Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

Last weekend I had the privilege of leading a weekend retreat with young people in their twenties and thirties.   It was an emotional time for many of us who had to hear the various heart-wrenching stories of some of these young people and the various ways that they have dealt with these life changing events and still continue to do so.   The weekend was a time for them to take stock of their lives and see if they were satisfied with where they were presently in their lives and if they happy with the person that they were becoming.   I am always amazed by the resilience of the human spirit.   Even though they were going through their own hell, they were still willing and able to try and reach out to others who were also hurting. Due to the magnitude of the hurts some were unable to be able to reach the place of forgiving the perpetrators.   Forgiveness for some is a journey; it is not an overnight event.   Jesus was able to forgive his perpetrators...

As our earth continues its journey around the sun, we experience shorter days of sunlight. Perhaps you notice a change within yourself. For some, this month of November herald's the coming of colder weather, barren trees, and long nights. So the changes are quite apparent. For me, November is a month of grace. This year November began with an interactive presentation with children at St. Luke's Parish. Connections were made between Halloween, All Saints' Day, Day of the Dead, and All Souls' Day.  Sharing stories of the lives of the saints like our founder, Samuel Mazzuchelli (November 4), Martin de Porres, OP (November 3), and Kateri Tekkawitha helped me realize more and more that all of us have the call and ability to become saints. It's in every one of us to be a light in our world. The light of Christ that is within me is real and tangible in a new way as I intentionally focus on Christ's light at my center. The practice begins with...