Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

Since you are reading this blog, I know that you are connected to Dominicans of Sinsinawa. Why do YOU connect? Who connects us? Recently Pat Leahy and I became connected to Julia Slotnick who lived in the house called CONNECTIONS last year as part of Dominican Volunteers USA.  When Julia moved to Madison to become a campus minister at Edgewood High School, she called us. Julia is staying with us at Monona House until she can get an apartment of her own nearer to school. I asked Julia why she wants to connect with Dominicans of Sinsinawa.  Her response was that Sinsinawa Dominicans are ·        involved with local projects ·        concerned about global issues ·        willing to connect others in ministry ·        work on professional and cultural development ·        knowledgeable about vi...

At our recent Community Days gathering I was gently prodded by a line from one of our leadership team.  She noted that on retreat she had heard the line:  “God forgive me from the sloth of my busy-ness”.  I sat up a lot straighter when I heard her say that.  If a one word answer describes many of us involved in service/ ministry it is this:  How are you? “Busy”!  It has made me ponder what is the nature of my busy-ness?  Why is it necessary/important to describe my life as busy?  What does that say to others who perhaps do not approach me because I appear to be ‘so busy’?  One thing my busy-ness teaches me is that when I am so busy/too busy I often fail to be in the present.  I take too little notice of the gift of breathing, of beauty around and within me.  It is, for me, a way to avoid the Divine.  This awareness is helping me slow down, be more present and move away from this av...