that come to mind for them. Life is filled with joys and filled with sorrows.  It is the latter that is hard for us to know what to do or say to someone when we hear difficult news.  So we go to ‘throw-a-way’ statements.  We have not learned that it is ok to just be with one who is suffering. Retreat and spiritual direction ministries are doors into people’s joys and sorrows.  So are all of life’s relationships. I have learned that what people want most is to be heard.  Listening deeply is a life skill and is worth the work to develop.  Commu...

Spend a weekend on the lake fishing, going to a theater production, enjoying a concert in the park, lots of good food and great conversation with friends.   It was just what all of us needed. And that wasn’t even the 4 th of July!   On that mid-week holiday the Sisters in the Madison region had a wonderful potluck gathering – again, good food and great conversation. It’s important for us to have these breaks in our routine, to share opinions and insights, and, as Tanya said, to share our stories with one another. One of the topics of conversation, of course, was the brilliant opportunity for teaching and preaching that Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, executive director of NETWORK, made use of via the NUNS ON THE BUS tour that just concluded.   There were crowds who greeted the bus at each stop in that 2,000-mile journey through nine states, and they heard stories that highlighted the amazing variety of works that Sisters are doing among the invisible, vo...